Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-14
''s''s
LITERATURE AND LIFE:
A. j. N. i.


The Man from Glengaly" is Ralph
Connors third novel 1t deals with the
stirring life of northwestern Canada In
bis former tales, BLACK Rock" and
Sky Pilot" he drew his characters
from among the miners and cowboys of
that section. The Man from GlengaI-
ry" deals with the lumbermen Of the
ottawa region.
The story opens amid wild scenes.
fierce and bloody fight occurs between
two rival gangs of lumbermen, in
which the hatred between the French
and Scotch elements comes to ii climax
fraught with tragic results. Mcdonald
Dubh, the hero's father. receives iniur-
les which later result in his death.
Young Ranald's VOW of vengeance for
the death of his father, and his final
act of forgiveness in saving the life of
his enemy form the motif and moral of
the story
There is little or no lot, the interest
all centerng in the development of the
hero, Ranald from turbulent boyhood
to sturdy manhood The chief trans
forming power that enters his life with
the death of his father is the friend
ship of Mrs. Murray, the ideal minis
ter's wife, who comes as an angel of
mercy into the Wild rough life of these
hardy Scotch pioneers. From our
knowledge of the authors family we
strongly suspect his mother is the or
iginal of Mrs. Murray
There is no heroine in the usual
sense of the word, tho the interest or
the story is not wanting in the ele-
ments of love and romance. The hero
a shy and inexperienced country lad,
meets at the home of Mrs. Murray her
niece Mamie, beautiful but shallow
girl from the city, whom he idealizes
into a miniature copy of her aunt. Her
beauty calls forth all the tenderness
and strength of young Ranald's nature,
and his love becomes the inspiring pas
sion of his life and dreams. He turns
away from his craft and from the In
dian lands Of his boyhood and goes to
Toronto, the home of his beloved,
where he makes his way UP to a part
nership in her fathers Office. Then,
when about to ask Mamie for the full
fillment of their early pledge, he learns
of her perfidy and marriage to another.
The shock of his rude awakening IS
almost tragic in its results. But here
the beneficent memory of Mrs. Muir
rays influence comes In and saves him.
He resigns his position, leaves the
scene of his bitter sorrow, goes to the
lumber camps of British Columbia,
where, as chief manager, he introduces
social settlement work, and rises rap
idly to political eminence, power and
wealth. In the final chapter he meets
again his old love, when the scales fall
from his eyes, his ideal fades away and
he contents himself with the plain and
sensible Kate Raymond, who has been
the staunch friend thru all his vicissi-
tudes.
Between 1.-THE Man from Glengarry'
and THE Right of Way there is a wide
difference, and the reason Is not nard
to find. The former work was written
by a clergyman, the other by jour-
nalist. To which of these professions
a story belongs is easily told without
knowing the authors name, by one ia
miliar with both types Of thought. Each
author has the merits of his respective
calling. The newspaper man is real
ist. 1t is his province to paint life as
he sees it, not as 1T ought to be, or
would be under certain idealized con-
ditions. He has a broader experience
with men and affairs than has the cler-
eyman, and experience that brings MIN
into FREQUENT and familiar contact with
the worst phases of life. The evil ne
sees and reports molds his views OF
human nature. He comes to regard the
good as exceptional and abnormal
grows distrustful of religious institu-
lions, and skeptical of mans higher
possibilities, and this pessmism natur-
ally colors all his creative work.
On the other hand, while the preach
err lacks the broader experience of the
newspaper man, he possesses the
broader vision. An optimist in faith
he portrays life, not as it is, but as it
should be. All his training and habits
OF though prompt him to seek out and
report only the good Very rarely is
the preacher realist. The modern
minister belongs to the romantic school
of fiction. He is an optimist, an ideal
list, and pictures the things that ought
to happen, but never do happen outside
of books. And unless he be writer of
unusual viril!ty and strength he is very
apt to give US a puppet hero, swim
ming in sea of gush and sentimental
ity, something newspaper man is
never guilty of.
Another better illustration Of these
two types is shown In two earlier books
one written by a minister, the ether
by journalist, and both stories con-
tanning a clergyman as hero. THE
Damnation of Theron Ware" written
by Harold Frederick" is a strong, vir-
lie story-not weak passage in it-giv-
ing a true, faithful portrait of a type of
minister too often found in our mod
ern pulpits. But the author allowed
Lis type to dominate his view of life
and religion. All his leading charac-
ters, the hero, heroine and their mutual
friend, the priest, are all tinged with
skepticism and cynicism which make
the book thoroughly depressing and
leaves the reader without faith in God
or man.
The other book, Redemption of Da-
yid Corson," by Rev. Charles Goss,
gives us the portrait of another minis
ter, but not typical one. The story
written from the standpoint of the OPP
timst, contains passages of great
beauty and ethical value, but In
strength and truthfulness to nature, it
| is greatly inferior to Frederick's work.
Mr. Goss takes for his hero a weak and
sentimental mystic and endeavors to
make of him a strong character. "Da-
vid Corson," vacillating between virtue
and vice, punges from one excess to
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