The St. Louis Republic., 1902-02-01
JOHN PHILIP S0USA makes his appearance novelist in
musical entitled 1.-The Fifth Stng and possessing
weird and most meodama plot Gossip of authors and the work
they are doing New books received.

That John Philip SOusa known as THE
March King for his stirring musical COM
positions of the militant spirit. eminent
bandmaster composer of two or three sue
cessful comic operas. and dear to St.
Louisans as the erstwhile chief attraction
of the old Exposition. should now make
his bow as a novelist is 4 development OF
unusual local interest.
II isn't the familiar aud famous "Sousa
bow for which We used to look de-
nghtedly in the Exposition days-that
graceful swaying of the correctly uniformed
body. which meant that in another minute
Sousa would wave his baton and the Sousa
band burst forth into harmony for the
ediilcation of souls Tnusically inclined. This
time 1t is iisuratvp. 1t is made the
title page ola novel THE Fifth String.
written by John Philip Snusa. illustrated
by Howard Chandler Christy and published
by the Bowen-Merrili Company. Indianapo-
lis and for sale in all book stores.
When a man who has already attained
distinction in one art attempts another the
tho oIghtful student of human talent
is apt to contemplate the effort
with some little misgiving. Versatility
is i dangerous thing as a possession in art.
1t initiates against concentration and pre-
vents supreme achievement. The musical
temperament and the literary temperament
dit NOT nN any means lDGOnETubCS IN oie
possession, however. and there is no good
reason why Sousa. being known for mas
teriul work in music. should not also be-
come known for fairly creditabe work in
fictonal literature.
And in The Fifth String" he gives us
a novel which. while decidedly faulty in
technique. is yet interesting and dramatic
to the point of melodrama. AS will be seen
from the title the story is musical. which,
at least proves that Mr. Sousa sticks to
his last" so to speak Its hero is young
Tuscan violinist. who has captivated ali
Europe by the magic of his playing. In
the opening chapter he arrives in this
country TO make his first appearance in the
New York Academy of Music under the
management OF an amusingly typical i'm
preaario' of the Gp-to-date school,. At
reception given in his hcnr by certain New
York society folk. wham he had met
abroad, he NETS a young American wom-
an, with whom he instantly falls in
love. with all a musicians soulfulnsss.
At the Academy recital which follows he
plays to her alone. The audience goes
wild over his mastery work. but the girl
whom he loves remains unmoved. She tells
him so the next day, adding that If he can
SO play as to reach her heart she will
surrender her affections to him with a
completeness worthy of his own love for
her.
And then the breathless interest of the
story begins. not TO be relaxed until the
end. The young Tuscan violinist suddenly
disappears on the night set for his second
appearance in New York. He is known
to have reached the Academy of Music and
gone to his dressng-room. But he was not
there when the moment came for him to 60
on the stage. and he is missing thereafter
1t is apparently a startling case Of mys-
terious abduction or OF mysterious assas-
sination. All New York is profoundly ex-
cited. but no solution of the mystery is