Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-30

Landon Knight contributes to The
Pilgrim for September a most inter-
esting article in which he makes clear
that all the characters in Winston
Churchill's splendid American novel,
THE Crisis We're real. He says:
stephen Bryce died in St. Louis
not long ago. There was never any
doubt about his character, for it was
known from the first that he was Hen
ry Hitchcock, a prominent lawyer,
politician and philanthropist of st.
Louis. and a brother of the Secretary
of the Interior, Ethan Allen Hitch
cock. Winston Churchill was a rel
ative of Mr.. Hitchcock, and has no
hesitancy in acknowledging that the
career of his kinsman inspired the
idea of The Crisis"
Jimmy is undoubtedly a composite
character. made up of the many excel
lencies of Miss Woods, combined with
the other traits of character for which
the Southern girl has been, and, let
us hope always will be, noted.
Clarence Colfax is also a compo-
site character, and was undoubtedly
drawn to present the ideal young
Southerner of that class and day, to
strike contrast with Stephen Bryce,
the highest product of contemporary
New England civilization.
The great man, Calvin Brinsmade.
Is so thinly disguised in The Crisis
that st. Louis and the world recognized
nun at once as Mr.. James Yeatman,
president of the Western Sanitary
Commission during the Civil War. All
that Mr.. Churchill has said of him.
and very much more, is true, for a ten
derer. kinder heart never beat in hi
man bosom on this earth than that
which ceased few years ago, when
James Yeatman died. He owned n.
country home, near Colonel Woods
place at Glencoe, and the station where
one leaves the train to reach it is
named for him.
carl Richter, the fellow-student of
Bryce in Judge WhippIe's law office.
is put a thinly disguised character.
monument to his memory now stands
IN Benton Park, in South st. Louis
and on its marble sides is the name
Frederick Hecker He was in Judge
Fields office when the war came on.
and it was largely due to his untiring
efforts that German ST. Louis pre-
scented united front for the ITnion
He died in battle"
Harper & Brothers it is said hold the
pam Tor the greatest number of drama
llzauons; Not only so, but in every in
stance the plays have been attended
with phenomenal success First there
was Trilby. closely followed bv Tess Of
the u Urbervilies. Then Mrs. Fiske- re-.
peated the triumph of Tess with Becky
sharp in the characterization of VANITY
falf. Next came the prodigious produc-
non of Ben-liur. which is still in the full
huSh or popularity. Among other novels
pubiished by the Harpers which have al
ready been prepared for the stage or are
III process of preparation for immediate
production. are Miss Wilkins,s Jerome"
Ms Zangwiti'S The Nam " of tGiiia n =
Mrs. Humphrey Wards Eleanor" Gen.
Lew. Wailace's THE Prince of Ina,a
Onoto Watanna's "A Japanese Nightin-
gale, Ind Hamlin Garland's THE Cap
tain OF the Gray-Horse Troop"
a friend of Thackery's one day discov-
cred him reading a rather dull history.
Il thought" replied the friend, that
men who wrote novels read novels"
Thackery replied: I'VE who make cake
must eat bread"
Every man ought 20 read serious books.
such as works on science. philosophy and
literature, IS we'll as lighter literature
Such books educate a man. They build
up his mind. They give him new ideas
They improve his reason and his speech,
and they train him to think.
There is much good thinking in a