The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-11-23

write any outside of it beforehand. I
have the climax in mind from the very
| first and that is always clear to me if
nothing else is. The people l write about
become entirely real to me. Once
wrote murder and detective story, and
never wanted to again-it was so horrid
| to live with such dreadful people"
| Mrs. Cutting has, in fact, made her
reputation in a practically new field
she has begun her stories where other
| writer's leave off, Marriage is a very
general experience and the married peo-
| pie live with as much energy and ac-
| tivity as bachelors and maids, or the
boys and girls, yet in fiction they gener
| ally cease to be once the marriage cere-
mony is performed The stories in the
| present collection seem to reveal the
very heart of domesticity, but, in every
| instance it is the married life that one
| likes to think is truly representative,
the married life whose problems and
trials are only to be solved by the abid-
ing affections of the contracting parties.
| The book leaves a very pleasing sense
of satisfaction with the reader.
1.-The recent book which comes to mind
| in this connection-perhaps because of
| contrast, is R. V. Risley's THE Life of
a Woman" The latter story-a long
| one-treats of married life in the SUI
burbs, but it is rather psychological
| study of the woman than an exposition
of married life itself. AS a sample the
| following attack of the wife's friend on
| the husband is given:
do you mean to tell me-" she ha-
rangued him, that you prefer this mean,
dishonest, gossping, stupid, infinitely
| commonplace country suburb. full of
| fools, to the city-any city-where men
and women live instead of female asses
and masculine pumpkin heads? Good
God! I'd rather live in a slum than in a
place like this, where the town lives
to cheat you and the fools in the resi-
dence districts live because they are
country mad! Do you know what effect
this sore Of thing has on the mind of
even an ambitious woman? Look around
you-some of these poor provincialized
vegetables might have been women-wo-
men with women's life, and vivacity, and
gayety, and charm, and helpfulneSs, and
beauty. What are they now? They are
out of touch with life, so prematurely
aged and yet so immature that they
would be burdens to any city man
know.
IF their husbands weren't half mad
with the country and as dull as
computing automaton, they would feel
it, too. But you can see the effect even
on the men, the effect of being provin-
cialized. Are the old residents here like
city men? Have you ever stood in the
Grand Central depot and watched the su-
burbanites come in? Have you seen the
difference between the men and women
of the suburbs and those of the city? /
don't say it is not all right for the aver
age, the typical, for the great mass of
people who make up what they call the
public but for woman like Barbara,
who is not ordinary, who is not medi-
OGRE, it's madness and Gods own waste. "
Coupled with interest in Dickens works
has always remained an interest in his
manner of life. AS result new facts
are constantly coming to light. Martin
Harvey, the English actor who increased
his fame tremendously in presenting
1.-The Only Way" and who is now in this
country, recently added some valuable
Dickensiana.
1T is not generally known that Dick
ems was an excellent actor. He would
created in his books, and called for the
highest praise from his contemporaries.
Since have been performing his Sydney
Carton in The Only Way 1 have been
brought into close association and friend
ship with the Dickens family and natur
ally have learned many interesting Incl
dents and facts about the great novelist
which, 1 believe. are not generally
known.
at was while Dickens was playing oc
casionally in The Frozen Deep'-a dra-
matization of Wilkie Collins work-that
the idea first came to him of making
"A Tale Of Two Cities, into play. For he
always considered this his finest work.
"But nothing was ever done in the
matter by Dickens, and. though other
dramas have been written on the sub
ject. it remained for Freeman Wills
work to become popular. Henry Dick
ems, son of the novelist and a well
known English lawyer, has often told me
how much he wishes that his father had
seen this performance of his fayorite
character
THE great success of The Only Way
in England suddenly brought the sale of
"A Tale of Two Cities to a considerable
they could follow the provincial tours
around England by their books of sales.
Miss Dickens, granddaughter of
Charles Dickens, has essayed the part
of Sydney Carton in private theatricals,
and 1 have a treasured photograph of her
on my mantelpiece in the character So,
too, Gen. Baden Powell can lay claim to
having performed it, for that officer,
during the siege of Mafeking, was for
ever entertaining his garrison, and it is
said the versatile general gave fine ptr-
Torrance of Carton.
Among the congratulatory letters
President Wilson received on his inaug
uration as president of Princeton uni
versity was one from Laurence Hutton,
the well-known author of Literary
Landmarks" addressed to Professor
Woodrow Wilson, Library Place-with
better place in Prospect" The street
in which President Wilson lives is called
Library Place, some distance from the