The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-06
CONFESSIONS OF A WIFE
MANY PARoDlEs ON THE STORY
RUNNING IN CENTURY
Jacob Riis' Battle of the SIums" Soon
to Be Observation-Disclosures Twins
Wonderful Private Library-Former
ST. Paul Resident Writes of the
Great Disaster at Mont Pelee.

The "Confessions of a Wife," drag
ging their weary, dreary length along
in the Century, have been productive
of more parodieS, more humorous hits
and criticism generally than anything
in the literary line save and except
ing the illusions of Mary MacLane, if
they can be clasSed in the category
of things literary. If the confessions
of Marina reflect truthfully the domes-
tic life of the majority of married
couples, no one should wonder at the
multiplicity of divorces or the report
ed matrimonial unhappineSS of so
many mismated couples. Apropos of
the Confessions" there is very good
letter in current literary paper adj
dressed to Marina, and signed by
woman who makes some very excel
& lent points. 1t begins: Have you
very nearly finished, for if not the
s SWampside reading circle wish to wait
upon you in private each armed with
q hat pin. We really cannot stand you
any longer. Has anybody told you that
you are a goose? Dana was all right
when you married him. 1t
was yours to rest and refresh and
inspire him and be content if he some
times had something on his mind be-
side your marvellous self. But, no, you
chose to nag, to weep and dissect and
poke into his inmost soul what time
you were not unraVeling your own
nervous system, and we only wonder
the poor fellow stayed at home as long
as he did. Men do not enjoy having
their emotions pulled up by the roots
every few hours and examined under
a microscope 81" The writer re-
fers to the many notes that Marina
wrote her husband, in fact he was
very fortunate not to find one in his
coffee cup-there was almost always
one on his pillow Marna's critic says
it is not pleasant for a man to have
to drag a note out from his overcoat
collar as he runs to catch car or as
he lays weary head upon his pillow at
night to place said ear upon a pin
that is securely fastening a tender,
but complaining, epistle from his wife.
She represents herself almost con-
<stantly as wearing a red wrapper and
In her hand tear stained wipe" Gas
they say somewhere), and great re-
proachful eyes fixed upon the unhappy
Dana, who only asked to smoke his
pipe and read his paper in peace. The
last sentences of this letter are very
severe, but no one who has read the
confessions is likely to think the Ian
: guage too strong: IF your Confess
sions,'" says the writer, will only keep
some of this autumns brides from
making the sad wreck of life that you
have done through your conSummate
Selhshness you will not have gotten on
to the nerves of long suffering pub
lice in vain" 1t will be remembered
that when these confessions were be-
gun it was announced that they were
the real experiences of a woman some
where who was so anxious to remain
unknown that no one save the editor OF
the Century knew her identity. Let
us hope that she may read the letter
mentioned above and other criticisms
that have told Marina many home
truths, and be governed accordingly. In
several different ways she has been
advised to dispose of the red wrapper,
the tears and to brace up. Perhaps
even yet it might be possible to bring
Dana back to his allegiance, and if
she gets him and will take the advice
of a good guesser she will keep him so
busy wondering what she Is going to
do next that he will not spend one
evening away from home for fear OF
missing something.
A New Book by Riis.
A book which will arouse much in
terest and find many readers is in pre-
paration by the Macmillan company
and will be published shortly. 1t is
'The Battle With the Sum-" by Jacob
"A. Riis, the well known slum worker
of New York and author of "How the
Other Half Lives" Mr.. Riis is not
d ur6dnleT OF mere IneOrlSl, out DIS
every one knows, has labored for years,
and had the actual experience in slum
work without which theories are of
but little value. His last book, "The
Making of an American" while in
teresting and containing much good
matter, was married by an apparent,
but perhaps not real, egotism, mani
tested by chapter headings such as
"How I Arrived" 'T Buy a Dog" ETC.,
of which the volume is full The new
book is in way complement of his
first work, and tells of labor among
the boys and girls and the first steps
they take on the broad road to ruin.
He gives an account of decent homes
that can be found in the tenement
district, condition of home life among
the very poor, and recent steps which
have been taken to connect the public
schools with social settlement work
and associations for neighborhood i'm
provement. A story apropos of Mr..
Riis' work was told lately by one of the
feminine slum workers who had charge
Of the fresh air parties of children that
each year go into the country. One lit
tie girl was taken into the settlement
to be given preliminary bath, and the
young woman found that all her
clothes, except her dress, were sewed
on her. She was ripped up for the bath
much to her horror, and remarked:
IL,
just sewed me up for the winterl"
A Private Library.
Robert F. Roden tells in the current
Saturday Review of wonderful pri-
Yate library once owned by Theodore
Irwin, of Oswego, N. Y, of which very
little has appeared in print, and which
few years ago passed into the pos
session of j. Pierpont Morgan by pri-
waite sale. Mr.. Irwin was a bibliophile
of rare order and the collection re-
fleets his individual taste as well as a.
catholic love for the best literature
Among the rare things in this library
is what is known as the Gibbs Bible.
1t is interviewed with profuse illustra-
tons, and is of more than sixty
volumes folio, each volume so heavy
that it can hardly be lifted. 1t is the
most extensively illustrated Bible in
existence and Of course of priceless
value. Some idea of it can be gained
from the fact that it weighs over ]. 900
pounds, and was amusingly referred to
once by preacher who spoke of it is
bible that weighed three quarters of
ton. When the library passed into
the hands of Mr.. Morgan, Mr.. Irwin
retained this wonderful Bibbs Bible. so
1t still remains in Oswego.
Among other treasures now owned
by Mr.. Morgan in this collection, is a.
manuscript Book of Hours" which
was bound for Henry the Eighth: a
copy of Watson's Passionate Cen
tury of Love-" a book that is the envy
OF book collectors everywhere and of
which this is one of only five comics
Century Latin Bible which is written
on silky vellum; an Italian "Officium,' -
written and painted in 1880, containing
thirteen miniatures and still in its or