The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-08-07
THE STUDENT Of
CHARACTER
VESTS John Smith"
BY EVERETT HOLBROOK
Copyright, 1908, by c. ". Hooke

has easily won first place
among the numerous rOmances
from the tenements that have
appeared during the last three years.
The critics have treated the book better
than others Of its class, and its sales
have far surpassed the record of any
rival. Why has it achieved so great
success? | am going TO answer that
question by telling "A story Of the au-
thor.
A good many people told me when
the book first appeared that the title
would kill ii. The title couldn't be
worse, III admit. Others said that the
plot was trite. So it is and distressing
~ simple. A poor man marries within
his caste and then fights his way up
out Of it, hampered at every step by
wife who will neither go with him nor
let him go alone. The ordinary method
in such cases is to make the wife die
&C some picturesque disorder, to the
accompaniment of slow music, but era
ham West simply wrenches the two
apart and leaves the reader TO pity the
woman If he can.
OF course the book can't sell on the
strength of such a story as that. Its
popularity rests. rs all agree. upon the
study of the character of John Smith.
The wife is drawn with equal distinct
ness, but with a cold bloodcd condem-
nation that shocks a chiyalrous reader.
1t is easy to see that the authors SYM
pathies were entirely with the hus-
band. John Smith lives and breathes.
You cannot help feeling that the au-
thor must have known and loved the
man, must have painted him just as he
found him, must have watched with
throbbing heart that struggle up the
rugged road of life.
l do not purpose to express an opin-
ion upon the moral tone of the story or
TO estimate its artistic value | merely
wish TO answer those who are saying
that Graham West stands for nothing
but good luck; that he found fame
ready made when he CHANGED TO meet
the man who in the novel is called
John Smith. Such persons do not know
what character study is or what it
NOcANs lAlli. Nll'A lit VI Al41 NOl tlItAL
spend an evening with a ward de-
tectiye and pose forever aftcrward as
experts in criminology. Graham West
is different. When he makes up his
mind to study life in certain locality,
he goes there to live. He was regular
denizen of the east side of New York
in the days when he was fitting himself
TO write John smith, though his in
come would have permitted him TO live
on the avenue.
/ first met the original Of the now
famous character about two years ago.
West was already deeply interested in
him and was hiding him from most Of
the authors whom he knew, as a
schoolboy hides a cake. But he did not
fear me, for he knew that | regarded
the problem of human character as en-
tirely insoluble and the study of it as
absurdly unnecessary TO Il writer.
OF course the mans name is not
Smith, but | shall follow my friends
lead i'm that matter West and | dined
together one evening, and then he pilot
ed me to a saloon where, i'm a little
back room, we found seats at a table
and were presently joined by Smith.
Vests description fits him TO the life:
He was man incapable of rest,
either in body or mind. When he was
seated, he always advanced one foot,
which trembled on the floor as if he
longed to take another step forward.
His right hand quiyered with eagerness
for the work that it would do.
He had pale yellow hair that started up
in a little. overbanging wave from his
broad and high forehead. a wave that
shook along its curling crest when his
thought was deepest, as if a spirit,
bending above him, breathed upon him.
Such restless energy should have worn
him thin. yet his well nodded figure
showed no sign Of exhaustion, and his
face was full i'm the cheeks though it
was always pale
l could see that Smith regarded his
interview with me as of considerable
importance. | was the first of Vests
friends whom he had met, and he nat
urally wished TO make a good impress
sion. it is hard for any one to do that
who has to talk about himself most of
the time, but there seemed to be no al
tentative in this case. He was unde-
niably the principal object of interest.
1t appeared that he had been en-
ployed in a very humble capacity by
an electric. lighting company, but had
been discharged He told me this with
perfect frankness, appealing, however,
with a rapid glance of the eye To West
as witness that he had not been TO
blame. He had got an idea for an in
vention and had incautiouSly taken il
directly 10 the superintendent of the
works, who had tried 10 buy il for a
few dollars and, failing i'm that, had
Immediately discharged Smith. OF
course Smith was almost fatally ham
pered in his attempt to 90 on with his
inventive work 10y the loss of his OPP
portunity TO observe and study electric
al machinery I'm action. He had tried 10
obtain another position similar to that
which he had held but the man whom
he had offended was sufficiently influ-
entail to prevent it. Meanwhile the
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