Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-10

4
one woman was good zeal of a fool to
be so blndiy iii love With such a poos
stick. but agan--isn't ii always the
way? Kate Ransom as the other
woman is beautiful tiger-cat and
| Thoroughly acts out her part. The wife
| is true. loving. devoted loyal woman.
| who noby rises above her petty jeal-
| ousy into acts of sublime self abnega-
ton and deserves much better in the
end than to gel her husband back.
The one-eys.d banker is the strong
est character il the book, and j beg to
thank the author for his wisdom in not
| telling us how he lost his eye. II
lpiques my curiosity to such an extent
that ! would go TO much trouoie to find
out. and for that reason / shall remem-
Der him long after l have forgotten the
one woman and the other woman and
the caddish leading man
THAT. after all. Is the way to write
this book WILL
Many acquainted with all of the
facts in the real novel-tle real life
that was lived in Burlington and Grin
nell. aud the sequel in the divorce court
ut Algona thr k the author of the nov
81 was none too previous in issuing
the book now Had he waited few
years the rea.-the notwithstanding
of the true story would have been
stranger than fiction"
Another reviewer of books of the
week" had this TO say. This article
contains synopsis of the story. and
the friends of Mrs. Heron No l viii!
|enjoy some of the references:
Several novels have been written
with the purpose OF psopagating So
cialism; this one has been written with
the purpose of attacking 1t. Frank
Gordon. pastor of the Pilgrim Congre-
gational church of New York and then
of the Temple of Humanity dedicated
to the preaching of socialism. is the
character in whose rise and fan are
illustrated the fallacies of the political
creed that Mr. Dixon seeks to con-
denim AS an argument against So
cialism the book can not be taken very
seriously, because It merely Skins the
surface of the system and at most
serves to illustrate how In some par
ticulars it would probably break down
In so far as here is any central point
of attack. this Is directed against the
influence which the Gordon brand of
socialism has in the destruction of the
home and the family-free love being
prominent among the other species of
freedom preached by this disciple.
Gordon was married to woman
about whose personality there was
haunting charm, vivid and spiritual,
e M 80 ty~o
highest heroism II once aroused His
ideas en- the subject of perfect free
dom In the selection of ones affinity
OF the opposite sex developed shortly
after he met Kate Ransom, who, as he
said. was the kind of woman who en-
raptures the senses. drugs the brain
and conscience of the man who re-
spends to her cail-the woman about
whom men have never been able to
compromise, but have n.ways killed one
another Answering this womans
call Gordol casts off his wife and
children and marries CATER a form OF
his OWN the wealthy Miss Ransom.
who not only inspires him with her
charms and assists him in his work for
the poor but supplies him with album
1T is not very long. however. before
the second Mrs. Gordon tires OF social
ism Gordon, too. discovers that men
tai freedom could be made cloak for
the hasest mental slavery. and that the
most hide bound dogmatist on earth Is
the modern crank who boasts his free
dom from all dogmas. He found the
liberal to be the most illiberal and mar
row man he had ever met His follow
ing narrowed down to a crowd OF
cranks. to whom he preached sociai-
ism. and for whom, outside of this
doubtful service he did nothing.
Meanwhile his wife, having little else
to do and having been thoroughly inn
bued with the doctrine of perfect free
dom as expuunded by her husband. had
found a new affinity-a gnarled beast
OF a man. whose only attraction was
the possession of quick wit (mostly
displayed in. puncturing Gordon's soph-
istries) and great muscular strength.
The cont&ss for the other woman be-
tween Goreon and the new affinity is
fought out in the good old way, with.
Drawn and dagger Gordon IS the vie
tor but has to answer to the charge of
murder. ana Is literally snatched from
.he death chair only by the untiring
efforts of his abandoned wife
THE story is a sensational one, but
it can not be said that 1t Is extrava-
giant or outside the region of posslbh
ity Part of 1t duplicates familiar
newspaper story. In its emotional
passages, Of which there are many. the
readers sy,mpathies are wrung again
and again--too deeply for ones mental
comfort. but with all the more credit to
the authors powers. There are no he
roes in the book. but there Is a noble
heroine-The one woman Ruth Gordon.
whose perfect faith. devotion, purity
and goodr ess make whole history cf
sordidness seem bright and hopeful of
better things
Ii is little wonder that this book has
received ready sale in Grinneu.
90 N.14->,'