The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-05

THE ONE WOMAN. A STORY OF MODERN
UTOPIA BY Thomas Dixon, Jr., Author of
1.-The Leopard's Spots.' illustrated. New
York: Doubleday, Page & Co., "a Union
Square, Minneapolis: N. Mccarthy. Price
$1.5O. '- ..
Rev. Thomas Dixon showed how vehe-
mently he could write as a nurser Of sec
tional hatred, In his 1.-The Leopard's
dictiveness, but filled his pockets with
money. In 1.-THE One Woman" it is not
certain whether he wrote as teacher Of
morality or for the love of sensational
ism, based on a realistic treatment Of
some socialisttc tendencies. The most
rabid realist of the French school, who
deals with the baser human passions, has
hardly gone further than Dixon has in his
portrayal of Rev. Frank Gordon's lapse
from religious faith and biblical morality,
thru his human conceit as an eloquent
preacher, adulation of men and women,
which led him to think, like other men
similarly placed, that he was cut out for
new redemptiVe movement for human
ity, and the fascinating power of a beau
t1ful woman, who appealed to his lower
nature, kept previously in restraint and
loyalty to his faithful wife by what has
been proven to be the strongest regener-
ating and restraining force known to man
the religion of Jesus Christ Gordon
drifted into socialistic views and dropped
his religion. Like David, he saw Bath
sheba, and the fatal power Of womans
beauty enmeshed him and he cast from
him his devoted little wife and his chill
dren; proclaimed himself the apostle of
new religion of humanity and was
married by a socialist priest to Kate
Ransom, his beautiful charmer. Dixons
dramatic power is brought out finely in
his desc Upton of the abandonment of
his wife ~ Gordon. 1t is quite thrilling.
The woman he had taken on the free love
principle was rich and gave Gordon a
cool million with which to build a mag
nihcent temple wherein to exploit his
redemption of humanity" program, as a
greater than Jesus Christ. Ultimately
the beautiful woman he had taken to
be the high priestess" Of the movement,
acting on the doctrine of free love Cor
don had taught, selects one Of Gordon's
friends as her paramount, and Gordon Is
frenzied with rage over the application
OF his own teaching, and an awful tragedy
occurs, which is done up in Dixon's most
realistic style. The portrayal Of the re-
suits of Gordon's new gospel is a notable
feature of the book Having erected his
temple in which to exploit the new gos-
pei, which was borrowed from Comte,
Fourier, Robert Owen and other self-con-
stituted Messiahs with new gospels, Cor
don found he was only gathering lot
of cranks, conceited and stupid and am
bilious for fame and leadership, and di-
viding into factions Dixon is intensely
realistic, in his descriptions of the beau
tiful Kate Ransom. Not a few Clergy
men who write books write intensely on
female beauty. Charles Kingsley's fine
description Of Pelagia on the deck of the
galley is an instance. Dixon even enters
with zeal into analyses of the sexual i'm
pulse, which is entirely unnecessary. His
story Of the extreme devotion of Gordon S
| wife, who chung to him when he cast her
and the children out like dogs, and in
stalled his paramour in her place, is a
true picture of most women whose love
| is irrefragble. The devotion. of Ruth
Gordon was bestowed upon as Infamous
a scoundrel ever breathed. Dixon, in
| his character of Frank Gordon, refers
| Enthusiastically to an Iowa college profess
sor who made a sensation a few years
| ago by renouncing his faith, casting out
his faithful wife and taking unto himself
| unlaWfully a rich woman.
THE M. S. IN RED BOX. New York: John
| Lane, The Bodley Head. -.
| The title of this story originated in the
| fact that the manuscript was received at
the London office Of John Lane, without
any note advice from the author, who
was unknown. Lane advertised for the
author but he did not turn up and the
manuscript was published with the Pc
culiar title Indicating how 1t came to
| Lanes office. 1t is a story Of the sew
enteenth century, located in the island OF
AXholme, where the people engaged in a