The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-09

New York, Aug. Sew books pub
nshed recently have caused so much
discussion in the public press as James
Lane Aliens novel. THE Mettle of the
PASTURE"
One of the New York papers that is
sues a literary review every Saturday
morning has just devoted nearly a
page to letters from readers, brought
out by Bliss Garments review of the
book. and discussing it's ethics.
To those who have not read THE
Mettle of the Pasture" it may be ex-
planned that its purpose is to depict
the feelings of the wife who finds that
at some time prior to their marriage
her husband has loved another woman
not wisely but too well. The wife in
the story is rendered unhappy to the
day of her death by this discovery, in
spite of the fact that when it is made
the husband is faithful to her and al
most morbidly repentant over his one
slip.
Mr.. Allen is prone to treat inten-
stvely of the relations between man
and woman in his writings. In THE
Choir Invisible" much of the interest
hinged upon the love of a man for
voi nan who had no right to love him
in return. In The Kentucky Cardi-
mar the love of the hero and heroine
was entirely decorOus, but there were
many differences between them, and
they he'd a strenuous life from the day
of their marriage till the death of the
wife. So far as the present writer
remembers, the only great interest
aside from the intimate relations Of
man and woman that has ever been
taken UP by Mr. Allen has been reli-
gion.
He passed his early years among
people who were narrowly sectarian,
and several of his heroes have shown
mighty concern for the welfare of
their Souls, deep interest in doctrinal
points and intense rebellion against
the accepted order of things religious
among their friends and relatives.
Mr.. Allen mas confded to one or two
of his New York friends-perhaps it is
so open a secret that the term CON
fided" is unnecessary--tha many of
the intense religious experiences of his
heroes were founded on his own early
life. According to all accounts, when
a young man he was considered by
to be in an extremely bad way spirit
ually, by reason of his non-acceptance
OF divers evangelical doctrines and his
Iberality toward those who did not
agree with the teachings of his spirit
ual mentors. 1t was the hope of his
family that he would be a minister of
the Gospel, and it is possible that for
a short time he gave some ground for
hope that he would, but as he grew
question.
1t is an open secret, too, that none
of those who had his well-being at
heart desired to see him a writer. To-
day all his friends and relatives are
exceedingly proud of him, but at the
time he decided TO enter the literary
field there was much grief manifested
over his course.
His beginnings were worse than In
suspicious. After he had completed
his schooling he came here, determined
to win fame and financial reward as
a novelist. l put fame first because
that is the way he looked at it. While
he never contemplated writing purely
for the love of it. that was mainly.
perhaps, because unless he was paid
for his writing he could not live. He
Is one of those men who value reputa-
ton much higher than money. The
pursuit of fame, indeed, y probably
his leading motive in everything, al
though it is only fair to add that he
would not sacrifice a jot of any pr1n-
ciple in which he believes, even IL to
do so were to place him upon the very
pinnacle of literary reputation. He Is,
in fact, one of the most conspicuous
writers now before the public. He
would not only scorn to yield point
of principle in order to make sales for
his books, but nothing could induce
him to slight his work in the least, so
far as thoroughness goes. He polishes
his compositions to the uttermoSt de-
gree of which he is capable, and often
consumes much more time In pro-
ducing book than would be neces-
sary were he satisfied to let anything
go to the printer before 1t has been
made as good as he can possibly make
1t.
Such writer's as Mr.. Allen must of
necessity make their way slowly at the
start, especially when they feel, as he
did that 1t would be a relaxation OF
principle to use newspaper work as a
stepping stone. Journalism is great
help to some writers at the beginning,
even though it is essentially different
from literature. The list of successful
novelists who began as writers of
news or transient comments on cur
rent affairs for the daily and weekly
press is a very long one. 1t includes
Dickens. Thackeray, Rudyard Kip
ling and the late Edward Eggleston.
poor Stephen Crane-who, by the
way, earned a great deal more as a
newspaperman than he ever did as a
writer of books; and, in fact, probably
half of all the writer's who are we'll
known to the fiction readers OF to-
day