The Topeka state journal., 1903-01-31

ley Steele IN the American production.
Hearts Courageous" is another pop
uiar novel soon 70 apoear in a Stage
version.
Angus McNeill. whoever he may be,
has written a book Of biting sarcasm
on The Egregious English an
sWer OF Scotcnman TO The Unspeak-
able Scot he has considerable irony
for English fiction.
AFTER mucn patient thinking writes
TINS author, the English have come to
the conclusion that there is h414 one
branch OF literary art, and that it's
name Is Fiction. The high priest and
the nigh priestess who serve to the right
ana the left OF the altar are as every
one knows. Hall Game and Marie Cor
ephod, with breastDlate Of Jewels
arranged TO spell out the magic figures
one hundred Thousand All the other
priests OF the tabernacle look with awe
anu envy upon these two, because the
Other priests breastpIates have hard
work TO spell out fifty thousand, and
some or them do not even achieve one
"a tAsousand HYe hundred. Burnt offerings
OF came and Coreni therefore fill the
place with saVor. A pair Of sorrier
writers never was on sea or land
Everybody knows it, nobody denies it,
ana nobody seems sad about it. The
s SsiA-snlillng novel is an established Eng
i4st i4 lnstltatlon- Caine and Coreli are
tls rs prop and stay, and the rest do their
pest to keep in the running and pick
Up the minor money bags
1he perusal OF six smiling f7cfion is
ptactlcally sort of mania II has seized
n US grip the fairest England has to
women and stoclbrokers For the E,f7sr
1snWoman the daily round would lose IA
81 81 leless s qld she not have handy the new
S55AA - 80 sHAllnB novel by Mr.. Caine. Miss
5h SoLslh or the next literary bawler in the
15saIAet saIset place. From morning till
HsHt many EnglishWDnen do little but
read this precious stuff What they aet
CUT OF It amounts in the long run to hys-
1efla ana anaenia. It brings about a gen
sIal atauenlng OF the mind and a general
Jasgeuness OF the emotions, coupled with
an an utter lncapacity to take any save an
Discomfort. disillusionment, ennui bore
Qonl, III temper, a sharp tongue and a cvu-
tga4 Ia s9ifl5 are other symptoms which the
- - .sAllitlas novel IS prone to evoke. The
hanlI IS worse than opium or haschisch or
esd cigarettes It is just the devil and
eliat As al you need say about it. The per-
sons employed in the opium traffic. are
supposed to be very wicked To my mind
the persons employed in the fiction traffic
are as wicked as wicked can be-. Vine,
the tOul disease began first to make its
faFages obvious, there were not wanting
provided remedies for it. These persons
squeaked somewhat and nothing more has
,-l- alee.to u t41si44. % the tlitlB goes on
eIl5estralned li ana even applauded by press
and pulpit alike, and the Englishwoman
mas become confirmed, inveterate ana
lncNfapie nction reader. II a man have
an enemy TO whom he would do an abiding
injury. let him persuade that enemy to
obtain the six most popular six shilling
novels Of the moment and read them
through If the mans enemy sffclSs to
his bal gain-at which however he viii
probably shy IN the middle OF the second
rolune-the chances are that he gets ND
from that reading a broken and spirit
less man. His brain VIII be as
sOggy as sponge full of treacIe and
his Vfsionsas 1inrelfa hfe as fbaf of ths al
c0holfaf who aIxgasys sax4- fxz-o eob@ apd
there.
Seriously however what Is there about
this English fictfnn-ar for thaf matter
about Scottish ficticn-thaf men and vo-
men should buv II ard devon, II ~ tha
excinsio7 of ali otbass lI+s-s, - ~ '';s ss
ill written If Is NOT or5gfssl a. 5e not IT'S
life If is nor baen4ife,j - "a ,,ot irsT5ri,1,r
it does not srpl4r, fae r1rofra4,,d er775fic,,,l
If means nor hing ana If ends 5,ox,-i,ere
Some months bael a e0r7sif3sraF Fi.s b,,f
cause M It4Ies yerne bod bpar, "a [Jf1e, to
an intervtexxe4- 4haf the Tnsral &c . form
of literary avnrasaiar xras deemed ana
would ssrael,4ailt- die a1,f ~ nsrS,,ltr 49,
dr, cffins ~ 4Seet ~ 4Ssli ,sv-,5 so,I{f,,
lie no,-aI 57es baaY 7,cr,.a - 49, +4,ft..
last flffv 7fars Vel fI7s nrvei cons
IN smiling everv time since Il r-s= re
# has 1sndo,5b4e5l[s 1Iefa4torsf fri 10 o1Ii1,
as = niece ~ veriffter l,,t elso i, ~ 49,
fer of atffcat infanff0ne - INC 90 II
1-a4,,s ie ffls me- ~ s,T,sa ~ s+v {1-
terforafe a. Io5r a. The l,ne1ijeb mind
continues 10 he fssaiSIa ard l,11.-h,i.eer,1s
and IA 4-aar., for 4i91 th,-il1 =, ~ -,
desi1.a i1e e.,,.ofta-9s 81 Inre- viii r,ro-Iis,
fction continue 10 he IF ifz rraserf7 .Js-
cadent auslitS1 As the ca1ifafisf SAYS ii
f Fbs m Taa fuesslon So n OF se2py ana fe4,a 9emana