Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-04-14
! THE STUDENT Of !
! CHARACTER
By EVERETT H0LBR00K ;
Copyright, 1905, by C. ". Hooke

SAAAA1AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
~ RAHAM VESTS John Smith"
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 it's 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 story Of the au-
thor.
A good many people told me when
the book first appeared that the title
would kill 1t. Tile title couldn't be
worse, I'll admit. Others said that the
plot was trite. So 1t is and distressing.
ly simple A poor man marries within
his caste and then fights his way up
out Of it. hampered at every step by a
wife who will neither go with him nor
let him go alon4 The ordinary method
in such cases is to make the wife die
of some picturesque disorder, to the
accompaniment of slow music, but Gra-
ham West simply wrenches the two
apart and leaves the reader to pity the
woman II he can.
OF course the book can't sell on the
strength Of such story as that. Its
popularity rests, as all agree, upon the
90 1a ,ho nta Of
The wife is drawn with equal distinct
ness, but with a cold blooded condem-
nation that shocks a chivalrOus 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.
I 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
but good luck; that he found fame
ready made when he chanced to meet
the man who in the novel Is called
John Smith. Such persons do not know
what character study is or what 1t
costs. fancy they are Of the sort that
spend an evening with ward de-
tective and pose forever afterward 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 a 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.
I 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, us
schoolboy hides 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 writer.
or course the mans name is not
Smith, but | shall follow my friends
lead in that matter. West and dined
together one evening, and then he pilot
ed me to saloon where, in q little
back room, we found seats at 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 quivered with eagernees
for the work that 1t would do.
He had pale yellow hair that started up
In q little, overhanging wave from his
broad and high forehead, u 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. vet his well nodded figure
showed no sign Of exhaustion, and his
face was full In the cheeks, though 1t
was always pale"
| 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 good impress
sion. 1t 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. &c 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 II
directly to the superintendent of the |
works. who had tried to buy 1t for
few dollars and, failing in that had
Immediately discharged Smith. or
course Smith was almost fatally ham,
pered in his attempt to go on with his
inventive work by the loss of his op-
portunity to observe and study electric
al machinery In action. He had tried to
obtain another position similar to that
which he had held, but the man whom |