Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-27
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AND LIFE.
Il
A.. j.. N.
Observation-Disclosures


Were it not too late for the advice,
we would recommend for a Christmas
B.1t lor. q Dykes latest volume of
snort stories, The Blue lower (Scrib-
Iers Sons). 1t contains nine stories and
eight full-page illustrations in colors.
Not alone in It's classic style, but in me-
chanical makeup as well-its dark blue
binding, paper, type, Illustration and
cover design (the blue flower set in a
cup of green and gold), the book is a
thing of beauty.
The contents are not only fascinating
stories, but unconscious sermons as
well. In them we find the same poetic
conception, the same delicate touch that
transmutes into a prose poem very
thing from DIR. Van Dykes pen. We
know of 10 more charming gift book to
o the sentiment of romance and
idealism Of youth.
Spy Rock" is. perhaps. the strongest
story in the book-a subtle psychology
cal study of a man whose cruciixion of
love in the pursuit of knowledge ended
most disastrously.
A more winning story is that of "The
Other Wise Man'-a tale that shows
the authors broad Interpretation of re-
ligfon. "The other wise man" was the
fourth member of the Persian magi who
followed the star of Bethlehem. Start
ing out to join the others in his search
for the infant Redee1ner, he fell behind
and was finally lost to his brethren thru
the delay caused by his efforts to suc-
49,. %Ia 5irfwaccnd nn1 c,IffQrin0 nfyf.
casts by the wayside. In missing the.
literal object of his search, after years
of wandering, he found, at last, the
Christ in his own inner consciousness
in much the same way the vision ap-
peared unto Abou Ben Adhem.
In the general atmosphere and set
tingiof the story,-the good mans long
and weary pilgrimage, his many mis-
haps and disappointments, and his final
attainment Of the goal of his search
it bears a striking resemblance to Low
ellis .svision of Sir Iaunfal."
The only sketch in the book founded
upon fact or legend is the last one
1.-The First Christmas Tree"-which
deals with the good priest Boniface
(Ninfried OF England) in his mission
among the Thuringians, and relates
how he slew the god Thor and set up IN
Germany the first Christmas tree In ~.
Yut as the author points out, the tales
are all repetitions of the experience OF
the race, ard hence are all true.
In his London letter to the New York
Times Saturday Review, w. L. Alden
roundly scores the Christmas numbers
Of the Illustrated weel;lies. and says not
one of them contains anything to equal
In merit the last years Christmas story
Of Bret Harte. And to think that we
shall never have another!
He saws he has looked the Christmas
numbers all thru and they are far from
interesting, the reading matter being
In most cases distinctly of the second
class, while the pictures are mighty
POOR specimens OF art. He concludes his
sermon thus:
There is a great deal in u annual
celebration of Christmas which is arti-
fetal and conventional. but the Christ
mas number is probably the most artih-
cial of all. Nobody really wants 1t,
and nobody ought to want it. and still
1t exists. and shows no signs of passing
away. Like the Christmas plum pud-
ding. which is perhaps the worst OF all
culinary outrages, it is thought to be a
necessary part Of Christmas. Some day,
perhaps, both will be abolisned' ana
instead of extra Christmas numbers we
shall have a Christmas cessation OF
publication In all the weekly newspaper
Offices"
Doubleday, Page & Co. have just
brought out The Pit" the second vol-
ume of the late Frank Norris triiogy OF
"The Wheat Epic" 1t is reported thal
10000 copies of h work were sofa
one month before publication. n Is
said to be a powerful story. measuring
I'M to the former volume, The Octo-
nus The publishers have also issued
n little brochure describing the work
and giving eight extracts from the
story. It also gives a full-page portrait
of Mr.. Norris at work in his room at
Greenwood Lake, an article on the au-
thor by Arthur Goodrich, inc a rae
smile page Of the manuscript OF The
Octopus"
In these lays of literary pessimfsm
and public wailing over the deteriora-
ton of fiction and the decline OF liter
arv taste. it is encouraging to note.
the opinions of our leading critics and
men Of letters. They ought to be the
best Judge of such matters, and with
one accord they appear to entertain a
very hopeful view Of present day liter
ature and public taste. In the Editors
Study" Of Harper's Magazine, Mr.. II. NJ.
Alden takes the position that there Is
a large and steadily increasing number
of cultivated and appreciative Amer1-
can readers who's taste has not been
yitiated, and who insist upon n hign-
est standards and the best ideals. How
large this audience is may be inferred
from the fact the a novel of supreme
distinction as literature, and with no
claim to popularity. may have
a sale of from $4,000 to 100000 copies
larger than it could have had a genera
ton ago." > I'VE have" says Mr..
Alden. mo such constellation of great
writers as forty a ago
frightened the English literary heav-
ens. We may not soon see such anoth-
err GROUP, but the skies are nebulously
rich with fresh indications to satisfy
the eagerly expectant eyes of the Eng
lis~h-speaking people, and the demand
will surely be met. We do not confess
to the inferiority Of IL own present
literature as compared with the past,
Excluding from the retrospect a single
as brief as it was brilliantly On
L.. Ao.or;co itorary rs asia