Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-07-15
THE STUDENT of !!
CHARACTER
By EVERETT A0LBROol
pp,toat, 1905, Du c. W. Hoohe

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~ RAHAM VESTS John Smith"
a 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 its class, and Its sales
have far surpassed the record Of any
rival. Why has it achieved 40 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 it. The title couldn't be
worse, I'll admit Others said that the
plot was trite. So 1t Is and distressing
" simple A poor man marbles within
his caste and then fights his way up
out Of IL. hampered at every step by q
wife who will neither go with him nor
let him go alone The ordinary method
in such cases is to make the wife die
Of some picturesque disorder, to the
accompaniment of slow music, but Ora
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 a story as that. Its
popularity rests, as oil agree, upon the
study of the character of John Smith.
The wife is drawn with equal distinct
ness, but with cold blooded condem-
nation that shocks q chivalrous reader.
1t is easy to see that the authors sym
pathtes were entirely with the bus
band. John Smith lives and breathes
You cannot help feaang that the au-
thor must have known and loved the
man. must have painted him just as be
found him, must have watched with:
throbbing heart that struggle up the
rugged road Of life.
l 90 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
that Graham West stands for nothing
but good luck; that he found fame
ready made when he CHANGED 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 IN evening with a 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 q certain locality,
he goes there to live He was 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
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, as q
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 1t as
absurdly unnecessary to a writer.
OF course the mans name Is not
Smith. but l shall follow my friends
lead in that matter. West and ! dined
together one evening, and then he pilot
ed me to saloon where, in 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 Us IL he
| longed to take another step forward.
His right hand quivered with eagerness
for the work That 1t would do.
He had pale yellow hair that started W
In little, overhanging wave from his
broad and high forehead, q wave that
shook along its curling crest when hi
thought was deepest, as If spirit
bending above him, breathed upon him
Such restless energy should have wor1
him thin, yet his well nodded figuG
showed no sign of exhaustion. and ht
face was full in the cheeks, though
was always pale"
could see that Smith regarded hi
interview with me as of considerabl
Importance. / was the first Of West
friends whom he had met, and he nat
urally wished to make good impres
sion. It Is hard for any one to do tina
who has to talk about himself most G
the time, but there seemed to be no q
ternative in this case. He was undt
niabiy the principal object Of interes
It appeared that he had been en-
ployed In very humble capacity b
an electric lighting company, but ha
been discharged. He told me this wit
perfect frankness. appealing, howeve
with rapid glance Of the eye to We
as witness that he had not been
blame He had got an idea for an Il
vention and had incautiously taken
directly to the superintendent of tt
works, who had tried to buy it for
few dollars and, failing In that ha
Immediately discharged Smith. {
course Smith was almost fatally har
pered in his attempt to go on with b
inventive work by the loss Of his O
portunity to observe and study electri
al machinery in action. He had tried
obtain another position similar to thu
! which he had held, but the man who
he had offended was sufficiently inf
entail to prevent 1t. Meanwhile Il
rascal was undoubtedly working I
the idea himself.
Smith disclosed to me the nature
his discovery. l had had considerab
technical training in electrical scienc
and thought well Of the idea. thong
there was obviously wide gap
bridge over before practical resu
could be reached. The loss of his pos
ton had brought him to standstill
bis work. He had, In fact. reso.utel
turned his mind away from II, bein
] driven BY poverty to seek remuneratY
employment Ofa things In the worll
! he had turned to the pen, the most VI
grateful tool that man has ever mad
] Yet he seemed td1have extorted som'
thing from 1t, for he showed mo sevel
al clippings from newspapers and m
nor magazines Of articles that he ha
D written. They were well enough don,
but showed no gift. advised him I
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