The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-14

family. but finding them m expensive
luxury rather than n profit. he fre1uent-
w expresses himself as being desiro,is Of
setting them free. both on his account
and their own. Mr.. Christian takes occn-
sion lust here to point out that Viz
ginin was never Ill favor of tie slave
trade, and did all iii her power to prevent
It, and lie makes 1t quite clear also that
If Virginia had been lot alone In time she
would have freed all her slaves. ns sOne
of her distinguished citizens had ulrendy
done.
But there Is In the neighborhood Of
Liberty Hail. one smpkins. a slave
trader who represents the cruel mas.
ter treating slaves as chattels and sell
ing them whenever l.c found 1t profitable
to do SO. In the course Of timo. the
mistress of Liberty Hall" dies, and rot
long thereafter her husband follows her
to the grave. In the meantime they had
received from Norfolk n girl whom they
adopted OF course, she and young Nell
son finally fall In love with each other
strangely enough, Simpkins, the trade
SLAYER, manages to have himself appoint
cd administrator OF the Nelson estate,
moves into the mansion and rules 1t Win
a rod Of iron.tHe has young Nelson kia-
mapped and carried off on Il slave ship,
and he indentures the girl TO a hard
hearted millncr In the city of Rich.
5mond. Young Nelson has many an nd
venture, finally landing with one OF his
fathers old slaves on distant Island,
and eventually making his way back to
Richmond, arriving here about the time
Of tho Capitol disaster.
The author passes over the war with
only a brief reference to It, and tells
the story OF the evacuation and burning
of Richmond city. After the evacuation
fire, the heroine escapes from the woman
to whom she was bound and takes
position in another millinery establish
mcnt. also finding work for her voice In
st. Paul's choir.
Mr.. Slmpkins, who Is now a. rich man
for these times, and who has acquired the
title Of colonel" moves to Richmond
and sets up an, establishment In high
society and entertalns royalty.
Such is the situation when young Mel
son returns from his wanderlngs and
finds himself In the Capital City Of Vir-
rinia. One evening, while he Is walking.
he hears a cry Of distress. and going
to the rescue, finds a woman In the
embrace of villnin who Is es-
corting her home He rescues her, but
does not know that slo Is his long lost
sweetheart nor does she recognize him.
About this time, Mr.. Christian intro
duces good old Methodist preacher, VINO
IS one Of the most attractive characters
in tho book, and this preacher takes the
heroine to his home and gives her ms
name. She assists In his work and finally
becomes a nurse In one OF the Rlch-
mond hospitals. While she Is there, the
hero is brought In as pal'ent ano she
nurses him through his illness. 1t Is not
IN Fhac1f1, that
there Is mutual recognition and re-
newal of their love affair. Steps are
taken to wrest the fortune of these two
from simpkins, and after long contest
tho old homestead is restored, together
with valuable mineral lands in West Viz
ginia.
V our chief criticism Of this book IS that
the story Is not plausible. 1t Is incon-
ceivable that Simpkins could have gained
control Of the estate and managed TO
make away with the heirs. We remark
also that tho negro dialect employed oy
Mr.; Christian is unlike anything we nave
heard from a genuine negro, and unlike 4
any negro dialect that we have seen
in the books of authorities. we are SUR
prised that so Intelligent a Virginian
as Mr.. Christian should have put such
strange words into the mouths OF old
time Virginia negroes.
But the story is we'll written and must
be particularly interesting to Virginlans.
1t also has the virtue of being clean and
morally wholesome.
AMERICA IN LITERATURE. BY
George Edward Woodberry, OF Co
lumbla College. Published by Harp
err and Brothers. OF New York and
London. For sale by the Bell BOOK
and Stationery Company.
Professor Woodberry's work on Amerl-
can literature has been spoken Of as an
liable and condensed survey Con-
densed 1t may be- the more condensed
the better for those to whom the love
of letters and literature comes as a
natual inheritance. like the air that Is
hreathed and the sunshine that is en-
ioyed by the gift and the goodness OF
God.
That america In Literature" is en-
titled to its claim for ability Will never
be admitted by the unprecedented nina
that reads the chapter which the book
contains on 1.-THE South" The asser-
lions OF It's. author do not affect facts IN
tho least. They are simply so eXtraor-
binary as to seem curious, For Instance,
he writes, In referring to William Writ,
that "'Nvirt was the companion figure
to IRVING and adds that Irving was
con tlnually a more accomplished writer
and finally made great American
name: Writ the NATIONAL lawyer. re-
manned in the surroundings amid which
he was reared and added nothing to
what hc had inherited from tho literary
past"
Afterwards, in referring to Beverly
Tucker the author Of "Hnnsford and Vir-
ginia." he relegates him to the class OF
men in whom "the cmasculatcd tradl-
ton of the eighteenth century. though
reinforced by the fresh vlgor of Irving
and Coopcr's success. died out: Virginia
life never vlrllc in imaginative crea-
ton. became very slightly receptive even
OF the modern writer's though the Geor-
gian poets. and especially Byron and
Moore. were somewhat known"
So on does Professor Woodberry go
throughout the list Of Southern names
In literature. Poe IL, by his authority,
the one genius Of the highest American
rank who belongs to the South" Simms,
unlike Poe is merely "a man of talent,
tho composer Of facile and feeble poems
the writer of few colonial romances
surviving by virtue of their raw mate
rial that contains historical and human
truth" Tmrod is said to utter, like