The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-07-03
51E;:l:716l

THE LIGHT OF THE STAR. BY Ham
lin Garland. Harper & Brothers,
New York e7s pages. Price. sl.5o.
For sale by Bell Book and Stationery
Company. # 5s.G II.
Mr. Carlands latest work Is neither
great nor yet the best that lie has done.
1t is vigorous Its style and readable.
as one would expect Mr.. Garlnnd's book
to be. aud TO that extentAis being gen
orally received with pleasure. Beyond
these charactistics there Is nothing tun-
usual or distinguishing aboutsit and the
way is still open to the author to make
/; book that will mot be quickly lost IN
the food tide OF fiction now issuing from
the press,
The opening finds the hero Douglass,
author and budding playwright, In New
York comfortably hugging his spark of
genius to his breast and casting longing
eyes upon the stage which holds for him
at that moment but one fgure-that of
Helen Merival, the great actress who
has lust summoned him ( to an appoint
ment. He Is dazzled with the radiance
and the beauty OF the star, whom he
cannot understand at the first glance.
"At times he shuddered with IA fear that
some hidden decay of Helen Merivals
own soul enabled her to SO horrify her
audience with these sdesolating roles. and
when the curtain fell on THE Baroness
he was resolved to put aside the chance
of meeting the actress. But he did no
such thing He kept the appointment
and again was fairly dazed, 7 The
Helen Merivalsb before him was as sim
pie, candid and cordial as his own sis
ter. Her voice had the home infection;
shc displayed neither paint nor powder;
her hair was plainly brushed--beautful
hair 1t was too-and her dress was love-
Is and in quiet taste" They discuss
his play-the actress has been waiting
for one worthy Of her highest powers
and she agrees to bring 1t out. Douglass
is In the seventh heaven of dc>it both
| with his prospects and with lis admira-
ton of the real Helen Merival. AS for
| Helen she went to. bed that night with
| a consciousness that something new and
| powerful had como into her life" to-
wit this play and this man.
The plot Is OF the scantiest and tho
end is apparent now. The remainder of
the book is concerned with the growing
love of these two. with the glitter Of
| the stage life before, and the depressing
realities OF 1t Behind tho scenes, and with
the picture of the struggling playwright,
| whose lot after all Is not so hard since
a great star loves him and Is ready
] to risk her famo producing his work.
1 Helen Merival is q beautiful and noble
woman much too good for the hero.
The first play is fiat failure-too fine
| for the audience. Douglass Is in the
depths; begs Helen not to sacrifice her
self for him and with earnestness asks
her to forget himself and his play: re-
| spends promptly to notes she sends;
writes another play nsNimpossible ms the
first and overlooks the fact that Helen is
| again sacrificing herself. His nickering
| temper and his brutality at times arc
astonishing. This second play fails as a
matter of course-still too fine for the
audience. Douglass writes a second let
ter begging Helen 10 forget him, declar-
ing that 1t Is better for them not to
meet again. Nearly three weeks pass
and then Helen hears from Douglass
again. He has written new play, 1t
Is Numerically opposed to what he has
written before; 1t is an appeal to the
galleries. 1t is a descent from his ideals,
my sacrifice" that will bring back the
brilliant audiences to his star. Helen
does not like this retreat, but she pre-
pares to produce the play which promises
great precuniary success, Meanwhile
Douglass writes a fourth playa youth
ful fancy that Helen says makes the
splendor Of his third seem almost tawdry.
The opening night for the sacrifice play Is