The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-05
SOME VIEW BOOKS.
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BY PAUL PRY.

"The Castaway." By Hallle Ermine
 Rives. The Bobbs-Merrill company.
 There is strong strain of talent which at points is closely related to gen. jus running through the Rives family. This is evidenced by the worK of Hal lie Erminie Rives, the cousin of the more illustrious author Amelie Rives.
 "The Castaway," the latest work by Miss Rives. is just from the press in att tractive covers of red and gold.
 Miss Rives has undertaken this TO- nance as the fulfillment of the wish possibly of George Gordon, Lord Byron. And surely his life was a romance The young author was followed very closely the actual events of Byron's s life. His childhood and youth with his morbidly sensitive, wilful, passionate temper which involved him in so many arrangements, together with his won derfully generous and sympathetic na- ture; his early love for Miss Chaworth his marriage and subsequent separation; his first published work and his caustic, scathing satire that so quickly followed published criticism showing in his fash es of genius that he was not to be quieted by "pauper bullets of the brain' p His later life in Italy and passionate de. votion to the Countess Teresa, to Shelley and his final self-abnegation in his de- votion to the cause of liberty in Greece is recounted.
 The biographers say of Byron. of the two ost remarkable characteristics of his work, that first is his power of ex- pressing intense emotion especially when 1t is associated with the darker passions of the soul. As Macauley says Never had a writer so vast a command of the whole eloquence of scorn. msanthropy and des- pair" The other is his exquisite taste and marvellous felicity in the use of lan- guage. May not corresponding qualities in this young author have attracted her to the task she esayed? At any rate these same two characteristics strongly mark the romance of Miss Rives If one had no knowledge of Lord Byron and his stormy, turbulent career, the story would appeal to the reader as a page from life describing with wonderful in- sight and ability the motives, passions and heart-experiences as portrayed in it's men and women. As an Illuminating record of the life of George Gordon 1t possesses an enhanced value. It is the portrayal of that mind and heart with all its weakness and incompleteness coupled with its strength. beauty and genius. It Is not an apotheosis, making of him God with his great faults ex- cused.
 Like Byron, Miss Rives possesses ex- tracrdiBary talent in expressing the most intense emotions of the soul and all the darker passions which rent the heart and life of the poet. In her genius of des- cription the reader shares and many of its pages cause an intense sadness and willing sympathy. Beyond doubt this is one of the strongest evidences of talent, the ability to make real to the reader the experiences of the char acters portrayed. Equal In power to this is Miss Rives' marvellous diction which is vivid and ladened with mental ima- ges to the reader. The story Is full of dramatic scenes, which from cover to cover convey to the reader emotions ar dent, passionate and oftentimes vehment One especially is the sudden betrayal of Gordons Identity to the Countess Teresa in yeneci and their meeting at the monas- tery with these concluding lines: That scene on the path. like lightning flash in dark night, had shown Gordon his own heart He knew now that force stronger even than his despair had been at work in him without his knowledge. A wonans face cried to him beyond all gainsaying Terea's voice sounded in every breath of wind against the sea- wall-in every wave that beat like passing bell upon the margin-stones. Far, far deeper than the burn Of the white welt on his forehead throbbed and thrilled a bitter-sweet misery. In spite of his desire he had brought shame ard agony upon her-and whether for good or i'll, he loved herr
 Working With the Hands By Booker
 T. Washington. Doubleday Page & Co.
 This new book just from the press, Working With the Hands" by Booker T. Washington is a sequel to up From Slavery" his previous work The au- thor says in the preface: For several years I have been receiving requests from many parts of the United States end from foreign countries as well, for son deailed information concerning the value of industrial training and the methods employed to develop 1t"
 This volume attempts in part to answer these inquiries. It is in fact a full, frank expression of the authors life and exper- fence ard the results as found in the industrial school at Tuskegee. The text Is exceedingly well written, in a smooth