The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-21

at is safe to say that no one who
reads entirely through THE People
of the Abyss" will ever feel quite
the same again. For to one with
heart something of the joy Of living will
certainly depart after learning, and
having brought home to one-possibly
for the first time-the awful misery
that is the common lot Of thousands
upon thousands Of the population of
city in the supposedly most civilized
country in the world. Jack London has
been severely criticised by many for
his manner Of investigation, because 1t
was undertaken with no intention of
trying to ameliorate the condition of
any of the poor wretches he describes,
and because he kept a decent room to
which to retire when he could no long
er stand the life of the slums, but it is
difficult to see why this impairs the
value Of his testimony. The book is a
striking one no matter why 1t was writ
ten or under what conditions. It is full
of hideous, brutal truth truth to make
one shudder, and to shake for time
that faith in what Robert Louis Steven
son called the ultimate decency of
things" The last two chapters are a
tlizatiqn and of her government; so Sc
>yeEe,I that one would think 1t would
even jar the dissatisfaction Of John
Bull himself, were he to condescend to
read the closing words OF this remark
able work. 1t is only the English
themselves who can right the wrong
that has made possible the awful con-
ditfons the writer describes, and hope
less as seems the problem, there is
wealth enough In the West end to cure
the evils of the East end II 1t was COM
bined with good will. But a social rev.
olution would be necessary and it will
have to come. The worst thing about
the reading Of this book is the sort Of
paralysis which ensuesS that is paraly-
sis of effort and endeavor to do ones
. little share Of good. Here is shown the
futilfty Of ordinary charity. Of social
settlements, Of the happy evenings"
idea. and OF many philanthropies that
only, touch symptoms here and there.
But the reaction sets In and we realize
that IL every one puts his shoulder to
the wheel and each does a little, in
time much can be accomplished. But
Jack London is not himself hopeful;
he saw nothing which was hopeful; but
sometimes the describing of horrible
conditions as they really are serves to
clear the atmosphere. Certainly there
are no unciViliZed heather in the wilds
of. Africa who have not more creature
comforts and more incentives for de-
cent living than have the people Of the
Abyss.
The war in the East is turning the
attention Of the readers to books treat
ing Of the Eastern question, and all
libraries are feeling the demand for
volumes bearing upon the struggle un-
dertaken by Japan. Two books re-
Gently published are exceedingly apro-
pos of current events, and give one an
excellent and late view Of the way mat
tiers stood in the far East up to the
time war was declared ten days ago.
These are "The Middle Eastern Cues
tion." by Valentine Chirol, published
by Dutton, and Through Central Asia
and Tibet" by DR.. Sven Hedin, recently
put out by the Scribner's. Mr.. ChiroI
shows how Russia has gradually in
trenched herself in Persia as well as in
Manchuria. The writer gives US lust
the information which we want in view
of recent events. He says "The ac-
tivity of Russian diplomacy in Teheran
during the last few years has con-
stantly kept time with, and in many
instances assumed exactly the same
shape as the activity which 1t has as
sumed during the same period in Pc
kin"
DR.. Hedin's two bulky volumes are
merely a digest Of the diary he kept
during three years journey of 5000
miles through Central Asia and Tibet,