The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-03
LITERARY NOTES.

The American Cavalier" by Opie Read, soon to be published by Thomp- son & Thomas, Chicago, is a new bit of literature. MT. Read has made, in his own delightful way, psychological study of the business types whor have made America so great nation commercially. Interwoven throughout the book Is a great fund of amusing anecdote which serves at once to entertain the reader and illustrate the authors point. A DOT tion of these studies have apepared serial ly in Saturday Evening Post and attract ed wide attention MT. Read appears to have opened a new vein and has struck rich ore
 Forrest Crissey's latest book 'Tattlings of a Retired Politician" has been keep ing some of the big politicians of the country busy answering questions. As matter of fact, the stories told so enter tainingly are, to great extent, based on actual occurrences in political life. While 1t has been the purpose of the au- thor to conceal the real identity of his characters, some of the stories ''cut close to the bone" A politician of national prominence one day entered the county treasurer's office in his home city. Be- fore he had gone the length of the room five men stopped him and drew from their pockets a clipping of the "Tattlings" printed seria1iy in the leading paper of the city From there he went into the county clerks office where an equal number of political friends showed him the clipping and asked if the story was not about him.
 The old adages that Continual drip ping wears away the stone" "all things come to him who waits,'' etc.. do find substance in fact occasionally, just enough to furnish texts to those who would preach the power of persistence. Such an Instance is furnished In the May McClures, to which Joseph Blethen con- tributes a splendid short story of min- gled comedy and pathos. MT. Blethen be- gan to send stories to McClure's in 1S92 twelve years ago. and this. the first one accepted, appears fin 1904 It's striking merit WhTrdIlS MT. bletnenS B eIIOTlS ana justifies the editors MT. Blethen is a well known newspaper man in Seattle. The May McClure's contains no install ment of Ida M. Tarbells History of the Standard oil Company" but any appre- henson that the magazine may have been bought off from further trust pub licity Is dissipated by the announcement that in the June number Miss Tarbell will continue the remarkable series with an article on "A Latter Day War for In- dependence" describing the fight of the independent oil men against the Stand ard.
 That there should be many college and university graduates, men of the best education and breeding, among the strik- ing miners of Colorado, is a bit surprising yet that is what Ray Stannard Baker found on his trip among the mining cen- ters In that state in his search for the facts concerning Colorados great labor war. These facts had never been gath cred previous to MT. Bakers research end accordingly the reading public has the first opportunity for considering them in the May McClure's. Mr. Baker also found that the grossest exaggeration and misrepresentation had transformed the facts out of all semblance to truth. On the truth MT. Baker builds conclusions which thinking Americans will wish to read.