The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-30
Mr.. George Cary Eggleston,s "a
Captain in the Ranks One OF I
tic Most Interesting.
THE LAW OF The LAND

lHE law VI TIE LAW
Nj. Emerson Hougli's Latest
Novel a Strong One-Charles
Battcll Loonis's Stories.
x CAPTAIN IN THE RANKS. BY
George Cary Egglestot. 331 PIP Sl2o.
s Barnes Il CO., New York.
Mir. Esglestons new novel is described
us 4 romance OF AFFAIRS and the cap
#tain mentioned III the title is therefore
a captain OF industry, though the rank
ing had come to him legthllately enough
in the military way In a preface, the au
thor tells us that this story is Intended
10 supplement the trilogy of romanccs,
Dorothy south, ".rhe Master OF War
lock, /" and Evelyn Bird in which ne
has "entleavored to show forth the Virgin.
Ian character under varying conditions,
Whatever the 'Virginitn character may
be as u distinct and separate consldera-
ton admitting that there is orat any rate
was such a thing, 1t seems certain that 1t
;s not and never was, disiinctively ana
typicaily the character OF the nero Oh
this story.
AL the close of the war, Gulford Dun
can beats his way westward TO the lDusS
little city of Cairo, and Grows up Win
the town. .Duncan's first JOB IN CAIRO
was as night Waterman along the levec!',
but he climbed out OF this without. much
loss Of time and before long became
great shakes iii the town. Duncan is
presented TO lis as 4 paragon OIL all lle
manly virtues, but none the less ne
manages to impress the reader as q sooa
deal of q prig He reminds us somehow
&of the ideal young gentleman deplctea
An nice stories designed for Sttlday-
school. library circulation. and we have
not cared greatly for him, despite ms
achievements and his popularity. We are
1o,d that Guilford never kept diary
because .'he regarded that practice as y
useless puerility and usually an lhdu1-
Eence i'll morbid seifscolnnun,ns ana ~, ~
wholesome solf-consciousness. How ilkc
C,1rlford to know exactly in whatway he
~erarded the practice 5of diary-keepng!
ii is interesting to note, however, tiiat
no used 10 sit up late at night to write
out matter of this sort:
"I've been in conference this day With
half a dozen nabobs. - begin 70 see
that except in its very highest places.
business does not require anSth1nS Pc,
tcr than good ordinary ability INSPIRED
h,. innrdjnate seltishness. Perhaps that
is the reason the novellsts SO Iaiely--l
may eny never--take n man OF business
for the hero Of q romantic story +
why should not !, Ciuilrord Duncan, MAKE
myself a leader a captain, or even
commanding general of affairs:
shall not learn 10 love money M.
would degrade my soul, etc!
There are, we believe, many people So
benighted as TO see no great difference
between the sort OF thing Illustrated
above and the Keeping of self-contesseu
,ia,,y-4that habit which Guilfnid re
..riIed as a useless Duerllity and an CYL
denre OF morbid sclf-consciousneSs. a
lr,,lrate, we will say that Wien, amer
,.}aainr I: couple Of pages of ifGusllords
nl,s,,,,Ii;ons on life and character. we
f-saciirl his announcement mat ~ ""s
sl,s6 time. we could not for the lie or
ils iel;, being a little glad. OF course
there Is a girl in the story, ana accord
i,fslv we note that Guilford When not
otherwise occupied, used 10 go ana ilithe
lnve. in i thoroughly praisewortiiy ana
absolutely correct manner, to Barbara
Verne. GuiIford's style is Just SHADE
reminiscent maybe of the Complete Let
t.,f Writer. On page 2i1 we ind MN
setting Barbara straight upon the sus-
seStion on her part that her ancestry
mikes her unworthy Of him. says Gull
ford III part:
=. No sane man can contemplate
the character and career OF MI Lincoln,
ject lesson in democracy "hicn shouiu
make a very laughing stock of all the
fables OF aristocratic tradition, tel
YOU truly that l have put all those Things
behind me- as all Americans must WHO
truly believe in the fundamental princi-
ples Of our Republic. WHAT your
father may have done or been twenty
years ago is 70 me a matter OF eHstse
indifference-A go
Howevea: B.a,.bafa was quite satisfied
with Guilford, and 1t makes little differ
ellce that we personally think that. as
an anorous stylist, he is entitled 20 a
place in fiction not far beneath, that SOIL.
tary eminence long held unchallensea
by the Rev. Mr. Collins There Is plenty
of action, Of plot, and counter plot, ana
plenty OF rivals and antagonists for Gull
fora 10 smash The book Is very con-
scientiously written, and Mr.. Eggleston' $
popularity Will no doubt ensure wide
reading for it.
THE LAW OF THE LAND. BY Ener-
ION Itough. 4l6 pp. sl.5g The
Bobbs-Merrill Co, Indianapolis, Ind.
we have often had occasion TO COM
plain n these columns Of the deart!l
Of real plot In many Of the novels OF
present day manufacture. lndeeu one
of the most noticeable features Of mod
err fiction Is the large number Of men
and women, mostly young, who get into
print without thing in the world 10
say, and who say II very well indeed.
the chief wonder, after all! Is not that
they have no very vital message or even
no very interesting story 10 give TO the
world hut that so many of them have
tndisputaply, the literary knack III any
case, however multiplied may be thf
breed of the -otless novel. there are
always, we are glad TO say a Soodl!
number which Yeer strongly in the op
pogite direction; ana among those VI
lnhesitatngly award a nigh place 10 MI