The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-10-16
THE STREET
Versus Winged God

make or az ugly theme a novel
OF compelling power and there
are some readers-a great many
iECelc-v5o are wiling TO con-
ooce th5 uciicCss - The theme for the
manner ol its 1c11l9pment. In Black
Friday" F-elericl1 :. Ishan has shown
himself ~ be If The genre Of novelist
thus defned-appreciatio OF his book
WI be divided 10y the sharp line Of the
reading worlds taste in this mctter Of
the s-c-Es atmosphere.
Ar. lsh11l' $ theme in this instance is
that very old one-infeucity in conju-
ga relations. The major part OF his
story concerns itself with the conflict
OF temperamentaI and circumstantiaI
conditions that serve to keep a man
and his wife as strangers under their
own rooL To the wife's cold, even ar
roSant Indifference there is added the
irnputaC0n OF infdelity TO widen the
rift; 10 the husbands money-blunted
understanding Of feminine character
p the accreuons Of 4 stubborn short
sightedness bring double cause OF
misery The typical unpleasant novel
OF marital stress and tribulation finds
IN these elements all conditions salts
fed.
But IL is in the linking OF this motive
with anOther-One Of palpitating en-
ergy and breathless unrest-that Mr..
Isham saves his story from the sordid
commonplace OF such ilk and brings IL
Up 10 q place Of deserved commenda-
ton Establishing a close relation be
tween the clashing personalities Of his
man and his woman and the tremen-
deus activities OF III Wall street in
the railroad days OF the late sixties.
the author has succeeded in making
q symbolism appear in his story which
turns the unpleasant features to higher
value than that existing simply per Sc.
II David Graham Phillips had not
written The Cost" last spring this
book which was then a'building.
would have q stronger note Of origi-
nality. Remarka bic, in some particu-
lars, is the similarity between them.
In both there is no sympathy between
the idealistic, impressionably romantic
wife and her tremendously active hus-
band, captain Of industry. In both it
is the dollar sign that stands between
husband and wife. Phillips has car
ried his idea OF the maddening power
OF gold 10 the utmost limits Of moral
depravity: in Isham's story wealth is
not represented as such a Moloch, but
IL is only a proud and capricious wo-
mans beliefs in its frightening infiu-
ence that cause the trouble. Both
stories deal intimately with the ner-
vCus energies Of Change.
As the title indicates, Ishams story
revolves about the frenzied specula-
tions OF the powerful group Of million
aires that ruled the street in so and
The great crash that came from their
efforts 70 make q corner on the worlds
gold. AS the result Of much evident
reading Of back newspaper files the
author is enabled TO give intimate por-
traits OF some Of the giants Of finance
whose speculations gave indication
through daring Of the far more weighty
ventures that were 10 have Wall street
for their thester in after years. In
deed. il is not until the story leads TO
the excitement OF Black Friday itself
that the reader finds much Of incident
therein The chapters devoted to a re-
cital OF the disaster OF that day. how
ever, and another which carries the
two personages Of the story through
the climax to the Paris Commune. are
remarkably well written.
It is in the battle between two strong
wills, those OF the fnancier and his
wife, that the strength OF the novel is
developed In the character of
Elinor Strong Isham has pro-
ouced a study, powerful, NOV
ing. He seems 10 have a grasp
upon the secret springs OF the feminine
soul unusual for writer's OF the sterner
sex IT is his skilled analysis of the
sway OF pride and self will in this
woman that makes the reader overlook
IN large measure the unpleasant atmos-
phere OF messlIiance behind the action
OF the story.
CBobbs-Merrill Company, Indianap-
oils: illustrated by Harrison Fishery