The San Francisco call., 1904-02-21
SOME RECENT B00l
I he OeiiUer0nce"
q Powerful Book

NAann DS an OK. AFTER the ulOSl
difficult labor they succeed in turning
over The mere crust of the earth, leav-
ing the black loam, rich with the pos
sibilities OF life. untouched below. To
HE assiduOus reader il becomes mani
Test what a veritable scratching Of the
soil the average present day novel is
when a book such as The Deliver
ance' falls into his hands. In nine nov
els out Of ten the same shallow surface
strata of the conventional and the COM
monplace is harried and haggled by
the little sticks Of the little author peo-
pie until it is scored and rescored by
lines absolutely parallel. To the good
OF literature. however. there come at
intervals writer's who furrow deep into
the glebe and turn up the richness
which is beneath. Such one is Ellen
Glasgow.
The Deliverance" is a book Of lice
II is a book TO study. Far from being
one Of the ponderous retrospective
studies OF a Henry James, or the
gloomy broodings OF an Ibsen, the
story is primarily one designed TO be
interesting. Yet there is so much Of the
human heart in it, so true a grasp of
human problems. that after reading ii
for pleasure one returns TO read it for
profit. with the book not yet two
months from the presses lit would be
extravagant TO say that it is great. but
hindered by the lack Of proper per-
spective the reviewer may at least
venture the opinion that il is one OF
the few superior books out OF all the
recent tide OF popular novels. 1t has
qualities, too, which are calculated 70
make il outlive many Of these recent
things which come out between covers
Like James Lane Allen with the
hemp and Frank Norris with the wheat
Miss Glasgow has chosen TO make
plant play its mysterious influence
throughout the tsf5- Tobacco is the
dominant factor AS Norris in The
Octopus" makes the wheat growth play
a part in the plot almost allegorical so
does Ellen Glasgow skillfully weave the
baleful enchantment of the great weed
in and a bout until each Of the charac-
tiers seems 10 be caught in the spell
from the green leaves. The old tobac-
co plantation Of a great Nirginian fam
lily that has been brought low by the
riCors OF the Civil War is the pivot
about which surge all the passions and
the impulses Of the story.
The tale opens upon the efforts Of
DiI Fletcher TO get control Of a mar
row bit 0f laad. the last silver Of the
shlunken estate Of the old Blake fam
iy. From the position Of plantation
overseer for the Blakes before the war
Fletcher has risen 70 opulence and by
treachery ard by fraud has succeeded
in dispossessing the last Of the Blakes
~ ~ the waving green acres save
psltry few whereon they dwell in
penury.
christopher Blake. the only son Of the
stte-beilum owner OF the plantation.
has been forced down to the position OF
q common field Iaborer upon the few
rena lining acres that are his in order
that he may bring bread to the mouths
Of his aged, paralytic mother, his two
sisters and a crippled veteran Of the
lost cause, his uncle.
From the time when he tried TO shoot
Fletcher with his squirrel gun as a 12-
year-old Christopher has possessed one
burning desire. and that, revenge upon
the man who had robbed him Of his in
heritance and forced him down to the
level Of a field hand. With every wax
ing moment this young giant, whose
blood is that OF a long line Of proud
ancestors, fans the fame Of hatred in
his heart until the native brute within
him rises clamoring TO the surface and
ne stoops to a cowardly revenge. This
is 10 less than the debauching Of young
VIII Fletcher, the only grandson of
the rascally overseer. upon whom all
the ola mans hopes for proud family
name are established.
Hardly has the implacable Christopher
encompassed his ends only too surely
when a great love for Fletcher's
granada lighter, which has for years
been combating all the hatred for the
name in his heart. triumphs and there
follows the passionate endeavor to
right the wrong done TO the grandson.
At last when the fires Of the higher
purpose have burned out the dross
which clogged his soul. Christopher ar
rIves at the great deliverance"
Christopher Blake is a remarkable
study. With keen appreciation Of the
effects Of heredity and the sensitive
ness Of q Datrician soul Miss Glasgow
has portrayed the spirit OF a gentle
born declassed. When forced down
among his tobacco plants to grub in
the soil this scion Of the Blakes is al
most a savage at times, slorying in
his unlettered boorishness. but behind
this ali remains to assert itself in rare
flashes the sterling worth that is Unborn
and viii not down. The author pict-
ures with dynamic force the struggle
between these two natures which IS
stubbornly fought. until the refining
power of love comes TO bring the bet
ter 10 the fore. This character Of a
man Is as forceful a picture as life
itself
The touch Of Dathos in the story is
supplied il the braye old Mrs Blake.
sfzhuess. chained to inactivity by ILL
ness. yet possessed Of sturdy faith
in the worth and beauty of life, which
ig ike a halo about her silvered head
.f.,. - osrafrlt old survivor of the past