The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-16

WhW TO De on the down erdue' anu In.
WW does not interest as it did
even a few years ago, the
stories made out Of biblical times and
scripturaI characters are increasing in
number. Half a dozen new ones are
on the reviewers tables now and more
are coming. 1t was certainly far cry
from Irving Bachelors 'Eben Hol-
dem to his last book, "Vergilius,"
story of cid Rome, which was evidently
intended for a deep study of the time
of Christ but which falls short and
makes his former public wish he had
not left the field in which he undoubt-
eddy scored. In some ways ''Vergilius"
is impressive; in other it is unpleasant
" flippant and far from what any book
Of the kind should be. Many will re-
gard the story as sacrilegious, and the
severe things said of it will undoubt-
eddy send Mr.. Bachelor back to the
field where he is more at home An
other book on the same order and con-
corning the time of Christ is "The
White Shield" by Caroline Atwater
Mason, who is a we'll known writer CT
stories. The scenes are placed in the
early days of Christianity, and her pic
ture Of Thekla, the heroine. who is in
spired by the wonderful ideals reveal
ed by Christ, is a stirring one. The end
OF the story is happy, and in this it
differs from many of these scriptural
tales, which are apt to finish in sacri-
flee and death.'H
Modern readers of fiction are getting
so they insist upon a pleasant finish.
More than this, it is extremely difficult
TO sell books or short stories with sad
endings, as publishers declare the pub
lie will no longer buy a book which
does not have the bless you my-chil-
dren finish 1t is just the same with
the stage at present; plays that end
happily are demanded, and the grew
some Ibsen sort of thing does not
draw.
There is one kind of literary pabulum
for which there always seems to be a
market and which is in no danger of be-
coming drug. That is the modern
adventure story which concerns a
mythical kingdom, a beautiful girl. heir
to the throne in many cases, and a
handsome American who always ar
rives in the nick of time and gets
everybody out of their difficulties. It
goes without saying that he falls in
love with the princess and she with
him, but if you think he gets her easily
YOU have only to read one of these in
teresting books to be diSabuSed Of the
idea. The number of adventures he
encounters while trying to get her and
the amount of blood he spills and is
the cause of being spilled, will make
the chills go up and down your back.
His type is almost always the same:
he is handsome. of course, and why
not? 1t is just as easy as making
him homely, he has money in such
quantities that he makes the oil trust
look like 10 cents, and is every inch
man! He does just the right thing,
speaks every tongue, even dialects of
the interior of India, has seen every
thing, been everywhere and you will
find him possessed of all sorts of odd
pieces of Information which are just
what he must know in order to get the
heroine out of the most unheard of
Scrapes. When he shoots a man in the
leg-he is too humane to kill him un-
less he is just an awful villain and the
story cannot go on until he is out of
the way-but when the bullet breaks
his leg, the brave American will be
found to know enough about surgery
and medicine to do the best he can for
mis- enemy. For in these books the hero
is a perfect gentleman" and does moth
ing to shock the gentle reader unduly.
He follows the princess home, after
having extricated her from the most
unpleasant predicaments, finds her en-
gagged TO some royal parsonage which
I, TO
and after intriguing and spending mill
lions upon millions of money-money
is happily no object--he gets her, Of
course. 1t is the astonishing fitness of
everything that the hero does and says,
which fascinates the reader and then
one is sure that the author viii at.
tend to his coming out on top in every
case. which makes these books such
comfortable sort of reading. You need
have no anxiety about the finish, or
whether when the hero is on the floor
with three Turks with drawn knives
on top of him, he may not. after all,
be wounded SO that he may die sud-
denly. but you will find he has the most
marvellous manner of killing well-arn-
cd desperadoes with a pockefl1nife as
quickly that they do not even have time
10 dr9G. There is no danger Of the love
Of r.,ading dying out while these en-
trancing books are still to be pur-
chased.
James Branch CabelI, whose spark
ling Virginia novel, "The Eagles
Shadow, is the most ambitious liter
airy work so far. was born in Rich
mond, Va, twenty five years ago. He
is a member of two Of the oldest and
proudest families of the Old Dominion.
on his paternal side, he is a great
grandson of William H. Cabell. gov
ernor of Virginia. His grandfather,
foi. whom he is named. was Col. James
r. Branch, of the Confederate army.
He is connected with the family of
Thomas Jefferson. Mr.. cabell grad
uated from William and Mary college,