The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-02
NEW BOOK NEWS
CONDUCTED BY MARTHA YOUNG

, frankly stated that never @ be bee l fore has a novel been published which | more vigorously defends the South and
 her vital problems. It will ts read with thorough approval by all true southerners who want to see the South
 justified in literature.
 | The plot of The Georgians," briefly | stated is this: Old Henry Vaughn the | father of the whole-souled young hero.
 Eric. is a wealthy. narrow minded Union man. who prior to the end of the
 civil war. foresaw the defeat of the
 Southern cause and sold his slaves for | land and turned his Confederate money into gold. On his mothers sGe of the family Eric's relatives are of the south and for the South and the young mans 1 sympathies are naturally drawn that l way. This produces widening breach between father and son. and when carpet-bagger by the name of Bowman, who is the villain of the story, appears on the scene further poisoning old Vaughn's mind against his son and adroitiy suggesting a plan for the building and endowing of a big school for negroes with Fries patri- mony the old man falls victim to his wiles and Is on the point of disinher- iting Eric.
 It Is just here that the plot of ''The Georgians" becomes absolutely obsorb- ing. and the reader, be ho Northern or Southern, earnestly hopes that the vil- lainous scheme will fail. Right here Mir. Harben has introduced the popular hero of former book of his to won derful purpose. Abner Daniel, an old Confederate veteran and a staunch friend and admirer of Eric. champions his cause and is really making fair headway against the plans of the car pet-bagger and the obdurate father when Eric further displeases his par ent by falling in love with a beautiful but poor girl and iavishly spending his money to save the life of the father of the girl who Is in prison falsely &C., cused of murder
 This complication makes Abner Dan- iers task more difficult. but the sly old farmer Is thoroughly equal to the emergency. Abner has been Mir. Har- ben's most popular character-his gay ings and doings being quoted the world over, and in the present book the au- thor has given the old veteran sol dier a wonderful opportunity to exer- else his shrewdness and rare mental abilities. His tits in The Georgians" on questions of vital interest to the South with the carpet-bagger and tltE Union man are strong. interesting and original. Ills views on social equalf- ty and of negro education are those of every intelligent Southerner or Northerner who has lived in the South. By most skillful detective work, fin his crude way. and by taking frequent trips over the country. Abner finally succeeds in producing eveldence that Bowman. the carpet-bagger, is a pro- fessionaI swindler and returns home just as Bowman is on the eve of ab- sconding with a large sum of old Vaughn's money. This brings the sto- ry to a happy climax. Vaughn Is brought to see the folly of his posi~ tion; he forgives Eric. who rescues tho father of his sweetheart from the gallows and gains her hand in mar riage.
 The book is sure of a great suc- cess. It had been only out two days when a new edition had to be printed to supply the demand. The New York Herald has already spoken of 1t as ono of the most important books of the season. and Mrs. L. H. Harris, of Nashville, the noted Southern critic. in writing of Abner Daniel in the New York Independent said: T recall only one original man type that has been ner Daniel is one of the few living characters today in recent Southern literature" And a Northern critic. who read the advance sheets of 'The Georgians," not only pronoUuces 1t Mir. Harben's masterpiece. but adds that. Not since Uncle Toms Cabin was published against the interests of the South has book appeared which son conclusively justifies the Southern point of view as does The GeorgianSI l This beautiful book. appropriately