The San Francisco call., 1905-04-09

near Tor q most promising
one has come out of Berksley-Mr.
Warren Cheney. n graduate of the
University OF California, and to delay
our appreciation of his first work in
that art. the freshly published story
called The Way Of the North is not
only TO be losing the pleasure of
thoroughly good story. but to be dill
atoTy in the duty Of loving our own
locality to the extent Of taking a
proper pride in the excellence of what
fellow citizens close to us can do.
The thousands here who read with
interest q good story for the story's
own sake would surely find an inten-
siheo interest in one produced by
writer SO close that he is, as it were.
fellow worker IN me same vineyard, and
any victory of MS efforts should stir
the pulse with 5uhiiation that our col
lective worth and potentiaiity widen
with this, his winning
Those who ike II z story that
quality which comDels the mind to
quit for brief resi- time its trend in
vocation's groove something to spell
charm ii away from work and worry
may be advised to read this book with
the assurance OF finding that the ad-
5ectiTe -sbsorbing'' IS not 7nissDent in
describing tt Besides thai II is dis
tinctIy dramatic; its humo- is OF that
clever, quiet restrained kind which
does not force itself upon the super
serious, bit s Ike the laugh we see
in the eyes CT people who. aDsoiyed OF
al contempt, observe amusediy the
absureities and frailties Of their fell
lows. il IS rich in expressions which
~h-r 81 ~ra
faculty 10 Lhat nigh degree where the
mere byplzy Of phrase making be
comes almost as fascinating to tbs fol-
love- OF the harrying story as golden
apples 20 Atalanta; it has valuable
life lessons delivered so naturally from
the Fps OF people who know them
selves frail that no unpleasing sense
OF being unseasonsbly preached to
unbalances our eQuanimity; and per
haps most noticeable of all its merits
is the rare power with which human
nature is shown as a most unjudgable
mixture of good and evil-his charac-
ters are too human to be blameless,
too like the real God-made creatures
TO be beyond loves forbearing when
their actions are fully summed up.
The story is represented to be told by
g Russian doctor, Fedor Delarof, whose
leading characteristic is a rough, di-
racC manliness; I'D IN telling his story
he uses a copiousness of quaint and
forceful phrase which enables him TO
explain in 4 most interestingly detailed
way how he took himself-inconsider-
stely in some moods, often seriously,
and sometimes 10 task. and how he
looked out sympathetically, critically,
smusedlY upon the characters whose
lives interplayed with his own He is
strong Of arm. bold Of temper. Of fresh
maturity as 10 age skeptical in reli-
cion frank Of speech about himself,
and in the item OF making love to wo-
men, scenes in which he plays his part
10 the leading lady might be staged
with the assurance of an audience lis
tening with eager interest for each
word and move that that strong, origi-
nal. surprise party Of a man was going
10 say and do next.
The scene Of the story is laid in a lit
Tie shut-in sort Of world OF it's own in
small compass, so that its almost COM
plete isolation makes the people in it
play out their life parts in q kind Of
narrowed, half prison-like environment
which intensifes the Importance of
every word and act as the characters
.
destiny.
The place is a Russian trading post
and colony at Sitka, Alaska, under the
rule OF Baranof. who, in the role of
commander, is one of the strongest bits
Of Characterization in the novel. He is
a commander, indeed, albeit a rough
one. In him is the tangle of good and
evil traits. which too puzzles the will
10 wholly condemn and makes us glad
TO leave the judgment of such types TO
the all-knowing wisdom OF supernal
powers. He is strong stern, strict, hon
est and devoted TO the task set for his
lifes work. He is magnanimous some
times in forgiving when there are noble
reasons for il. He loves women as well
at siXty-four as he ever did, but when
in his cups treats them with vulgar and
displessing gallantry. He is always
half slave TO drink. and has been that
slave TO passion which has brought TO
him the possession Of a proud, sensi-
tive. terribly unhappy breed
daughter
She, too, is one Of the books master
. pieces OF portrayal, and because Of her
come the complications that make the
sombernesS and the strength OF the love
parts Of the story. But 10 return to
Barsnoff: It is wonderful TO note how
this evil man keeps large measure Of
self-respect. and even, astonishingiy
sometimes. as from q throne OF supe-
-rior rectitUde, lectures Fedor, who
thought himself morally his better, till
our hero recognizes his error and feels
that in some sense Baranof rules of
right
A passage which gives at once a
swift insight into the bearing OF Bara-
nof and the why OF his lf-justifica-
mon for il, and the nature Of the con-
ditions al Sitka at the time, and the
quality Of the Russian policy, is this:
Fedor's manly anger had been re-
buked by Baranof. Fedor says: And
for this time for the sake Of the COM
pany. ] am TO hold no wrath. Bara-
nof Strengthened himself quickly, and
answered before the words had fairly