The San Francisco call., 1905-05-21

IL lJsl4 " 4 German. gEDec-
scnts Jorn Uhl, the char
acter whose name gives title
10 that remarkable story. as talk
ing when near the close of his
life TO his friend He N. who proposes
writing the life of Jo-n. In few swift
sentences Helm summed I'D Jorn Uhrs
career he understood how help had come
al the right lime. Bow the wonderful
KIND. self-sacr.ficing. fairy-story telling
oio maid. Mieten, had mothered Jorn in
MS motherless childhood. How his little
sens laughter had sounded in the farm
yard How the door OF the manse had
opened TO Jorn. How death had served
him; and then came the proud and bon
ME SRI who walked beside aim. Then
after the long, bitter and sweet experi-
ences OF lie. came the tine of his stud
les and ? fresh breeze blew into his life
Jorn said 10 him, You know every
thing Helm asked what title he shall
give TO the book
We'll said Jorn, IF the title I sug-
gesteo CCrafty JackD is no use, find me
another good Old German name. and SAY
when you've finished your book. Al
though bis pain led through gloom and
tribulatlon. lie Was stin happy man, be-
cause he was humble and had faith But
cont say too many wise things, Helm
We cant unriddie II after all. -
This expresses the type Of character
whose CelineatiOn By a Lutheran pastor
has laid such deep hold of the German
heart Over 10000 copies Of the German
edition were sold within eighteen months
Of issue, a record never eGuaied before
pleased the orthodox church party and
F-enssen gave up his pastorate and re
tired 70 the Holstein village Of his youth
10 devote himself 10 literature. The au-
thOr's cOuntTymen who appreciate the
work say that Jorn Uhl, the peasant
hero. might stand for a great part OF
modern Germany
A good translation Of this wonderfully
successful novel has just been published
by Dana Estes & Co. To help the dialect
and the provincial and rustic atmosphere
Of the story many Scotch expressions
have been used. The work is a very mas
terful one, and even in the inevitable
losses OF translation and transference to
= land OF foreign thought and feeling will
probably find in our country its abundant
uses IN making wise and tender the
hearts Of the great multitude of people
who toll on through the averages of for
hints Of deeper than apparent meanings
10 all hfe's sufferings and mistakes.
A thought which once came to Jorn
Dhl about his contemplation of the
lives Of men around him is a sugges-
ton as TO the value OF reading this
story Of his development and of the
study OF all good novels.
In the course of years his mind had
grown maturer and clearer. He now
<T0nd his and calmly re =
garded other men who now and then
fall into the pit And a dim con-
sciousness in him said, Your path,
JOrn Uhl. has by Fate's dispensation
been different from theirs so far and
shall by your own win always continue
10 be different. Nothing in life schools
character like the sight Of our fellow
mortals destiny.
Allied TO this thought is a truth
which this author, with all the advan-
tages which the space of novel writing
gives, brings out 70 our realization
most cleverly, namely that a man has
adventures not for himself alone Some
things we DO with utter inconsistencies
that they in any way influence other
lives, may. even by the slight sug-
gestion of the instant, serve as turn
ing points in destiny to people who are
strangers 10 US.
was then a farmer. tried TO study phil
osophy with his pastor And many a
time they looked at each other in sheer
helplessness- And many time il
seemed as though the farmer under
stood more than the pastor. He also
studied astronomy. In this way did
men and stars help Jorn Uhl to tide
over the years OF evil and loneliness.
The story Of Jorn's first sin is told
with great skill and a fine reserve. Ii
seemed to have come about from what
we call accident ts-just the delay in a
farmers job of sand carting-S
But for the sand carting Jorn Uhl
would have been able to say when he
came to die, The sins OF youth? What
are they? Work and Want have
known in my youth. but never Sin But
as If it were a thing inevitable. as if
every mortal. even the best, must needs
get dust on his boots and spots on his
coat, this sand carting came, and Jorn S
fair robe Of honesty got a mighty rent
in it,"
Then TO explain how that could hap
pen 10 A man as strong and soberly
stern with himself as Jorn it is neces-
sary for the author TO give US an in
sight into the character and fate of the
pure-hearted girl who caused that rent
in the young farmers honor. And so
the novel goes; stories within stories.
and all well done.
IN this novel writing the pastor
author does not fail TO get in some
siillful sermonizing. He does not do
it, though. SO untactfully as &c spoil the
story. The chapter wherein the father
OF the hero is stricken with an incur
able Gala nifty closes with this para
graph. which is a good example to
show what manner of book it is:
Then for the first time there came