The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-13
ND,
CHAT
ed
THE UNEASY CHAIR

N
4. THE UNEASY CHAIR
a FICTION CHARACTER THAT DE.
SERVES TO LIVE, BUT WILL PROB
ABLY DIE YoUNG.-Tobiah the Dissen-
ter, who plays a leading part in six long
snort Histories by Una l.. Silberrad, pub
nsned under the title The Wedding of
the Lady OF Lowell, is worthy a long life
IN the world Of fictitious characters. But
In these days of a rapidly-increasing NOR
tally rate among such characters it may
fairly be doubted whether he will sur
vive infancy He is by no means an in
FAINT, as he moves thru Miss Silberrad's
stories, however.
Tobiah Is afraid-certainly not of the
devil, at least So sure is he of the strong
arm of the Lord for his support in any
combat with the unseen Prince Of Dark
ness, that he meets that same princes
agents in the flesh with no weakness Of
the knees, no matter what the crcum-
stances. He is Of the stuff that Crom-
wells Roundheads were made Of. He is
a praying fighter, and, on occasion, "a
handy liar" but always for a good end
not infrequently for matchmaking.
In the first story of the six the reader
finds Tobiah pitted against Simon Scroat,
an apothecary, who brews hell-hroths to
work evil to his enemies as often as he
compounds medicaments for the sick. One
night Simon goes to a ruined church in
q deserted graveyard to work a particu-
larly evil spell in order to bring down
on Tobiah and another 1.-The spirits OF
death and vengeance" When he has
made "thiclk and slab" the brew neces-
sary in all such cases, and marked out
signs Of evil on the floor before the altar
Of the church, he calls for the curse upon
Tobiah. ~.
Curse him, too Curse this man 'Tobiah! Bind
him with the chain Of death, fill his bones with
disease and his blood with bitterness! Let
sleep desert him, let his dreams be evil and his
imaginings fearful! Let him desire and not
be satisfied let him hunger and not be filed. Let
lust consume him and dishonor shame him; make
his mothers name to be a reproach and his chill
dren a bywOrd! TO poverty and shame and death
do condemn him! To foul failure in this world
and pitiless perdition in the next! Most potent
Satan, most gracious master, take this man To-
biah--- $50" ">'
Then Tobiah enters and answers:
Here is this man Tobiah. Take him now, Mas
ter Satan! ~ e Curse me- forsooth! Thou
and thy tenpenny devil! This for thy curses, and
this and this. spit upon thee and thy hag's
brews and bonfres -.
Something of Shaksperean flavor to
that, and something of Poe in the scene
where Scroat, near midnight, digs open
an ancient grave to get a handful of
dust as an ingredient for his evil brew.
Here is the picture:
He was standing the while in the open grave;
the hole was but narrow and the earth loosely
piled above, as he stopped, 1t slipped and with
rumbled noise came pouring down upon him.
He was thrown forward, the weight upon his
back holding him, his hands pressed on the cof-
| fin lid. Crack The old wood gave way and his
hands, plunged thru among the dead mans bones
were held fast by the spltntering wood. For a
him down, his hands prisoned as if the dead held
him. Thus he knelt speeches., for there was
| none on earth to call, and from heaven and its
| help he had shut himself forever.
| Other stories are less on the gruesome
order. Thru all, however, is shown much
of the same power Of getting at the es-
sentials, of concern with souls, rather
than scenery" or clothes, or appearances
Of any sort. Yet the picture the author
draws is always vivid and lasting. 1t is
not likely soon to be forgotten. For that
| reason there is hope for Tobial's future.
! Doubleday, Page 4 Co., New York.
i . .~ $3.50. .4.. -.
4 CARNEGIE LIBRARY At DAw.
j SoN.-After. five years Of precarious
l existence in a rented room, the pub.
lie library at Dawson. Yukon Terri.
| tory, says The Literary Collector
! has been installed in Carnegie
building, an important feature. Of which
is that it is built to be heated to SIS de.
grees with the thermometer at the usua
winter average Of from 20 to 50 below
! Three thousand volumes are the library's
i present resources. Appropria lions cover
i its running. expenses, but money for books
is raised by private subscription and by
giving concerts and entertainments.
l
PREPARATION OF THOMAS DIXON
lJR:, FOR THE WRITING OF 1.-THE
ctANsMAN."--In replying to certain O
his critics, Thomas Dixon, Jr., author O.
The clansman, explains why he did not
in preface, give DR.. Craven's 'The Pris
. on Life Of Jefferson Davis" credit fo
one Of his most stirring scenes, and the1
i he adds:
/ In the eighteen months Of preparation for writ
ing 1.-The Clansman," more than four thousan,
volumes of historical and controversial materia
passed thru my hands. Nearly a, thousand vol
umes bought outright and placed in my library
as needed to make clearer study Of them thai
n was possible in the great libraries. Many O.
4 these books were very valuable, yet most of then
were Of no value to me or any body else. If
had used preface for the purpose Of cataloguin,
levery authority and giving my readers a state
ment Of the value and weight of each work, tn
preface would have been longer than the book.