The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-21

the problem of humanity as weird, as strong, as balefuily fascinating as Dr. Jykle and MT. Hyde. But either the writer stopped short of his intention or he has been edited down to loss or all sequence to his endeavors, The book is like a dozen peals of thunder, a hundred bursting cluds, and three drops of rain.
 It Is a modern example of the old fable of the laboring mountain that brought forth mouse.
 The book deals with multiple per sonality. Beautiful Lady Torbeth is problem to her friends.
 Her husband, Lord Torbeth, describes her thus: "She was emotional, and unable to lay hold upon tangible hap piness, because she was constantly haunted by visions of a greater hap piness living just beyond her reach; she was by turns pious and morbidly religious, mystical and aesthetic, pas sionate and animal,' description that would apply to many neuratic heroines of modern literature.
 And, continued her calm and philo- sophie husband, none of these women is the woman whom I married It is a nice provision of Providence that many of these women of multiple personality are fortunate enough in the lottery of matrimony to win hus- bands calm and philosophic, or "apres le delege." Now the plot of the story is to rid Lady Torpeth of all of these multiple personalities, but the best, or perhaps it is better to say all but the one that Lord Torbeth deems the best. If MT. Harper had been able to stand to his colors and fight the good hght to win such new possession, the pow CT to eradicate characteristics valuable to all men who find that in marrying one woman they have espoused the vagaries of all womankind, what boon he would have brought to har- rassed humanity. But this he did not do.
 Lady Torbeth appears in three dis tinct personalities. As herself, the satisfactory wife: ito a degree certain ly exquisite this woman fulfilled the description of his real wife given me by Lord Torbeth."
 As Miss Ervington, a very musical young woman who falls unmoved in love with many men, to quote again her husband Lord Torbeth: Ervington? | confess, MT. Croft, that that is the name which the wretched viscountess used to adopt when her passionate de- mon invaded her mind. She had found woman of that name in some novel and it seemed to fascinate her when in her amorous moods
 New this is no case of multiple per sonality, it is a plain case of lying. Lady Torbeth calling herself Muriel Ervington visits good Mrs. Dunston telling her numerous other Actions about an unhappy home and stern father.
 Lady Torbeth appears again as Ger trude Leighton. This time she is put into that personality by means of the hypnotic powers of various very wise (reputed so by MT. Harper) physicians. She shows the very same characteristics as she has displayed as Lady Torbeth and as Miss Ervington. She meets Croft (also under hypnotic infuence) in Dresden and tells him many like fic- tions, of cruel father. of an intended marriage with a nobleman whom she detests.
 The book is wholly unreasonable and inconsistent. As Lady Torbeth Gin her own person. "she flung herself, wild with passion and hunger and despair" at Lord Ackerley.
 As Miss Ervington, she urged Dr. Croft to give her little dinner at d questionable resort. As Miss Leighton, she murmured to Templeton (alias Croft hypnotized): Take mel am yours." In each personality she was saved on the brink either by return ot a better state of mind or by the chiVal- ry of her admirers.
 In each personality she had spells of religious repentance and devotion.
 In each personality she was at times an accomplished and wholly charming woman.
 In each. the story of her doings is distasteful reading.
 The hypnotic personality brought about the custom of doctors. in no wise differs from the others.
 The same characteristics display themselves in all.
 Any logical pen would at least have kept each of the three personalities free from characteristics of each and all.
 We might have had Lady Torbeth the true woman, beset by conflicting char acteristics; Miss Ervington. always amorous-eliminate her; Miss Leighton. always aesthetic-eliminate her; left Lady Torbeth. unvexed by contradictory characters. But the author has chosen to give each the troublous traits of all. The book is hardly worth a word except for the semi-scientiflc terms in which each incident offered is coated.
 Here is an extract from the mislead- ing Foreword:
 Signs are not wanting, but when speculative science formulates It's next hypothesis respecting life, very little will remain of what was formerly look ed upon as the exclusive field of the meta physician and the theologian. Recent revolutionising discoveries hav- ing to do with the functions and attri- butes of matter are fast bridging the chasm between psychology and phy- sics Mind and thought and spirit are now being tossed into the melting pot of fearless analysis. quite as freely as those other time-honored basic facts force and our useful old frend the atom. Out of it all is slowly. but surely emerging the idea that ignorance and superstition long ago forged a Mortgage on the Brain of man, which it is high time to repudiate before the bar of reason" But MT. Harper's Is hardly the one who will either foreclose or satisfy the mortgage.
 The Monks Treasure. A gay TO- nance full of life and love. The very 1 book to make a summer day bright.
 In the most business like manner the story begins with a young American sent abroad by a Baking Powder Con cern to buy up argols, a product Of wine-bees, rich in cream of tartar nec- essary ingredient of Baking Powder But before we have gone many pages there confronts the reader a beautiful Bond Girl, a gay betrothal festival of modern Greece. There are a woman's
 ~ Every woman covetS a