The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-04

Almost every one in the middle west
knows. enough about Chicago 70 recog-
nize many familiar people, places ana
things in Robert Herricks new novel,
The Common Lot. Familiarity Win llle
locale of a story always gives II a ue--
gree of interest, apart from its mefits'
but Mr. Herrfck's book is one OF tIs
best of many months in all the guam,
ties that 60 TO make up po" - ~
novel Essentially psychological a nov
el Of character and motive, II sun He9
enough of action to interest the feaueL
who cares mostly for a plot Inc stoLy
marches" from the opening cnaplsa
with steady, logical progress In tAe
point of construction it is fauluess anu
in the development OF the pil lls
characters, it shows no dimlnutlon Oh
the subtle powers of psychological III
sight which have made all the pie9eU
ing novels of this author notable
Mr.. Herrick seems to have caught siie
American spirit in this DOCK OF -
cago life, and revealed it with surer
dramatic touch than in any OF his oth-
ers. The push, the strife, the frenzy OF
getting and spending, the apsoIbins
passion les affaires are reNealea ~
mastery strokes which make one see
as II for the first time the ugly, sorolo
aspects of our purely commercial ma
tfOnaI ideals. Many different American
social phases are depicted in this brleI
history of the birth of a soul-for that
IS what the story merely IS when an Is
said and done, the story or the pltn
of the soul of Jackson Hart, the young
architect brought up IN luxury ana CIV
en- an expensive education by wealthy
uncle in the expectation of inherltihg
his great fortune, who at the pegltliilIlS
of the story finds himself with a paltry
ten thousand. one OF a NUMBER o. SAAeaAA
beouests. while all the rest of powers
Jackson's'' money has gone to the
founding of an industrial school 1or the
children of Chicago workingInei.
The history of jackson Hart eN-
periences when he finds himself thus
unexpectedly obliged to share the
common lot" is a rather bitter COM
mentary upon our modern views anu
principles. He makes a Superncld1 SOL I
OF success, earns and spends laNlsnIy
and is generally praised ana adrfllfeu
for his business aptitude even by those
who half suspect the crookeoiless u
some of his measures. However "neli
the crash comes, as it does finally, en-
failing his public disgrace nnanclai
ruin but moral regeneration, his penl-
tence and attempts to make up Tor ms
mistakes are contemptuously regaIusu
as weakness and loss of nerve. W ME
he succeeds or appears 70 succeed no
one questions nor cares how or why
and when he fails it is the failure
which in the eyes of the general pub
lie is regarded as the great crime Inc
underlying causes of that failure, am d.
ton and greed are the basis OF TOO
many proud successes in their money
worshfpping world to be condemned.
But from the wreck of his professional
and financial failures energies new
jackson Hart, a man OF new ana noDleE
ambitions and ideals
The effect of this book can not be
other than wholesome It makes one
sick of the everyday sordid ambition
the unholy pursuit of material gam,
lust earning and spending money as
Helen Hart" the lovely heroine or the
novel says in her arraignInent OF her
own and her husbands way OF living,
trying to get more and more, trying TO
get things. It's spoiled your work, :
she goes on to say to him, Its spoiled
you; and I have been blind and weak
TO let US drift on like the others, get
ting and spending, struggling to get
ahead. oh, how low and mean 1t IS.
How mean it makes men and women!
That's life" he retorted neatly
mo. no. never. I wish you were a
clerk, a laborer. a farm hand-anything
so that we could be honest, and think
of something besides making money
Let US begin again from the very be-
ginning and live like the common PEG
pie from day to day-live on your work,
for the thing you do. Then we should
be happy. Never this way, not if you
made millions"
But in spite Of Helen's vision, born
of inexperience and ignorance of the
world of the simple life' as an in
alienable accompaniment of poverty
and humble social state, the hard
conditions Of their existence are such
that the clerk the laborer, the farm
hand is no more free from the faint OF
greed and selfish ambition than the
jackson Harris. They strive and push
like him, not for luxuries. but for COM
forts. installing, like him. the shadow
for the substance. It was with clear