The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-14

7 AAILIN GARLAND is one of the
Fl foremost American authors, and
4 his reputation extends far beyond
his native land. His books have been
enthusiastically reviewed in English and
Italian periodicals., and in Paris there is
a Garland cult, headed by Nine. Foulon
de Veaulx, the wife of a French banker.
Various of his novels have been trans
lated into foreign languages, and they
have all received large measure of pop
ularity in this country, being noted for
vigor and truth of presentation, as well
as for literary finish. Among his more
recent novels may be mentioned THE
Captain Of the Gray-Horse Troop" Hes
per-" and THE Light of the STAR all of
which have met with favor from the read
ing public. Mr. Garlands latest piece OF
fiction is called THE Tyranny of the
Dark" and while it is essentially love
story, it also deals with a subject n
which most persons are more deeply in
terested than they are always reacy TO
admit. 1t is concerned with certain
psychic phenomena commonly attributed
to the agency of spirits, if not altogether
dsbelieved, and, as Mr.. Garland points
out, there is comparatively little doubt
among Investigators as to the actually
of some at least of these phenomena, but
much tribulation as to how they are to
be interpreted. Mr.. Garland suggests an
Interpretation, and at the same time tells
an absorbing story with all his wonted
power and charm of narration.
Hamlin Garland was born in 1860 on a
farm near the present site of West Sa-
lem, Wis. In 1868 his family immigrated
across the Mississippi into Winneshik
county, Iowa. and a year later moved
on to the prairie of ,Iitchell county in
the same state, where Hamlin Garland
remained until he was twenty-one years
of age, living the kind O. life which he
has described in boy Life on the Prai-
rie.' After graduating from the Cedar
Valley seminary at Usage, in 1881, he,
with his brother, decided to explore the
to them unknown region of the east. The
two met in Chicago, and, moved by a
spirit of adventure and in what Mr.. Gar
land calls the 'audacity of ignorance, =
they took the train.for Boston, with only
SIS apiece. Not being familiar with Sleep
ing cars or able to afford them, they slept
In the smoking ear. on this journey. From
Boston they went to Concord and thence
to Nashua, and In that Vicinity found
work on hay farm. They next took
ship to Portland, and, crossing the White
cut valley. During this part of the jour
ney they frequently slept out of doors, and
supported themselves by doing farm
work. Tramping in New England they
found different matter from the same
manner of life in the west Work was
less easy TO secure, and people in general
more suspicious In course of time they
arrived in Springfield, and from there
went to Albany, from which point they
rode down the Hudson river to New
York. This was their first glimpse of the
metropolis. After satisfying their curl
osity there they visited Baltimore, Phil
adelphia, and Washington, Mr.. Garland's
brother subsequently went to Dakota,
but he himself settled in the middle west,
supporting himself by carpentry and
other work, and finally took to school
teaching This was Mr.. Garands first
plunge into the new environment of the
east, and his attitude at that time pre-
sents a curious reversal of the point of
view of fasteners, who look upon Me
west as the unknown region in which adj
ventures are to be sought.
Apropos of Mr.. Garlands practical ex-
perience as a carpenter it may not be
amiss to remark that he has continued
the practice of that occupation, a di
version from literary toll. He makes
no mere amateur gimcracks, but substan-
tial pieces of furniture All of the furni-
ture in Mr.. Garlands library at West
Salem. Wis, was m de by his own hand,
and 1t is of the heaviest and most dura BILE
quality, artistic i'm its simplicity and
strength. my idea of furniture" he
says, lis that It should be of the kind
that isn't afraid of what a child might do
to IT. Let it be so solid that the activity
of children could not impress it," He Is
also a practical farmer, as the following
quotation from a letter to friend, relat-