The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-18

u BlDy)I \
I.EFIRE"y'I|ENl|
DELAY tlie retired lives b tho two Misses
Smith; ana tlle8nrrivuls of tho&N New york
IlaWyer5upo tlia scene Involves him still
further iii the Acknowledgements or he
|Econfl1sed threads S n Sf II a
VI Tho story is we'll managed and honest
Fly worksd lnut1ald 1T Isl snfe5 To stlyS tlat
| tho donoueincnt will come us " coinpletal
surprise Ito, most e renders ~ AS vs. to the
identity or the remnrtableS gctitlonnn WHO
arrived on 1senr5 fountain thu night
when II he secret a L las oanle out tvo
think 1t Would take a pretty clever III.
erary detective tosinuke On accurate q con-
lecture. Yet, tho solution which lie mud
vcrtently8brougl With him. seems tobc
tho only one r that would have ,leftg2us
quite satisfied. Nv Ono or two points may
bens trifle sfadowy aud 5unconvlncng.$b but
{thcre are but ono or Two, and we are
more sthnnafwllllng 10 overlook & these in
the pleasure Of perusngs ati unusually good
story. vs. ii; 81 & az TX ~ s5s " "
3It shas, of course, ilot, baen through nero
carclessness that our references to 81 he
plot or this book have been va quo and
Indirect. or the pleasure OF. following ii,
step by step.a under the authors care
full 55,hundllng, we have no Intention of
deprlylng tho reader. We are not going
togwork to rob him OF what wo have found
y highly losslng bdslness,S3 Most books
Of mystery, 81 murder or crime re W for
their YclalmSto the readers attention upon
|therFpot interest solcly \, ME style'5in
books 8ofS this sort usually ranges from
bad to worse. The Summit I1ouso VS.
terry Iii addition Its absorbing story,
|, has tho added merit Of being told in mn
agreeable way. The writing Is good, tho
characterlzntion is slsillful, <and there arc
some descriptive pussa ges ID y or glnnlity
and beauty. Thus on 4 many scores, III the
book is to be pleasantly commended {. r.
E'rlio publishers were wise, we think, to
tory, under which the book was publish
ed in Eng land. is 81 81! II
TIIE SECRET WOMAN. ,$13 Y Eden Phil,
potts " 3S5 PIP. $3.50. III Tho Macmillan;
Company, N CIV Y or " NJ
Mr. Phillpotts' $ new book is out OF the
heart OF Devon, and Into ! III the author.
has inspired a. good II deal 5$of II he wild
5grimncss, almost SAW gerry f the Devon.
Shire Landscape, i us d book OF elemental
passions, ofSptllnnl forces oEnaturc, with.
thing hut pleasant. "a wlfe's murder Of
her husband, # because Sof his Illicit love
which she suddenly discovers, b provides
the central idea ind from this unsweet;
and not agreeable beginning. the finer
Sramncat!ons OF the plo tsrun off In similar
kind. naturally taking II their lent moro
r5less from he parent stem. Nrhetherasl
story may not be powerful, x even elernen-i
tai, without the Introduction OF sunbridlcd
sloye,$is a question which many OF us
would BIZ inclined to settle inAthe afflrma-
tive and a { appears to DO regrettable
that MI. Phillpotts turned his lnfge and
apparently expanding talents q q i a Sub
&jecti which must place This book on the
taboo list Inappropriate for indIscrimi-s8
nate 1circu1a tom
$5 Closing the eye to this consideration
However, one is not LETT blind To- the fact
that this book istn renla rkable one The
Very opening on the
3readerSthe fact thai Mr.. Phillpotts Is al
5skilfuly hand Ter OF Eng fish and the master
Fof az notable style. V IN descript on lie
as, perhaps sat his best into one brief
4 sentence, by an unerring sense OF ~ rds,,S
alle will concentrate half a page OF an-3
other nlan,s loosen writing .a;s tho dwell
i Ing house on Watc hett FL for examp le,.
lie says Plain 'tar-pitched and Stat ed,s
1T huddled ION the great slope, u blot
against the cleaning furzesS that ripplel
to Its side'-and & the Jyestway 4. House
at ce rises to our vi w,5 IS In a photo
graph. &As an analyst.of character, Mr..
sPhillpotts shows himself both subtle
and profound. The people OF The Secret
Woman" however little attractive. arc
people of flesh and blood q Of minds and
real emotions. Ann Redvcrs, the self
widowed wife, with her intlexiDie$ charnc-t
ter and stole view Of atonement, Is o.
vivid creat1 ion; and so arc AIMS two
sons both Unusual. yet each in his. own
3ture,s too, wonderfully described and liy--s
ing, runs through these pa gess almost In
the way OF another and greater person.
age, 3overshadowing and actuating tho
motives Of all the rest s5sI 81
title Secret Woman, = In short, how
ever little to be liked as "a pleasant story,
is a noteworthy piece of work, Quite
removed FROM the prescnt-day torrent Of
smachine-madel fiction, t<catches the true
note ana the real spirit Of life, and 1t
succeeds in adding 2iconfirmationsto tho
CRITICALLY opinion that Its author bnlongs;
in ltlle9 small rank or modern writer's
entitled to really seri GUS consldcrntl tom
TIrB WONDERS or. II TNF BY Ernst
3,la8 Haeckel 1855 PIP. IIa rper and Broth
ers. N ow York. Y Bell Book and Station
cry Company r Richmond
Professor IIaeckel's earlier book, The
Riddle Of the Universe. y met with "a wlde-&
spread popularity, distinctly untsuaa I'M
a work Of authoritative science, TheB
present volume Is In q sense Supplement-
tary to that, II takes up IN detail many
biological Questions, which the scope Of
tho FORMER work made It Impossible to
do more than toucl, upon. 3 In describing
the work as a stud 3 Of biological phlo's:-
ophy, tho publishers give an accurate
idea OF It's intent, though their ton
to tho quail wing nc lee I've app
Snears to us to be soineW.ka too much In
tho nature Of; a delicate tlnttery to the
average comprehension Of tho public. "A
good deal OF this book Is not what We
Should call exactly easy reading. AXE
vNft~ nth, 40, ytv1,