Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-10-18

| York: A. S. Barnes & Company.
| This story is in Mr. Days best vein,
| and will appeal to the reading public,
not merely by its happy mingling of
| humor ana pathos, but even more from
| its indisputable atmosphere of truth.
| No man mas enjoyed better opportuni-
| ties for studying, or has been more
successful in portraying the rugged
| characteristics of life in rural Maine
| than has Mr.. Day. Born, reared and
| educated in the old Pine Tree State,
| Mr.. Days long and active career as 4
newspaper man not only carried him
| into every section of it; but also afford
| ed HIM exceptional opportunities for
| familiariZing himself with its people,
| their activities and interests, their GUS
| toms and folk lore. Mr.. Day is a close
observer, and nowhere is the dizziness
and accuracy of his literary touch
more clearly shown than in the pages
of Squire Phin," which is to date, his
longest and strongest work.
The scenes and many of the charac-
| tcrS he describes will be familiar to
| many Maine people, who will not lose
| any of their admiration for the author
| because Of the fact that they recognize
some of the sources of his inspiration.
| The scene of the narrative is laid IN
| the town of Palermo not because its
| local conditions or the character OF its
people differ materially from those of
| other Maine towns; but rather because
| it may be taken as a fair type of the
| towns of our State. We suspect, too,
| that the very rhythm of its name,
which lends itself readily to the de-
| mands of our down east" dialect may
| have influenced Mr.. Day in its selec-
| ton. However that may be the gifted
author has certainly peopled it with
| number of strong, original and force
full characters. Mr.. Day was always
an artist in his ability to add the little
touches that give individuality to char
acter creations, makes them seem real
enough to be a part Of our own, every
day world. Nowhere has his power i'll
This direction been more clearly or
more strongly shown than in the pages
| of squire Phin." His characters are
rot automatons moving amid the fixed
scenes of toy theatre; they are gcnu-
inc men and women-with all the ia
miliar human attributes of our real
life They have their characteristic
loves; their hopes, their fears: their lit
tie mannerisms and eccentricities; their
good and their bad qualities. In fact
they are just plain, everyday folks
good, bad and Indifferent, such as we
may find in hundreds of similar COM
munitieS.
In "Phin" I.oOk-or esquire Phin,"
the village lawyer, Mr.. Day has given
Il M law hi
character He is also genuine. Maine
people will have no difficulty in think
ing Of number of strong men, who in
| their day have been recognized as
among the strongest lawyers of our
State; but who nave. nevertheless.
been content to live and work and die
| amid the peaceful environments of
| country villages.
Some of these doubtless occurred to
Mr.. Day in creating esquire Phin." and
still no one of them was Phneas
Look, although the Palermo lawyer
may. very likely, have combined in his
strong, original personality the best
qualities of several of them. 'Hime"
Look the Squire's brother, a retired cir
Gus manager, with a militant spirit, a
ShoWmans love of the spectacular, and
an almost infinite capacity for stirring
up mischief. is also a character so
sharply and skilfullv drawn that he
will never fail to attract attention to
| himself wherever he may be placed.
Other characters there are whose
strong qualities will not fail to i'm
press the reader of this delightful book.
Especially .happy is Mr.. Day in his
sketching and handling of the loafers
who make the village postottice they
daily rendezvous. Throughout the
narrative runs the thread of a charm
| ing little romance. To be sure the
course of true LOVE is often far from
smooth; but the patience that endures
| much and is strong ultimately reaps
| its just reward AT the beginning of
each chapter is a quotation of poetry
nearly all of them from Mr.. Days
| books-which add not 4 little to the
spiCiness and interest of the text. Mr..
Days first novel is unquestOnably one
of the marked successes of the year,
and all who have had the pleasure of
reading it, will be anxious to enjoy the
| future work from the same pen. There
| is no literary worker in Maine so well
| known to our people as Mr.. Day. and
none whose successes are a source of
| sincere qualification to 50 wide a circle
of friends.
Government Regulation of Railway
| Rates, A Study Of the Experience Of
| the United States, Germany, France,
| Austria Hungary. Russia and Aus
| tralia, by Hugo Richard Meyer, as
sistant professor Of political economy
in the University of Chicago. Cloth;
PIP. 4S6. Price, $3.50 net. New York:
| The Macmillan Company.
There is probably no man in the
| United States who has made so thor
| ough and exhaustive a study of the
| economic questions pertaining to rail-
roads as has been made by Professor
| Meyer who mas pursued his investiga-
tons, both at home and abroad, with
| interchangeable zeal. His conclusions,
| therefore, are certain to attract very
| widespread attention, especially the
discussion of the question of govern
| mental control Of rates which appears
in the present volume.