Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-08
GILBERT PARKER's

- Weavers,' already familiar to a. wide
~ circle Of readers through its serial
publication in Harper's Magazine and
now issued in book form, is perhaps the
most notable novel of the season. 1t
lacks something of the moving quality In
'The Right of Way" but it excels that
story in breadth of scope, in characteri-
zation and In the manner of its writing.
"The Weavers" is long novel peopled
with many characters, half of them in
England and half in Egypt, bpt 1t is
dominated at every moment by a single
man-David Claridge. Sir Gilbert has
drawn the character of his virile and
sweet spirited young Quaker hero with
loving care and infinite pains. From the
opening scene of his trial in the little
Quaker church at Hamley-for the double
sin of kissing and nightingale the clos
ing scene of his career as grand vizier
of Egypt. David never loses his calm
poise of his high aims. There is plenty
of iron in his blood, too, as he shows at
the outset by killing an Egyptian liber-
tine in defense of the heroine. In moral
and physical courage alike he is an ideal
hero. He demonstrates this In one STIR
ring crisis after another.
Claridge's greatest rival and enemy is
Lord Eglinton, who is high in power in
tween the two there is an ever-deepening
embittered contest. They have conflicting
claims for the same estate and title; in
international politics they are foes; and
the woman whom Claridge saved at so
great a sacrifice is the one whom Eglin-
ton loves.
The Weavers. BY Sir Gilbert Parker.
New York: Harper & Bros.
natl friend, Henry Watkin to whom
Hearn always was ''the raven" have been
collected and now are published by Bren
tano's in highly attractive guise. Hearn
had a trick of dropping into the printing
shop where Watkin was employed at any
hour OF tne DAY or night, anu OF leaving
cryptic notes for the "Old Man." signed
with the picture of a saucy or detected
raven as the case might be. These
chambers are cursed with the Curse of
Silence. And the night, which is the
shhadow of God, waneth." wrote the
young disciple of Poe on one of these
occasions. There is a good deal of inter-
est IN these notes and in the letters
which later Hearn wrote to Mr. WatlSin
from Memphis and New Orleans. They
show his early wanderlust: MY heart"
he says, always feels like a bird, flut-
tering impatiently for the migrating sea-
son.
Even more remarkable than the Wat
kin letters is a group of notes written In
Cincinnati to an inconnue. Hearn, at this
time in his twenty-sixth year. was re-
porter on Murat Halstead's Commercial;
the lady whose name is not revealed, was
apparently of some social position. Evi-
IDENTIFY she became fascinated by the
exotic young writer and sought his con-
fidence, If not a rather highly colored
platonic friendship. Her letters are lost,
but Hearn's, which she returned to the
writer were given by him to Mr.. Wat
kins with the command to do with them
as he thought best. They do not lend
themselves easily to quotation, but they
give glimpses into a curious relationship.
Letters from the Raven. BY Lafcadio
Hearn. New York: Brentano's.
In "Nicolete, Evelyn Sharp has ere
ated really original heroine, and in
order that the reader may more fully
understand this splendid girl, whose per-
sonality briEhtens tho pages, she has be-
gun the story with her childhood, dwell
ing upon the charming though haphazard
existence OF her talented parents. the
large family of boys and girls who helped
to create a domestic atmosphere of per-
feet liberty and love, unfolding their
characters through their daily conver-
sation made up of graceful banter and
ht philo ,phizing.
duct of the different forces that con-
tributed to her hldhood-original, fear
less, unashamed of the wealth of love for
humanity that fills her heart-and then
the love for man comes Two contend
for this wonderful woman: one has
money and the other has not; the one
has influence and the other is an idealist,
man with thoughts so high that 1t
might almost be said of him that every
mans hand was against him." This is
the man Nicolete loved and of whom she
said: why. [ think failures are the salt
of the earth; they are the only people
who have dared to aim high. / think
success means that you have not aimed
high enough"
Nicolete, by Evelyn Sharp. New York:
Brentano's.
christmas Tyde' is a sessonable
volume issued In the best Paul Elder
style. Few publications today output
such artistic books as this house, and no
adjective, better than the firm name it
self, conveys an idea of their merit. In
christmas Tyde" are presented all the
joys. traditions and customs of the holi-
days from Christmas eve, through the