The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-11
Literary Lights and Shadohs
BY s. MAYS BALL.

be climber" through his friendship for the two rich ones. The poor chap dis carded his sweetheart when her father failed in business and died, went to New York left his sweetheart, who had awful times of it. first in department stores in
 Chicago afterwards on the stage, while he the poor chap the real little brother
 of the rich,' by sychophancy, kept climbing and climbing until he was really in "sassiety" sure enough. The argument of the book is to show that the idle rich are absolutely the most worth less, unhappy people in the United
 States; that with nothing to do but find
 something to interest themselves, the devil is always ready to answer the tel
 ephone. That Is the argument and the
 plot hinges on the career of the poor
 young fellow who climbs socially, who
 accepts rebuffs, holds himself in, with
 one sole idea in view, namely, to arrive.
 He does arrive, just when his discarded sweetheart has already arrived by diff ferent and cleaner route, at the head or the dramatic profession. In this book are free discussions. indeed, quite free, but not objectionable, of the side-lights on
 poor working girls. of the chorus girls, of the utter disregard for the conventions in certain rich set of conditions in this country, so to speak, the presence of which all of us are aware of. if we only admit 1t, but fear to discuss.
 MT Patterson as a member of but apart from that idle rich set, writes as one of authority, and his book is really
 worthy contribution to that class of literature which is being poured out on
 us--the novel with a purpose. The book is very interesting. easy to read, will kill a lot of time, give pleasure in the reading, and if one will dig deeper down below the free discussions than will the average novel reader he will agree with
 this reviewer that such books should be read-not by evil mongers, who read such
 books only for the salacious parts, but
 by those who care for the meaty parts
 in them. "A Little Brother of the Rich" is well worth while.
 "The Immortal Moment by May Sin
 clair Doubleday, Page & Col
 This reviewer is most psrtial as re7
 gards any books from Miss Sinclair He
 goes back now, from time to time, and re-reads portions of "The Helpmate,'
 published last year, and receives new and
 double-ply pleasure every time. The
 Judgment of Eve" a free discussion of
 maternity, recently reviewed in this
 paper, Is a great book, not for everybody
 to read, of course, not for those who are looking with eyes front and back for the
 salacious portions of a book, but for the
 finished art and handling of the subject, clean and pure.
 "rhe Immortal Moment" the latest
 book from Miss Sinclair. deals with q very attractive woman, Mrs. Kitty Trail leur, who had been hardly what she should have been. Kitty visits resort, summer hotel, with her duenna, and is
 spotted immediately by the good women of the hotel. being turned down by all of the guests at the hotel with the exception of Robert Lucy and his sister Jane. Lucy was a widower with two little daughters-he is good man, little heavy-the author made him so, he had lived pure life; Kitty's kind were not open books to him, so in spite of the talk" about Kitty at the hotel Robert falls in love, real love. with Kitty, and becomes engaged to marry her. Then there appears on the scene quickly one of I<ittys gentleman friends, who decides to break up this contemplated marriage. by fair means if he cannot in any other
 way. Kitty's duenna leaves her alone
 bringing to her side quickly Robert Lucy
 and his sister in Kitty's defense. Robert Lucy's children were brought to the hotel
 to be introduced to their future mother, when 1t all comes over Kitty the supposed injustice she would be doing to both Robert and the children by marrying