The San Francisco call., 1908-09-13
A Little Brother of The Rich"
By Joseph Medill Patterson. =
RalLlr a Hrirron- Ilicago. u

By Joseph Medill Patterson Published hy
Reilly & Britton, Chicago. Price. Sloo-
L is a strong. crude and overdrawn
picture OF contemporary life in the
fast. rich set that Joseph Mectn Pat
terson holds up in his novel "A LIT
tie Brother Of the Rich" The same
thing was done infinitely better by
David Graham Phillips in his recent
"Old Wives for New. The clnerehce
is that PattersOn's is the prentice ana
Phillips the practieed hand' also
that Patterson's purpose was TO reveal
the idle rich to themselves and 10 his
fellow socialists. while Phillips pur-
pose was to make and sell novel
Patterson is a millionaire. free to play
al socialism or at novel writing, OF
whatever pleases him: Phillips, presum-
lbly. writes To live.
And Yet the young millionaire So
cialist-he is 30--shOws a taking Nlr-
fIitv and earnestncss in his first novel
What he lacks Is craftsmanship HIS
very earnestness is against him IN
literary way. Too much of his tale is
.old with the loud pedal pressed down
lard When he forgets to shout, when
ne ceases TO sermOniZe and merely de-
picts. he is almost the novelist
Patterson is well qualified by eX-
perience TO search out in type the fol-
lies and the sins of latterday American
dollarocracy. lie was born to ricnes
and the chance OF power. But cay
he tired of the things which make
the goal Of most mems ambitions
and threw away the editorial con-
trol Of one Of the country's greatest
and richest newspapers 10 cast in his
lot with what are known as the par
lor socialists" As coWpuncher, col
Iegian. society man, war correspondent
and editor he had at least seen enough
Of life TO know what was the mat
ter with some phases of It. Now
doubtless. he is learning what weary
job il is to fix up things for people
who are. generally speaking. pretty
well content with things as they are.
One may imagine that Patterson's
novel was. consciously or UNCONSCIOUS
". inspired by Upton Sinclair's success
d'estirne. The Jungle, which old more
IN single. slashing stroke TO correct
the CRYING evils Of 'Packingtown" than
had been accomplished in years of
speech making. newspaper articles and
half hearted legislation. Patterson had
2 brief whirl at official reforming as
commissioner of public works in Chi
csgo-and the law defying public serv-
ice corporations did not suffer much
from all his valiant fighting Then he
came out boldly as a socialist editor
and lecturer. with what results may be
guessed from the fact that apparently
he has now chosen Sinclair's weapon,
the novel, as his instrument Of regen-
Grafton.
Almost everybody in "A Little Broth
er Of the Rich" is. bad-unspeakaoly
bad. The exceptions among the prin-
cfpals are two actresses-and one of
them lives with and bears children by
q rich man who already has a wife,
while the other is ready. for loves
sake and loneliness, to become the mis-
tress OF the man who has Tilted her
and has a wife The men and the
women are on one plane Of rottenness.
The life they lead is a dreary comedy
Of vulgar intrigue. sordid dishonor,
gross indulgence. And they like IT.
There is no light in the east of this
picture The Little Brother" Paul
Potter. is an Indiana lad, seen first in
his home town on vacation from Yale
the authors college, 'Hermes In
fannels," as he is described by Sylvia
Castle. the girl he is TO marry. he
promises her banker father TO refuse
the offers Of his multimillionaire college
mates TO give him career in New
York That is the condition of the
fathers consent TO the marriage. Paul
sees rustic Sylvia in contrast against
the urban modishness Of the New York
wOmenkind hidden 10 Yale for the
--Pronenade" The engagement is
broken. Sylvia's father dies, ruined
anG an exposed hypocrite. She sur
wives the pitfalls and horrors OF a Chi
cago department store and takes to the
stagc-ultimately TO win success. Paul
goes TO New York, the protege of his
rich college friends. The portrayal of
Sylvia's shop and stage struggles and
OF Psurs swirling in the money mael-
st~om is equally savage and relentless
Here il a characteristic touch-the
outburst OF a chorus girl to Potter and
some of his associates:
Well. it's you ard other men that
make girls wear tights. Girls don't
wear them FOR the run of il, but be-
cause you men pay them TO. And
they've cot 10 have money to live
on You pay a girl So to stand up
all day end sell goods, and SIS a
week - wear tights Let me tell
you one thing Mr. Man, IL l had
TO 50 Il over again I'm ID IL
I'd ever 20 to storS work at all
I'd light out straight for the stage
You pay us three times much for
showing our legs as for selling
yoar wives hardware
Paul marrles one OF the women whose
clothes and manners broke his en-
ga9ement with Sylvia, marrics her
after her husband has caught them to-
scther in her own house and has ci-
vorccd her Ane Paul knew when he
married MuricI that her husband might
have cast her out before. There had
been many PauIB before he came
There were other Pauls afterward.
Finally she is xiIled-train and auto
<nobiIe-in the clandestine company of
her husbands friend.
Meanwhile Paul meets Sylvia He is
rich and she is famous. Old love melts