The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-19

l Durham; l., L. Page x Co.
 MT. Robert Lee Durham, young North
 Carolinian. has written a novel called
 "The Call of the South" which is bound
 to create a great deal If discussion. The i publishers of this book, Messrs. l.. C. l Page & Co. of Boston, wrote this review
 department that the book in question Is
 creating quite q stir in Washington and 1 that George H. Brennan, the theatrical | manager who produced "fhe Clansman, 1 "The Jungle,a etc, said in personal ] letter to them: It is a most daring
 story carrying the race problem to a ter
 rible though entirely logical conclusion The book will prove a sensation north
 and south" The publishers also advise all possible readers that when this book
 was submitted to a New York publisher
 who declined it, that publisher wrote Mr.
 Durham: You have written remafka-
 bly, powerful, absorbing novel. It left
 me gaspng."
 The author of "The Call of the South
 is only 9S years old He surely has a
 good southern name Both of MT. Dur
 hams grandfathers and their live sons
 followed General Lees army to it's last
 sunset In 1898 MT. Durham and hNe
 others of his immediate family answered
 the call to arms for the Spanish war. MT
 Durham is a graduate of and trustee or
 Trinity college, and the only thing that
 can here be located against him is that i when Professor Bassett of that college
 caused a foment of rancor and abuse
 rightfully deserved) unparalleled since
 the days of reconstruction by an article in which he (BassetD claimed that With the exception of General Lee, Booker Washington is the greatest man the south has produced in a century'-Mr. Durham voted as a trustee to retain Professor Bassett at Trinity. Still, that has noth- ing to do with his book, which is really a notable one.
 The plot of "The Call of the South" deals with the race problem in this coun- try. The principal theme is the danger to society from the increasing miscegena- ton of the black and white races and the encouragement it receives in the social amenities extended to negroes of distinc- tion by persons prominent in politics. philanthropy and educational endeaYor MT. Durham, a lawyer, hopes to call at tention through the reading and discus sion of his interesting book to the need of earnest work towards it's discourage ment John Hayward Graham the son of a white man and negro mother, had been sent to Harvard university, where he attained distinction not only in his books but in athletics. Graham received at Harvard just those social attentions and encouragements which the Indian princes have showered upon them in Lon don Namely, the English dine, wine and receive gladly the Indian princes, but when the question comes up of anything beyond this. the Indian princes find them- selves up against a stone wall of caste and race Hayward had not had this race question brought home to him at Harvard.
 In 19- Germany and the United States became embroiled in a kind of small war over Venezuela. At Harvard one of Hay wards best friends was Hal Lodge who lived in Cleveland, o. When the president of the United jtates called Tor volunteers to properly meet and overcome Germany for a breakage of the Monroe doctrine, Hal Lodge left Harvard to re- turn to Cleveland to join his regiment of militia. the Seventh Ohio infantry. Hay ward asked his friend Lodge to lnuorse his application for membership into the Seventh Ohio regiment, and the former goes to Cleveland expecting to be vel comed as a member of that regiment When Hayward reaches Cleveland he dls- covers for the first time what the effect of his negro blood is, for the regiment by a unanimous vote declines to accept his i application. Hayward then enlists In ] negro regular regiment of cavalry Whlle
 in Venezuela Hayward saves the life Ill i battle of Colonel Phillips of the seventh 1 Ohio Of course the small war did not last very long and Colonel Phillips re- turning as one of the numerous heroes or near-heroes of that conflict was noml- mated by the republican party for presi- dent of the United States and was elected. ! Colonel Phillips had four daughters TWO who appear in this story namely, Elise and Helen, Elise the elder and just en- tering society. Now Colonel Phillips De- fore his nomination for president was great talker about the rights socially and
 4l.I l. lips never let an opportunity pass in which he might say something to show his love for the negroes. Many of his own party believed he was talking for political effect, but all parties were very much awakened to the correct position or Colonel Phillips when a quartette of ne- gro singers stopping at Cleveland were unable to find hotel at which to stay, Colonel Phillips took them to his home and introduced them as his social equals to his wife and daughters. Even this was accepted as political buncombe by many friends of Colonel Phillips, but the latter continued to talk and show by his acts i just how much he really loved to sit and 1 dine with his black brother. Incidentally 1 all of this talk of equality of the two
 races was having great effect upon Col
 olel Phillips two daughters, especially l Helen, who was the younger and who be-
 lieved in anything proposed by her father,
 whom she adored. This false teaching, of l course, in time was to react terribly on 1 Colonel Phillips-for that is really the ] climax of "The Call of the South.". Elise l Phillips was loved by Evans Rutledge, l South Carolinian, a young newspaper
 correspondent at Washington, who took
 delight in writing diatribes against Pres
 ident Phillips negrophile policy. Rutledge
 was appointed by the governor of South 1 Carolina as senator to fill an unexpired
 term, and when one bill affecting the
 south in general and the negro in partcu- l lar came up in the Senate, Senator Rut-
 ledge made a great speech That speech,
 printed in part in "The Call of the
 South" is without a doubt the best des-
 sertation regarding tho position of the
 south towards the negro that has ever I appeared in any book To only read that 1 speech, the time is well spent on this ] book After the German war the half 1 negro Hayward returns to the negro mec- 1 ca, namely Washington, where after many
 struggles to find a position to work, he
 succeeds in getting a job as footman at
 the White House. Now Hayward had l fallen in love with Helen Phillips, the l Presidents daughter He had read and | heard speeches from President Phillips l dealing with the idea that a black man 1 was as good as a white man, and thus 1 innoculated with these false teachings it | was no wonder that Hayward looked high
 in his love affair. Just how he appealed l to Helen is admirably shown in the book. | Helen Phillips was not yet even a de- l butante in society, so Hayward, the foot ] man and riding escort, saw a great deal l of nar If iS sufficient n say that DOOr