The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

| months ago exactly what ne tells us I'm
| der assumed names and dates, and what
| the newspapers Used in their columns
| as facts. So that the criticism Of Nc.
| Sinclair is anything but just. We all
| know, because we read of 1t every day,
| that money is everything in New York
| Society. We read of bargains and
| sales, called marriages up there. of tho
outrageous life led by some (of course
| not all) New Workers so that now when
| the press of New York critlcizes Mr.. Sim
| clair for writing about exactly the same
| things that have already been exploited
| In the press, their structures upon this
| author for that part of his book will not
| hold good. The book is interesting 1t
| will be read and discussed 1t is not
society as did 1.-THE Jungle in packing
| houses.
| The weight of Mr.. Sinclair's argument
has been lightened simply because he IS
| only repeating N fiction form what we all
know has happened in New York. Wheth-
| err such books do any good or whether
| they should be written at all, is another
| question. In discussing a book as to the
question of fact" the only way to judge
it and the author is to consioer if the
characters in that book If in real life,
would do and say the things the author
says they would or did. That is the only
question of fact and on this basis,
| Judging by daily newspaper reports, Mr..
Sinclair has written truthfully. 1t may
be as some New York papers have said
o "rehash" of newspaper stories May
be 1t is, that does not weaken, 1t strength
ems Mr.. Sinclairs position. The book will
OF leave a pleasant taste in ones mouth
or mind after perusal, but the facts in
fiction shape given will not shock one.
because we have read of Rector's, the
Waldorff-Astoria, Georgian Court and
nj n
where money and only money counts
Some of us have been up there and have
seen some things that Mr.. Sinclair truth
fully describes. This reviewer can tes-
tify to the truthfulness of some of his
pictures. The book is really so true to
life that even reading portions wherin
Mr. Sinclair uses psudonymns, we rec
ognize people we have read about in the
press. Hartman, James Hazen Hyde;
the little drunken kid Vanderbilt boy
who was mixed up with the gambling
place in New York raided by Jerome,
and so on. In TACT person familiar with
the doings in the press of New York s
'sassiety' will recognize practically every
person described in the book from Mr..
Astor down to Harry Lehr. OF course
Allan Montague, being southern gentle
man, gets tired and sick of this business,
leaves 1t and as he puts 1T, 81 am going to
find some decent and simple place to live
in and l am going down town and find
| cut if there isn't some way in New York
for a man to earn an honest living"
which he does and 1.-THE Metropolis
Gle SEES. The book is no great achieve
rent, but it is no doubt true to the basis
| upon what Mr.. Sinclair writes, the New
York reviewing press to the contrary not
outstanding.
| The Soceress of Rome, by Nathan CALI
| zier. IA e. Page 81 Coz
A thrilling story with scenes laid way
| back in the tenth century is THE
| Sorceress of Rome" There are necessar-
| lily great many narrowing incidents
| in the book, from the fact of the period
I, OF time in which the scenes are laid Mr..
| Gallizier writes with graphic delineatioa
! OF scenes and character and to a great
| extent he makes his people alive and
| the pictures probable Going as far back
| as 900 years in history or even in writ
| ing a so-called historical novel, 1t is d
great feat to make his readers feel that
what he is describing did happen or could
have done so, under certain conditions,
There Is slight basis in history for the
plot. Not too much to hurt but quito
enough. The story deals with Rome and
her people when oppressed by German
rule at the head of which was young
Emperor Otto, and of some of the pa
tliotic noblemen and women who attempt
ed in many different ways to free them
selves, but without any success what
ever "Crescientius," senator of Rome,
had a beautiful wife and when he saw
all plans for Rome's freedom fail, he pro-
| POSED to his wife (Which proposition
was unwillingly accepted) that she should
fascnate the young Otto. The wife be-
san her work and, according to the book,
she did it most successfully. OF course
Otto was fascinated and fell quickly in
love. Then unfortunately the wife of
Crescentius fell in love with Otto, too,
and there was lot of trouble as every
che can readily see.
But the ''soceress'' was a good woman.
far be it from her to overstep any
bounds, she chung true to her husband
and Otto nd not care for that condition
OF affairs at all. When Crescentius was
Filled in a fight in his castle, everything
looked suspicious for a contamination OF
this love dream, which novelists tell us
(and we know already never does rul
s.noothly. But "You never can tell as Mr..
Bernard Shaw insists upon telling us,
so that when Otto ana the 'soceress'
are about to realize their happiness,
death steps in as he sometimes does and
stopped the game.
The pictures of life seem to be very
real. We readers have to accept Mr..
Gallizier's statements for truth or near
truth and leaving out the terrible lifs
winch those people uVeu IN tnOSe times,
enc can find pleasure in a perusal of
1.-The Soceress of Rome" II he will LOOK
for it. One can do that in almost any
book. The question Is what good Is eff
fected by writing such books of fiction
dealing with the licentious past? We
have present that keeps all of US
mighty busy keeping on the straight and
narrow pathway, and when we do not
know, in fact have grave doubts that Mr..
Gallizier is writing any history at all,
taen in the langt. ye of the street
whats the user The book is hand
scmely produced by the publishers with
beautiful illustrations.
The Country House, by John Gals
worthy. e. P. Putnams Sons)
Here is a novel that gives a reviewer
real pleasure to recommend. An honest
reviewer does not have that pleasure
often. 1.-THE Country House was pub
lshed few months ago; 1t is not exactly
new book, but the idea OF this review
Is to bring to its readers attention tho
recent good books at the same time
speaking few words on the subject OF
the tommy-rot to be avoided.
1.-The Country House is pleasing
specimen of latter day novels, showing
the difference in treatment employed IN
the delineation of character and person.
atty by the American and English writ
crs. AS general rule in our American
novels the des criptions of scenes and
PEOPLE are usually injured by terrible
lot Of unnecessary verbosity. On the
other hand the English writer as rule
permits his reader to know his people
H. n