New-York tribune., 1908-05-06
The Humors of Life in the Island
Of CeyIon.

rFYIyON. THE PARADISE OF ADAM. The Rec
ord @ q seven ,-e 1esTs KYe:s.denee in the Island
Illustrations sVo pp. xiv, 32s. The John Lane
Company
Mrs Corner has made an amusing book out of
her experiences in Ceylon. Dispensing with the
susi historical facts. statistics 1ecstatic de-
scspuons and so or. she gives most Of her at
,rrtion 70 the huTnOrs OF life in an island where
-stve customs are original. 20 say the least
s-a into the bargain. hold despotic SWAY
these chapters tell Us what happened 10 an
r7ciishwonsn named Cynthia who fancied that
re and her husband could run their bungalow
- suit themselves. Her husband. II is true
Knew better, but evidently he found some
s--usement u leaving Cynthia to make her own
discoveries. Even when she was warned she
--ie6 for time TO rebel against CeyIonese ira
5-5a1s with quaint results. Early in the book
re author gives This example OF the discipline
+-7osas upon her supposititIous heroine: For
| instance. t1e regions OF her home beyond the
Asrk vera16a being sacred TO the native ser
xsr-s no European foot should enter there. she
US told on Cynthia skull there was bump
-at Cf t-1-ssitiveness but OF love Of adventure
a-ro--7irclr when the servants had taken them
selves of. which they ought not 10 have done
~rrthia determined 10 indulge this character
sic. customs o. tie country notwithstanding
and she did That evening Cynthia ate no din
-s--
There Is 2 good deal about servants in this
ro,a--e- and We are not sorry. for the cooks and
o-ha- domestic functionaries Of Ceylon have
rats all their own Here is Of the authors
e-r-ies enforcing the wisdom of asking Ques-
,s7-s as To the manner in which delicious meal
& prepared = the island:
Tie cook N1adrasee and flne figure of man.
s-I-e-s sweets. vith cur-ies gaIoTe-an We're
fr7es1hable- as we're his immaculate white SUIT
Es-tl--5a- On view. Keribunda IN private was
s-ee IN him in 7rivate@aTd few, MS appearance
des deriZ5loH Is Goes , tar o5 aa stiissS
ri dishes have hi-rhalong with r1yTads OF insects
an = e--1er =. s-e Io- k az s rI1bie
= i vas TIE soup that excellent vine-lile soup
beng strained through KeTi5lnda's lon-ci0th-
TIE native character is dark enough. False
hood theft and perjury are common, and the
island 5 rank with superstition The author
slre-z5 much evaporation from the ways OF
The people about her, but she appears 10 have
cc1s1-e6 herself with the picturesqueness Of the
land L a place Of magnificent scenery. OF
strange and sometimes wild spectacles- One
s-szr-e vel sketched by Mrs. Corner is Jungle
=-a through the tsrrors Of which a gigantic
taz constructor Is shown making almost tncred-
Hz -ears toward safety There are some IN
-e-4s-f-r passages too. on the weird religious
rites # CzyIon. and IN one chapter the author
E--zs this account Of Ceyionese magic:
TIE fali- forthwith corrnenced 70 unPack The
5ea IS back The grRc2jDaI ten ten being be ge,5
--r lis right hand. while he mounted step by
step of bsuboos. AT The summit height per
-5s = yis -s-- : Balance For some reason or
---=- me f-arnevork remained perfectly steady
z-= -z-ue16cuiar. while the falr stretched him
self 0ut like spider on It's Weo A 1IterVa-s , On
ra-hoos were heavy nails. rusty. but sharp
-re point These nails distinctly penetrated
--e man mahogany colored resn EheH ne
10 remained. a hideouS wound made by each nail,
-~c7 vrfra The purple blood flowed remained
inns for the space OF ten Ellnltes OF so, eAStP1-
N for the blood Efeless figure Of clay Then.
-----ed and making movements so that the nails
re s1lEiz1eS ron ne Ho'5ss I5e 1ah15 e. la -e-
named himself alone unsupported IN mid air
Yes. there This weird creature remained. his lean
chocolate colored limbs apparently sI1H and cata-
-a---- his eyes fixed upward and glazed
wonder Al hore they would say We we're hEP-
---ze5-"
Fragments Ike the foregoing DO not make a
re-- solid book about Cey5on. and Mrs. Corner
is not indeed. 70 be taken an authority on
tn broad significance Of the island and its peo-
rl= There is atmosphere il her book however
ard s-a Is readable Z she IS nothing else A
tsz 7a1 chosen Illustrations serve to deepen the
i5zz sze gives of an enchanting country
The -a- against the tramp is Just beginning
n earnest among Anglo-Saxons- After a gen
Grafton of th0ughrless charity and equally
-hcuEh-l5ss falling Of Migrants. the people Of
america Canada and Australia are awakening
m -re fact thar these wanderers the result
r Widespread economic conditions and must be
5es- with as constituting serious national
r-1f-.-l. This country Is fortunate in having
IL f--- definite. C1refully worked out plan for
.he handling = the homeless unemployed.
Grated fv Nj Edmund Kelly. who combines
az acute legal mind with long experience in
Eu-r-e He has Just published the results Of
ms study in q small volume entitled The
E.--a-t1-l f me Tramp &C P PutnaIs Sons.
At,er showing The Importance Of the tramp
7rc1l---. l-r Kelly proceeds u demonstrate the
adElsa-.-z-v of introducing into America IN a
slightly modified form. The labor colony system
Fnlcl Holland. Belgium and Switzerland have
long been using with great success II a copy |
q -s.s brief but pointed estigati0n We're
lareC tl= hands Of every man who has ever /
gEel va grant MCKEE. the solution Of the /
tramp question would be greatly fastened The /
7asst-5-.=s Of the labor colony scheme cannot (
9s doubted after reading AIr- kelys volume I
Ihs faa- tlar his plan has been embodied in q 1
a.l presented 10 the Legislature al Albany ]
aH5s --gl=-l1-ss 70 the work
H-Eg---r 1Itflln * Co. announce that they I
aFe arranged with Mrs. Humphry Ward for a |