The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-02
Glas. thoroughly pure and wholeson,e in tone. /
THE ANCIENT Law. BY Ellen Glas-
gov. Doubleday, Page & CO., Of

The appearance OF Miss Glasgow's
new book is accounted an event OF
Importance in the world OF letters.
The scene Of the story Is laid u, II
called by the author Tnppahannock
and Botetourt, though the book To-
caities are not of course Identical
with these points as Virginia people
know them and each reader must make
an individual localization.
The story deals with a man-Daniel
fordway--born in Virginia to an In
herltance OF social position, culture
and wealth. Educated at Harvard.
married to beautiful woman Of 9f, his
MAN. he was at first phenomenally
succession in New York City. Than
swept into the current of Wall Street
speculation. he yielded to temptation
and gambleh away trust funds. He
was arrested. convicted and imprison-
cd and spent five years in expinting
his offense against the law and his
fellowman. At the end Of his first
written him that she had gone with her
two children to Daniel Ordway's faith
err in Virginia, and that the old man
had consented to provide for her and
them only on condition that she should
separate herself entirely from her hus-
band.
The first chapter OF she book takes
IN Daniel ordwav Just after his dis
H.,
back to his native state and to Tap
rahannock. the man and the place
being equally unknown the one to
the other. Here he enters upon new
the fair foundation OF his future and
its promise. But in the prison he had
learned lesson. Slowly and laborious-
~. with many hcartaches and many
failures he began to upbuild again.
spending himself as he builded, in the
service of humanity,
His fathers death recalled him from
.Tappahannock to his old home at Bote-
tourt and to duties and RESPONSE
bilities there. Out of these came much
the end he wins through to peace. and
In doing so -ealizes that in the hour
of his greatest need st was neither
religion nor philosophy, but !, the !, out !,
HE saw himself at the last. not
living quietly in Tappahannock. as
he was importuned to do. but still
STRUGGLING. ,still fighting. still falling,
TO rise and go on again. HIS mes
sage was not to be uttered for Tap
pahannock alone, but for all places
where there were men and women
working and suffering and going into
prison and coming out"
The book is intensely human IN the
appeal 1t makes and intensely inter-
esting in its character types and color.
Miss Glasgow has written of men and
women that are real and not ideal.
broadest and highest which the mind
can grasp and take home to the heart.
DIR. ELLEN. BY Juliet wilbor
Tompklns. The Baker-Taylor Com
rany. of New York. publishers.
This is the story of two sisters with
the California Sierras for an environ
ment.
The eldest OF the two sisters; Mrs.
Ellen Roderick. has, some years before
the story opens. lost her husband and
after him her week-old baby. AS soon
as she could pick up the thread of
her life again she studied medicine
and was attaining success as practi,
everything and went off to the Cali
fornia S,erras. taking her younger
sister. Ruth Chantry. with her.
When the book opens. life in the
and Mrs. Roderick. called universally
5ly the mountain people. "Dr. Ellen"
had settled down cortentedly to her
practice among them. Her sister
gaiety, feels herself deprived of the
things she most desires in life, and
feels CDR Ellen" to be tyrannical in
continuing to keep her in the noun
tains.
A short trip she makes to San Rafael.
where a tennis tournament is going
on, makes her acquainted with Philip
Amsden. an architect from San Fran
cisco.
Afterward Amsden joins party OF
Ruths friends and comes to the Sierras
to spend a summer holiday The re-
suit of it all is that Amsden, who is
at first inclined to fall in love with
Ruth. learns to admire instead the
strength and steadfastness of Or.
Ellen" and her success in overcoming
the ignorance and superstition of the
mountaineers.
1t develops THAT Cdr. Ellen's" exile
has heen"the ruse used by her to cure
her sister of incipient lung trouble.
She has preferred to let Ruth think
her tyrlnnical rather than let her
know the truth. But Ruth runs away
for visit of several days while CDR.
Ellen" Is attending the sick, and, as
the result of overeNertion. she has
slight hemorrhage. a doctor is called
in and she learns the truth and under
stands ..Dr. Ellen" as she has never
done before.
Then she goes off to Arizona to
spend the winter there and gets quite
and "Dr. ellen" get married.
: The book is very well written and