The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-08

1.-THE Firing Line" by Robert w. Cham
bers. Cd. Appleton & Coz
Everybody Is reading, has read or will
read THE Firing Line" of course. IT
seems to be the proper thing, like having
your appendix removed, to read and talk
about Mr.. Chambers book, to insure ones
position in society or "sassiety," would
be the better term for 1t.
There are many better books, more in
teresting books, even more thrilling than
the latest production of Mr.. Chambers,
but the fact remains that to be consid-
cred well read, In up-to-date literary life,
one must, simply must know the latest
hero, heroine and villain perpetrated by
Mr.. Chambers.
Some years ago in his personal---very.
stories Mr.. Chambers did the best work
he has ever done, but those books, like
Cardigan and others, the reader will
recall, didn't sell like the proverbial hot
cakes, and as Mr.. Chambers is far from
stupid, he wants to make money he
knows that in 1.-The Fighting Chance" and
1.-THE Firing Line he has found the type
of story that will SELL
Mr.. Chambers can do so much better
than either of the last two novelettes. The
last named one is rather demoralizing and
unwholesome. With Mr. Chambers lat
ter-day usual love story theme, his peo-
pie, the 'buzzard" conventional society
people of New York, his insinuations and
vile construction put on even the simplest
remarks show what vulgar and vile minds
his characters must possess. Not a soul
in 1.-THE Firing Line seems to be inately
pure. Even the heroine is troubled by
such evil thoughts that she is continually
afraid of herself and others She harps
upon the necessity of being conventional
of how wrong it is to let any man caress
her or make love to her, of the dangers
of being alone with man--yet she was
always willing to and did wander off with
her lover In the dead of .night--if no one
happened to be looking Then these two
lovers wonder and wonder how devilishly
wicked they are, and all that sort of
thing, and Mr.. Chambers then proceeds
to push them up as close to the cliff as
he dares. Then too. Mr. Chambers starts
out with villain whom we can see the
author should continue to treat as a viii
lain, but he simply would not, for he
turned out to be really the hero of the
story.
In THE Firing Line" as in 1.-THE Fight
ing Chance the reader, if he is careful
will note pointedly that the impression
made by both books is that the author end
ed them entirely differently from what he
must have intended when he began them
He seems to have been writing copy
for the next issue; something would sug-
gest itself to him, and the change, a de-
cided change In some cases, would be
made. Neither in 1.-The Fighting Chance
or In THE Firing Line does the end
Justify the means and 1t is not art which
caused the change either; 1t must have
been something else.
Oh! but what's the use People will go
on popularzing Mr.. Chambers books; to
have read them will still constitute an
entrance.
But If Mr. Chambers would really get
back into his forte, where he belongs.
letting the "buzzards'' of sassiety alone
and write books, real books, which he
can do, that will delight, and at the same
time uplift, he will be doing a great
thing for his own reputation as well ns
for literature, to which he has contributed
nothing since he began study of Society,"
with that capital IS"