Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-20

except where he tactfully dwells on
his own lapse from Calvinism-a lapse,
by the way, which we fancy is not so
absolute as he seems to imagine.
The nineteenth century voices its de-
spairing cry before the closing doors
of dogma in these essays-a cry which
is not without its note of Wlsttul won
der at the glories of which its self-de-
creed exile has bereft it. l say the
nineteenth century. because the first
decade of it's successor has already
heralded the dawn of a renaissance of
that mystical imagination whose sup
posed death Mr.. More laments. The
newer symboists speak weird and
cryptic language, but 1 suspect it may
yet be interpreted in the stately ca
dences of the elder tradition.
Paul Elmer More. New York: Put
MANS. w. Ii. b.
Charles Ram Kennedy, author Of
THE Servant in the House," and Will
liam Dana circuit, author of The
Spell" were represented in choice OF
dramatic literature to be read in re-
cent recital in Boston, Mr.. Kennedy
THE Winterfeast" and Mr.. Orcutt's
THE Flower of Destiny" being the
works chosen. THE Flower of Des-
tiny" is recalled as the novel in which
the Empress Eugene appears as
character. While in Paris shortly after
the book appeared Mr. circuit went TO
fulfill luncheon engagement with the
Comte Primoli, nephew of the empress
who had called upon the author at his
hotel. Upon arriving at the comte
home Mr.. circuit found that Flower
of Destiny" luncheon had been arranged
in his honor at which all literary Paris
were the guests. The comte proposed
the toast to the book, which he said the
empress had read with the liveliest in
terest, and which he himself considered
the truest portrayal of her character
yet written in fact or fiction.
Edwin Balmer. whose stirring story,
"Waylaid by Wireless" has just been
published by Small, Maynard & Co, is
one of the brightest of the younger
school of Chicago writer's. He was born
in the Windy city in 1888, is a graduate
of Northwestern University in the class
of 1902, took year of graduate study
at Harvard, and then went on the stair
of the Chicago Tribune. For a time he
was associated with Graham Taylor in
publishing the Commons, which was
afterward merged with the magazine
Charities of New York. Having story
accepted in Golfers great prize compe-
ton, Mr.. Balmer got his start as
writer of fiction. Since then he has
Travelled rather extensively in Europe
and the orient, and has all the time
kept up his output of stories, dealing
largely with the application of wire
less telegraphy to everyday affairs.
One of these stories he recently elabor-
ated into the successful wireless"
scene in the play Via Wireless"
Norah Davis, the young southern au-
thor whose novel, "Wallace Rhodes,
the Harpers published recently merely
shares the fate of many young writers
in being referred to by highly enthu-
siastic newspaper critics as a genius
When Miss Davis hears it she smiles
the smile of some one too level-headed
to be anything but amused, and says
simply: "There is no genius but work.
1t is the power to nail yourself to your
desk, hour after hour day after day,
week after week; to think one thought
to the end, to shut the door upon the
world and give all up but work that
produces the book in the end. Even
with the greatest writer's this is what
accomplishes it, not a burst of genius"
Albeit a modest man, Winthrop
Packard, author of "Wild Pastures
the volume of delightful essays on nat
ural history subjects which Messrs.
Small, Maynard & Co. have just pub
lished is one of the few to enjoy dis
tinction of having had a species of gall
named after him. Naturalists hence
forth must recognize the Sackynomia
Packard, one of the species that infest
willows. The authors discovery of this
new kind was accidental, as such dis
coveries often are. A reference to the
growing habits of gals contained in