The San Francisco call., 1909-10-31
'sThe Socialist

AtAA GONsuht0e
BY Guy Thorne, author of ''When IT Was
Dark etc. Published by G. F. Putnam's
Sons, New York and London. Price sl.35
Guy Thorne. the English writer of
socialistic novels, offers another one
which is by far the most melodramatie
piece of work he has done. 1t is
novel which will create more interest
in England, where the lines between
the classes are so sharply drawn, than
in democratic America. The novel is
remarkably we'll told story of social
ism and one which will powerfully af-
feet the emotional reader. James
Fabian Rose is the great socialist
leader and in the authors description
of him it is easy TO see George Ber-
nard Shaw:
James Fabian Rose was one of the
most noteworthy personalities of tho
day. He filled an immense place in
the public eye, and it was almost im-
possible to open a newspaper without
finding a paragraph or two about him
on any given day. He was so well
known that his whole name was sell
dom or never given in headlines. He
was simply referred to as j. f. r.
and every one knew at once who was
referred to.
His activities were enormous. and
the three chief ones were socialist
leader, dFamatist and novelist. His
socialistic lectures were always
thronged by all classes of society. His
problem plays-iR which he always en-
-deavored to ineuleate one or another
of his odd but fervent beliefs-were
huge successes with cultured people.
His novels were only read by literary
people, and then merely for their
cleyerness
''When he referred to his own novels.
which he often did, he always rated
them high above Balzac, Dickens.
Thackeray and Sir Walter Scott.
When he spoke in public of his plays
no infrequent oeeurrence-it was gen
orally with a word of pity for Shakes
peare
Beneath all his extravaganza and
pose-and their name was legion-his
whole life and earnestness We're de-
voted to the cause in which he believed.
One of the most unconventional, and at
the same time one of the most promi-
nent men of his day, he had two real
passions, One was to shock the obese
Drained of this world, the other to do
all he could to leave the world better
than he found it,
The hero of this novel is the earl of
Paddington. typical aristoerat of tre-
mendous wealth. During long minor
ity his property values have increased
until he is the richest peer of the
realm. He himself, a young man of
rs, is entirely ignorant of business and
knows nothing of his property. On
his way up to Londen one night he
is injured in a. railway accident and
after being robbed. is abducted and
held for ransom, At the same time a
party of people under the leadership
Of James Fabian Rose are making a
tour OF the slums in order to get local
color for new socialist play which
Rose has just written. He has chosen
a beautiful and unknown young ac-
tress for the principal part, but wishes
her to see the awful depravity of Lon
don sIum life so that she can appre-
ciate her work more fully. During the
expedition they encounter one of the
criminals who is concerned in the alb
duction and are enabled to rescue the
duke He is taken hame TO the house
of ]. Il. r., whose wife and Miss Mary
Marriott the actress, nurse him back
to life. When they discover his iden-
tity they are Mortified, for the duke
Of Paddington is the very person used
by Rose as a model of all the vices
in his new play. The acquaintance be-
gun so rema rka bly,, ripens, and the
duke is ready and willing pupil for
the teachings of socialism.
The various character studies in the
book are carefully drawn. and very
vital and human. One in particular, the
Lady Constance Gamborne, proves her
self truly the daughter of an hundred
earls, by the noble way she releases
the duke from his gagement.
The dukes conversion is skiilfully
worked out and the narrative which
follows. reciting his disappointment
and his loneliness is finely conceived.
The writing. is poor and shows lack
of spractice-in places one might call
it even amateurish in style. But the
author has ideas and though some of
his arguments for socialism are very
faulty, the book makes excellent and
int mo