The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-06-23


fictitious names. are at a decided dis
advantage. since they could hardl,
sue Tor libel and yet suffer quite M
much as though they were pillOries
IN the columns OF some newspaper.
! Worse still. the author can add 4
their real achievements or misdeed.
Such imaginary ones as are calculated
10 help to enhance the interest Of his
plot. while the reader is left power
less 10 dtnerentiate between the things
the character actually did and those
he Is made to do merely by the fancy
or the story writer.
Too Big for Fiction.
SO far as the State debt question
| a huge economic problems con-
cerned, II assuredly is not a good
theme for novel, as this subject is
tar too ramified to admit Of elucfda =
ton through the medium OF a single
volume OF fiction. Miss Hancock. in
! her life OF John r. Massey, has fur
ntshed fine book on this subject.
and the fascinating "Reminiscences"
OF LAWYER William L. Royal throw
additional light on II. But neither
work is novel, and In their very ma
ture they could not be.
With all his reading-and one must
concede that Mr.. Neale has done a
good deal for young man-the au-
thor lacks perspective. and there are
pages in THE Betrayal" which give
one an erroneous idea of Virginia his
tory.
All the way through the volume the
reader Is told that there are three
distinct classes in the social system of
| Virginia.
In the introduction occurs these
words:
las in England, three classes made
up the social systematic aristocracy.
the yeomanry and the peasantry-
and since the common law of Eng
land that defines and regulates the
| classes, is still the law of Virginia
| gentleman, yeoman and peasant each
| holds his rank, by virtue of that law
now, and has held his rank by virtue
settled
No Use for the Common People.
Isn't that putting it pretty strongly
and making the situation a somewhat
hopeless proposition for US common
/ people? And after all, don't most
of US down here know that an im-
| menSe deal Of rot has been written
/ about the so-called aristocracy Of Vfr-
ginia? But granting that the "F. T.
" does stalk abroad in the land,
isn't 1T true, at the worst, that social
distinctions usually are made by a
twilight line in no way suggestive Of
the Chinese wall Of caste?
we hope so, at any rate. though
II looks to US as if Mr.. NeaIe fondIy
cherishes the other view. and has but
Wn1IR
folks" and plain persons.
II his ideas prevailed they certainly
wouldn't get very Tar.
Maybe the day will come when he
will be ashamed of this utterance:
When the books of nation are
written by peasants and read bv gen
tlemen as well as by peasants that
! nation is doomed"
one should make allowance for MT.
Neale's tendency to overdraw all his
characters and particularly his negro
politicians. but Virginia people will
vince when they see some of his
characters calling the black folk
'coons."
This word. as we recollect. was not
coined until long after the days of
! Mahoneism, and it came to US
through the vaudeville stage along
with cakewalks and ragtime music.
| In all probability il is a creation of
! Yankee wit, and il has never had a
strong hold on the speech of the Old
| Dominion.
1t may be a matter of taste and
nothing more, but somehow we do not
| like the authors use Of the adjective
| 'Nirginian." For our part we prefer
| the expression Virginia gentleman
| TO "Nirginian gentleman" and certain
| ~ II is the former that we most hear
This thing of bookmaking is a far
harder task than most people fancy.
! and Mr. Neale, president though he is
OF house which has turned out some
splendid Southern works. has much
| TO learn about il yet.
Far be il from our purpose. how
/ ever. TO say that he cannot learn.
| Maybe this very volume. The Be
| trayal' CATER he has read the criti-
cisms of IT'D will prove his most val
| liable lesson.
| come from his disregard of the rules
| regulating the structure of books. or
such as naturally result from a dispo-
| Sition TO give full rein TO his ideas
/ one cannot go unbridled through life
be he author, politician, business man
or professional celebrity. There is
blue pencil for US all, and though il
hurts worse than a lancet, il Outlines
eneSts far more good.
The Betrayal" ought to have been
edited with a scythe and a whitewash
brush. And yet, odd though il seems
man Neale, and believe the day will
come when he will make good with his
pen Just as he has done with his print
me presses. There's touch of vigor.
SELF confidence and aggresSiveness
about him that prove his magnetism.
Mr. Neale was born in Virginia in
Is 80. His people, paternai and mater
nal, have been prominent socially and
politically in Virginia since 1852. The
author of The Betrayal" organized the
publishing house that bears his name
IN IN 1888, and as president has ever since
fishing Company is now housed in four
DulldlnSs; ITS authors are among the
notable writer's and notable men of az
Ialrs or Great Britain, Germany
france Russia and Japan. as we'll as of
nearly every state of the Union. The
concern has issued a greater number
or southern books that relate TO the
southern states, by Southern writer's
| than the combined output of the last
erS.
Miss Hancock. who was born in vir-
ginia in 1871, lives near Charlottes-
vile She is the author of a novel
BettY Pembroke" well as editor
or the Massey autObiographical notes.
EVAN r. CHESTERMAN
MORGAN TREAT