The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-01

ssThe Scar a novel of the new south,
by Warrington Dawson. Small, May
nard & Coz
This is the novel which so attracted
Mr.. Roosevelts attention that in praise
OF it, '"The Scar and another book by
the same author 1.-The Scourge," he
wrote an editorial in The Outlook not
only intimating but stating plainly that
he thought it rather queer to go
abroad and discover an American
author. Two books have appeared in
England during the last year or two,
named The Scar and The Scourge'
They have been a success, not only in
England, but on the Continent: for
translations have appeared or are ap-
pea ring in German, French and Russian.
Yet they are by an American, Mr.. War
rington Dawson, of South Carolina; and
they deal with localities, questions and
types exclusively and typicaly Amer
lean. 1t is not very creditable to us
that this American. writing with unusual
power of American scenes and problems,
should have an exclusively European
audience
Mr.. Dawson Is only 80 years of age
now, and of that number of years he
has spent eight in Paris as manager
of the United Press association 50 it is
not anything wonderfully strange that
Mr.. Dawson living abroad, should issue
b his books first there In fact, since Mr..
Dawson was 16 years of age he has been
in and out of this country; at the age
OF 10 he went to Spain as correspondent
for the Charleston News and Courier,
hia fathers paper.
1t Is possible that Mr.. Dawsons long
absence may have wiped out from his
mind much of the recolections he must
have had as to the spirit of the south
ern people, even under adversely. 1t
does seem that the G. w. Cables, War
ringhon Dawsons and on, wait for a
certain number of years after leaving
their sections of the country before be-
ginning to write of it. This delay, nat
urally causes much of the things and
people In the authors minds eyes to be
forgotten, to be wiped out, to become
beclouded by outside interests; hence
most of the studies we have of south
ern problems written by southerners who
have not been south say in 10 or 10, or
even 80 years do not exactly get or at
least hold the atmosphere we south
errers are so proud Of
A careful reading of 1.-The Scar made
by this reviewer. after Mr.. Roosevelts
editorial had been published, has con-
WINGED him that Mr.. Dawson, when he
wrote this book, believed that blood was
not thicker than water, that blood would
not tell, nor win out in the struggles of
breeding, that is, in Suffolk county, Vir-
ginia, the scene of THE Scar OF course,
when writer or anyone begins to argue
that birth, breeding or blood whatever
you wish to call If, will not stand a
strain longer, win out quicker and al
ways hold out in the fight longer than
the common herd, he is talking against
history, against common sense, against
nature, against everything. 1t is per-
fectly absurd to speak of the winnings of
thoroughbred horses on race tracks. then.
not consider that thoroughbred men and
women are just as sure to win in life as
horses. so bred, are on race tracks.
Mr. Dawson emphasizes the deadly,
paralyzing power Of environment and the
hopelessness of trying to fight an atmos-
phere. The house in "The Scar about
which most of the story centers, Is mix
ture of ancient magnificence and present
suualor and the breeding of the people
Is much the same.
AS in RED Rock carpetbagger, usu-
rious, landgreedy. using the negroes as
tools, is the villain. Death comes from
disease, misfortune from poverty, loss
through legal chicanery The underlying
menace of the negro population is felt in