The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-29


 whose author was declared by some Flu xopean critics to have equaled Shakes peare Such a story Is the" Heir of Red clyffe" which was warmly and publicly praised by Guizot, and which had from the first an immense sale. These stories snd others of their kind must have touched some chord in the life of their day which has ceased to vibrate in ours. To their times and the people of those times they must have meant much Ito us they are merely rather good gtorfes-better than the ordinary novel, perhaps, but that is all we can say. Yet, though they are dethroned monarchs now, we cannot forget that they were reigning monarchs once and have their place among the English classics still. It is in terestins to note that the author of the sHeir to Redclyffe' gave the proceeds of the work to build the famous missionary ship Southern Cross.
 @APrAIN PHILIP MoRv1LLT was . . paragon of a young man, who 0 strove with all his might to elim- anate from his character anything savor- ing of the weakness of prejudice. imagined himself to be guided solely by reason, had no vices of the ordinary sort and was m authority upon ecclesiastical architec- ture. literature and the proprieties- He WAS by inclination fond of scholarly life. but gave up his ambition of becom- ins . pedantic prig in some official uni rersity position to become an officer In Inc army when, his father dying com paratiysly poor, he fetl himself unable to continue his studies and the commission was offered him.
 To be sure. if he had taken all Of his father's property, which he might have done legally, he could have gone on in his desired course at Oxford. but he felt 1t ms duty to give up almost all tho paternai estate to his two sisters, and, 1t Is to be feared. rather liked the martyr Idea Of divssting himself of comparative wealth and going into profession which he feit was utterly illogical and not at all held in which to display his great talents.
 Tn short, Capt. Philip Morville was person whom any real red-corpuscled man ought to have felt like kicking upon sight. But, as often happens, they oio not-these same red-corpuscled men. on the contrary many much better fellows than Philip felt rather abashed and hu- initiated before him and really admired him. You see when real man goes about the world ''sdopping over," as real men will, he feels so disgusted with him. self for his weakness in such stopping over" that when he meets man wno does not "slop over." who makes point of not stopping over" and who, at the same time, is really just, or trying his best to be so, whose idea is to correct rnan,x,nd not passionately but judicially. the "slop-over'' man, envying those prop critics in which he Is conscious he IS ut terly deficient, will stand a lot or non sense from a just prig.
 Captain Philip was much at Hollywell, the home of his aunt, Mrs. Edmonstone, enough family who "squired It. in the countryside regulation Country family" sort of thing. When old Sir Guy Mor- vile, a distant cousin of Mrs. Edmonstone and consequently of the incomparable Philip died and his grandson came to live with MT. Edmonstone. who was his guardian, Captain Philip ''hoped that the unfortunate temper of his grandfather" would not ruin the life of young Sir y, ner, that he be watched and all inclination toward the wild passions which had so Influenced the branch of the Morvilles which Guy now represented be nipped in the bud by calm and judicious manage ment. The fact that he was the next heir of Redclyffe after Guy had no eff feet upon the admirable captain-young Sir Guys good was all he studied-and tho fellow really believed that he was honest and sincere.
 There was an invalid son in the house. hold at Hollywell, however, peevish youth, Charles Edmonstone, afflicted with hip disease, who saw through Philip and comprehended him better than that young man comprehended himself. But Laura Edmonstone. the eldest of Charles three sisters, saw in Philip all the perfections for which the young captain strove. Wom- en will sometimes fall in love with perfec- tion in spite of the theory that they like a little of "diablery'' in their. heroes. And if Phillip appealed to Laura. the frank good natured, impulsive Guy as strongly appealed to Amy Edmonstone. the second sister. She had a bit of mischief in her. did Amy, and she and Charles used to indulge in little harmless sarcasms and pleasantries at the sedate Philips ex- pense, which would have bewildered that paragon had he heard them. or. hearing them, have comprehended that they were the words of ridicule.
 One day when the young people were as- sembled in the drawing room. for in- tolI ture of his when he had narrowly es- capped drowning in rescuing a ram from the raging waters of a flood. At the prop CT place in the story Philip quoted line from Horace and Guy capped 1t with another beginning with "Ovium.' "Ovium" exclaimed Philip with a face of horror. ''don't you know that o in ovis is short?. Do anything but take liberties with Horace" "Oh. go on with the story!" cried the invalid Charles.
 "I hope you got medal from the Hu- mane society,"" said Charles at the finish, ''You should have had an ovation"-cut- ting the "o' very short and looking at Philip. But it was all lost on Philip, who proceeded to recommend to Guy the read ing of a certain Italian romance which ''possessed all the qualities that a work of fiction ought to have" T cannot but be struck, continued Philip. with the ignorance which people display, even with regard to Shakespeare; and believe that the chief blame lies in that cheap rub Dish with which Charles is continually walled up" In fact. upon the little table which the invalid had ever by his couch was store of fiction of the sort then published in monthly installments, and