The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05

Here it is at last: The great novel of
| the south
Full of horse sense, horse play, with a
horse laugh or two thrown in
Mr.. Moore has invented (unless the
| Prince Halls horses themselves told him
thereof in horse talk of their OWN a
horse god, Box; horse heaven, Haidee;
a horse hell, Hulee; q horse devil,
Booker; horse heartbreak which last
he calls: "nag-numbness.
He also invents various words that a
horse narrative needs: Hippo fixer, hip
pc cocker, hippo everything, except hyp-
ocrite!
Good is the story of the Bluegrass re-
| gion.
Good is the description of life lived
for the most part under the sunlit skies
and under the stars
Good is the rushing, rapid fire telling
of the horse racing.
Good is the philosophy set into horse
sense.
1t is unusual, If not unique, to have a
horse tell the story of human loves and
hates, for Hal tells the tale-and tells it
we'll And since horse can tell only
what he sees and hears the action Of the
story is of necessity kept lively, rapid
ard all in the open of Gods outdoors.
1.-THE Gift of the Grass is a book to
make the horse lover bless the author
thereof.
1t Is book to make any reader almost
| ready to declare that automobiles are
but useless toys; and that aeroplanes
will not be welcomed until they come In
shape of Pegasus itself, shod with light
ming and winged with fire.
John Trotwood Moore, the Nashville,
Tenn, author who has added 1.-THE Gift
Of the. Grass, to his previously success
full books "a Summer Hymnal,' "The
| Bishop of Cottontown," etc, is native
| OF Marion, Alabama, and a graduate OF
Howard college. After teaching school
he studied law and passed a most cred
| table examination, but declined to- re-
| ceive a license as he did not take kindly
to law. Always a lover of nature and
out of-door life, Mr. Moore's fondness
! for the horse led rim to Columbia,
| Tenn In 1856, where he made a speciality
| of breeding and raising fine horses on
| his stock farm. Later Mr.. Moore ac-
| copied a position on the Horse Review
| of Chicago one of the best known turf
| journals of America, and his writings
under the name of "Trotwood" have
been read the world over. Mr.. Moore
| has since been editor of the Taylor-Trot-
wood Magazine of Nashville.
"a Summer Hywnal," his first success
| fui book, is a charming love story, per-
neated with the Tennessee atmosphere.
'The Bishop of Cottontown' Is more
pretentious work, written with a pur-
pose of dealing a death blow to the
southern system of child labor in the
cotton mills.
His latest novel, 1.-THE Gift Of the
Grass" is in reality the autobiography
Of Hal Prince, prince of PAGERS. This
new novel displays in striking manner
its authors love for and knowledge of
the horse: an5 the story of Hal, from
the day he is foaled to- the evening of
his last and greatest race, will interest
and delight every horse lover. Pathos
and humor abound as in Mr.. Moore
previous books; there is richness in his
characterizatons, vividness In his pic
ture of Tennessee life, and some charm
ing love episodes add to the attractive
Eness of this unusual story. Mr.. Moore
is a philosopher as well as poet and nov
a1icf