The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-18
neIaSe,s Y,nx~r,.r

by george a. birmingham. Holder
a stoughton The George ii. Doran
Company. New York City.
Not since the publication OF the i,n
mortal Dolly Dialogues" by Anthony
Hope has anything been published
that is fuller of suggestive Wit and
humor than "Lalagc's Lovers"
LalaSe" Is LalaEc Bcresford tho
daughter OF cannon Bcresford. OF the
IVES, of ireland. She is II true daugh-
ter OF tho Emerald Isle. full of wit
and clevcrness until she scintillates
Her father openly confeSses his In
ability to put his foot down and be
firm as far as Lalagc is concerned. She
has series OF long suffering govern
esses, and develops. even In carly
Sirlhood. tendencies which afterward
carry her far afcld into provinces of
new womanhood.
1aiaEe is certainly an exhilaratins
example of the rcstlessncss of the
present generation crystallizcd in ac-
tion. She begins her career by becom-
ing tho editor OF an anti-Cot maya
zine, in which the force Of her sarcasm,
is lcveled against Miss Bnttcrsby. an
amiablc Scnticwoman transformed by
the ready Imagination of I.aluEe into
rerversc cat uiwartlng her cherish
ed plans and irclinations. The out
come of tho anti-cat magazine results
in Miss Battcrshy leaving the Bcres-
. Il
atmosphere, amid more dociio pupils
I.alagc is sent from home to school
In Dublin, directed by Miss Pcttigrew,
Immediately nicknamed "Old Pet" By
her insurGcnt scholar. a letter written
by LalaEc to her father from the Pet
ugrcw school. containing n denial. of
the creation AS described in Genesis
in favor of modern science. rs shown by
the canon to the archdcacon of the
diocese and tho explosion that cnsues
is marked with AL of the disturbing
elements which distinguish whatever
the canon does in correspondence and
otherwise.
Miss Pottigrew, being remarkable
woman. is still alive when Lalagc I'm
iehes her school course and enters
Trinity College. Her collegiate expo
Fences are coiored by her becoming
the editor of an "Anti-Tomniy- Rot So
cety, in which cnch member of her
committee is pledged TO expose in the
press by, means of scathing articles any
man whatever his position in public
tommN-rot The first issue Of the
Anti TomnyRot Magazine, the official
by the public as "scurrilous." Eighteen
bishors Immediately begin actions for
libel. ana three more have fits OF ner-
Hous prostitution. Lalago is considered
bishops in the most outrageous way
Protests are made against the con.in-
nance OF the gazette by tho archdcacon.
other interested principals. and the
provost Of Trinity College Relatives
OF COMMITTEES members. other than
LalaEc, decline TO permit these men,
bcrS to continue their association with
tone
That being the case Lalago looks
around for n new sphere of activity.
She turns her Anti-Tommy Rot COM
mittec into The Association for the
starts out TO let the public know tho
kind OF lying nracticed by present day
politicians. She takes u stirring part
i'll an election. using her tactics In be-
MALT OF friend aspiring to be n
member of Parliament On her OPP
pononts she uses the same tnotics THAT
have rendered them SO distinctive and
effective in the Gaze of governesscs and
clergyman She furnishes any amount
OF eNcitation and entertains crowds of
voters, heads torch-light professions
In Bailygorc and enables papers all
over ireland, in fact, all over the throe
Kingdoms OF Great Britain. to make
merry ot the plight OF the candidates.
who permit p!ratical young woman
to take away their characters. The
one thing That brings her clectionocr-
ing campaign to conclusion is the
fact that the dccease OF the bishop
and the necessity for the election OF
new bishop. decides her to take an active
rart in a matter usually supposed TO
be decided in ireland by the Episcopal
Election Guild. Her procedure in re-
gard to the appointment of the new
bishop is quite as unique, as heS othcr
departures. She proposes TO help the
a.chdeacon to be bishop. provided he
will pledge himself to put Canon
Beresford ir Is. arc Eaeacon. When the
archdoacon''in dfgnantly accuses her Of
slmony, for once in her life she docs
rot understand the meaning Of the ac-
cusation. and is clearly astonished
when She is told that 1t is the crime
OF buying o rselllng ecclesiastical pre-
fsrment. BY this time, IT dawns upon
All people most nearly III association
with Lalage that some new field for
her activities may be desirable. con-
scqucntly, the man who tells tho
story of the book and tells it so we'll.
win so much sly humor, and 50 much
insight into Present conditions among
the accommodating cowboy goes
-