Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-22
A Christmas story.

| lished November IL by Macmillan
Company. Mabel Osgood Wright has
written the story of a home at Christ
mas time. Few novelists can depict
the life that Is lived around the
hearth fire 80 truly, 80 intimately
and can see SO penetratingly into the
domestic affairs OF men and women
as Mrs. Wright In the present work,
where the spirit of the home and the
spirit of Christmas are combined In
the theme, she has a subject not
only of universal appeal but one
which is peculiarly fitted to her Prov
ess as a writer. Sentiment, not sem
timentality, wholesomeness Of plot
avoidance of the so-called problems
a CHEEKY outlook, these Mrs. Wright
has always stood for in her books
and these are exemplified once more
in The Stranger at the Gate.
The characters which Mrs. Wright
brings forward include a money alb
sorbed business man, his wife who
has been estranged by his self-cen-
tredness, their children, the cllildren's
grandparents and the stranger. The
1 unforeseen circumstances in which
this little group of people become
involved bring about a series OF
rapid happenings with swiftly chang
ing scenes, in all of which the Strang-
er plays a leading part. These blend
|
bif OF mystery that, unusual as is
the treatment, yet spell the old word
Christmas Who the Stranger was
and what the significance of his pres
ence is left for the reader to an
swer.
Not only in text is The Stranger
at the Gate particularly we'll adapt
ed for the Christmas season, but in
makeup. It's red, gold and green
cover, its frontispiece in colors by
H. c. Wall and the decorations in
green on many pages give it a fes-
tive holiday appearance quite in
keeping with the tale.
Sentenced to Tuberculosis.
In how many prisons does sem
tence carry with 1t a possible added
penalty of tuberculosis? This is the
challenge of the following case which
is described in The Survey by Will
lard Brown Thort:
! Five years ago John Gerrish was
a sailor on the United States cruiser
Pennsylvania. He was a young man
of good habits, and sent twenty dol
lars every month for the support of
his mother in San Diego. One day,
when on shore leave at Vallejo Cal,
he did what for him was an un-
precedented thing-got uproariously
drunk and beat up a marine who
was his companion. The marine ac-
cused him also of taking from him
ten-dollar bill
"Arraigned in court, Gerrish made
a poor impression, and his lawyer
put up weak defense. The result
was that, despite an unbroken record
of previous good behaviour, he was
sentenced to four years in San Quen-
tin prison
"He was serving his second year
when prominent man in San Diego,
who had become interested in the
case through the story told by the
mother, visited him in prison, called
in person on the governor, and after
long and persistent efforts obtained
his release on parole. The entire
ships company of the Pennsylvania
signed q petition in his behalf
HE was given employment by his
benefactor in the country near San
Diego, where eh did faithful work
Before long he manifested such abi-
lity that he was placed in charge of
a grading camp. He was finally
granted a full pardon by the gov
ernor, and married and established
a little home.
Tuberculosis germs had found
Judgment in his system during his
4 stay in San Quentin, and despite tho
most favorable climatic conditions I'M
the world, he sickened and died.
1.-THE State of California nominally
sentenced John Gerrish to four years
in the penitentiary. In reality 1t sem
ltaOcad him TO death ,,