The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-30
SOME NEW BOOKS.
wuen Gissxow's Latest Novel.

novel that she has o taken an es-
tablished place in the ranks of the
American novelists. She took that
place almost twenty years ago. when
in 1897 she publ. shed The Descend
ant" anonymously and the keen crit
les attributed it To Harold Frederic. a
brilliant writer of the day who lived
In London. Laurence Hutton wrote
Of that anonymous volume that 1T was
O serious study of life" and "a thought
compelling book" The critics were
unvaryingly complimentary until the
publishers saw At to d.vulge the fact
that this novel. dealing with some OF
the most serious social problems of
the day. was written by a little Nir-
ginia girl 30 years old. Then. with
the Irritation of people who had been
trapped and mistaken. many OF them
shifted their attitudes and decided
that II written by n girl OF 20,
brilliant as IL was. she had no busl-
ness TO write it. IL was certainly an
untoward turf OF vents. Whether 1t
was because the critic who had been
sent guessing among the most brill
liant men who write novels. only to be
appraised that a quiet. pretty little girl
in Virginia was the author of the
anonymous volume. whether 1t was that
the second novel appeared at just
about the time of the Harpcrs' failure
the second novel received so little ac-
claim as To Ice almost unknown among
Mrs Glasgow's works. 1t was called
by a title offensive to many. PHASES
Of an Inferior Planet" This novel
should he reread by any one who de-
sires to form An estimate of Miss
Glasgow's genius. for 1t has in IL some
of her most poignant writing. II is
an e~Nceediugly touching tale of a sen
sitivc, artistic mature struggling with
poverty. thriftlessness and an unsym-
pathetic world. 1t was the last book
of youthful fervor which Ellen Glas-
gov wrote.
when she turned to The Voice of
the People" she used an objective
weapon she wrote from knowledge.
and the mere pity Of 1t all. the wasted
lives, the failures to meet the demands
Of a practically arranged world were
laid aside. but she had written a book
which all men understood. She was
writing no longer out Of her own
turbulent heart. she was writing Of
the world as she perceived that most
men saw II. She drew a man OF the
people who became IL Governor of
Virginia. and "A wonan who loved and
lost him and was yet Coatent. From
all standpu.nts except that of the reg
istering of an individual outlook upon
,,fo 4, was tho anes, hool, sho had
wri,,.r l., u,s f,rlnwed bv Tho u,,.
,Io,rourd" , n,yai which u.rd.r.on
,,,,h,. -, ,bo ,t ia %, rouai, Iocr-
,,n" sud ~ -. ,ue NJ tho "mos,
r.ars,ir ,,i.,ur. ~ w,r ,yor ,,,,e ="
.The D.iiyernnre" il considered by
NAV, no,,la "a n. tho ,.erv ares,
h.L ~, ,,,ro, has vr,,,s, ~ tho
-. aarIia,, ,..,,,,no. uay no ..id o.
90, ,hn nori,d -, ynu,hfrI n,no,,on
-, ,,.
an" '"'''.'H' ''"N t'''" '"'". ""
inc neNi tnEe" ~u'NtloPtu III" h's'o' y
and realistic sens ana opened up a
reasoned philosophy of l:fe. The \ir-
yinia Of the war period and the recon
structiye n,rioJ IL ~ we'll done in her
hooLs q, .,un,.,.,v md A.
-. -. t.t,.,t ,..,,i H., a.,
.' "''' &c N.Y. " :" -
literature I" "'"' Tue p""''' wiz
When II ohte accepts an author "
mands of him that he conhne h mSeli
Nv Il tll'lS' II lltlils l'A'lNf il lt NiletI
OF Life" with les than the accus.
,op,od eu,busia.m "The Wheel N,
y,s., T.. a,a,h,. >t;.s cIa..
- =,
81" S'V"''s' "''"''
cerhed WIN IoOdl lh't'es's' anu M"1''
IL sun deals win southern people u
tran plants them 10 New YORK aNC
deals with them IN "A more truly phil
Osophic mauue The author seem,
norb,,s ,.ss in md If this novel. I'M
.. 49,. t,a ,i.n., o. Il
n,
Wy !" ''"''' '''"i "a ""' "'
tdht Ndi'dSe l''"'' i nv NnS mn
IMAM htlnrt. llerc are passages q
wonderful writing Take, for exam
Dle, the passage nd!ng the ChapteI
"Ad,m Watches I'm the Nicht".
The vindnN vas ,tt. omen. and goir,
ov.r "a u ne 'eaued ON, and stool 10
.avcrnl minutes. il, tired To make IN
necessary effort L, collect his thought,
Will he looked 4rro>s the s!e.p!ny ct
10 the pa,e amber dawn whi,h was begin
ming to Str'ak III Sky with color tn
silence was very great In the faint Ugh
inc "ru'h"'F ""''''' upon W"''" ne gaze
=. htn, IT,. IT, 81"
n m,,erI,l .,h,,pre ,h,p tho ra.uI, ,
some shadow projection o. mind. 4
the earth and sSy showci suddenly It
belonging to mis- same transient man!'"'
ta'ion OF 'h"'sht' ana srahua''y. as n
s.oou n.y., ~ rP,''.S W." e'"'o
,ho - uo ".thar "a no. So
-, no fol, ina, mo sn,r,, had move, :,