The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-11-05
"ENOCH CRANE.


BY F. Hopkinson Smith and E. Berke-
ley Smith. Illustrated by Alonzo Kim.
ball. Charles Scribner's Sons, pub
fishers, New York
No writer of modern fiction has had q
larger clientele, one whose loyalty and
devotion was always unwavering, than
the late f. Hopkinson Smith.
Big, broad-minded, tender-hearted with
marvellous gift of expression, Mr..
Smith endeared himself to every reader
he had by his earnestness, his honesty
and his talent
In the present contribution to the lit
erary world, "Enoch Crane" begun by
Mr.. Smith and sketched out before he
Joined 1.-THE mute majority" the work has
been completed by his son, F. Berkeley
Smith; such collaboration makes an
interesting subject, and one which has
been widely discussed.
In the preface" to this posthumous
novel, the son tells us that it was n
custom of his distinguished fathers al
ways to make a synopsis of a story before
he began writing it; in other words sort
of a scenario"
This he did with 'Enoch Crane" leav-
ing it for his son to finish, which was
difficult task we must admit How
well he has done this can be reckoned
only by the vast number of readers who
have enjoyed the book and have express
ed their appreciation of it's merits.
Constantly there are scenes and express
sions that bring to mind the fragrance
of Rosemary that's for remembrance,
and the ghost of the beloved Hopkinson
Smith seems to rise, form the ashes of
many of its pages.
'Enoch Crane is, as might be expected
from the title, the life and soul of the
story; he is delightful old-fashioned
gentleman. courteous and chivalrous
capable of the fiercest kind of indignation
when reused and as incorporating in
| his denunciations as he is in his likes
and dislikes. His scorn of Elmer and
difficult self-restraint during their first
interview, his fatherly kindness toward
Sue and generous championship of her
his sympathy for poor foolish Miss Moui-
ton. his attempted matchmaking and his
understanding of transplanted Matilda
all these make him the most likabie and
genial of gods in the machine. We can
readily believe that his story was one
which his creator had very much at
heart"
The story is laid in New York--the New
York of other days; when the old horse
cars ran and when the big granite reser-
voir and not the public library was the
landmark at Forty-second street and
Fifth avenue, New York not SO far off
in point of time, yet very different in
deed from the city of today. The stage
on which most of the action is set is
an old-fashioned, elevatorless apartment
house on Waverley Place-belonging to
still another New York-and the MARIA
tive opens with the arrival of Miss Sue
Preston of North Carolina. "a trim, tidy,
well-built, rosy, and thoroughly whole
some GIRL her foolish mother and her
scoundrel of a stepfather. Already set
tied on various floors in the old house
were two attractive young architects, one
of whom is the jeune premier of the love-
drama, a pair of delightful spnSters,
gentlewomen both, and Enoch Crane, an
elderly. brusque, energetic, warm-hearted
and wholly levable gentleman, supposed
to be bachelor And, then, by no means
the least important of the inhabitants
of No go Waverley Place were Moses,
an old before the war" negro, and his
bandanaed wife, Matilda. No matter
old house might possess, tenants who had
Moses and Matilda to look after their
wants must unquestionably be regarded
with envious eyes. Joe Grimsby appre-
ciated the quaint and faithful couple, SO
did Enoch Crane, while Sue Preston real
lied what they were and won their hearts
before she had even moved In.
The plot of the novel is slight and de-
cidedly well worn, of 1.-The villain still pur-
sued her" type. Evidently the whole was
intended chiefly as setting for the char
acter of Enoch Crane, a favorite, it is
easily perceived, with the author, and one
who quickly becomes favorte with the
reader, too. He is a person who has de-
cided opinions and no hesitation whatever
about expressing them-a fact which does
not always conduce to popularity. When
he attends the opening of the academy,
for instance-'it always seemed to him to
be the same exhibition, Vanished and
rehung''-he takes famous collector S
breath quite away by vehemently declar-
ing: Rot, Combes y scarcely canvas
in the lot that has vigorous note in 1t.
A lot of tomfoolery in paint His opinion
of the literature of his time is scarcely
more flattering; this, he avows, is the
invariable recipe by which the popular
novel is manufactured: Zone quart of
sentimentality to two heaping pints of
sensation, add scant teaspoonful of
pathos. sprinkle with happy ending and
serve hot before the last novel gets cold.
| Slop! and drivel!''
! Isn't that deliciously like Hopkinson
| Smith?
"Enoch Crane is a charming novel and
the lovers of the late lamented author
who started it and of the young author
| who has followed in the noble footsteps
| of his noble father will find it divertlng
and delightful.
| BONNIE May"
| BY Louis Dodge. Illustrated by Reginald
| Birch. Charles Scribner's Sons, publish
| ers New York.
! Mr.. Louis Dodge, for many years sue
| Opposition to the Stage" was read by