The sun., 1916-11-05

Alt'F ''i'' III - "
~calities between the Atlantic and the
ohio. but Ions ago passed away for
ever: and in the Interpretation of this
life Mr.. Howclis's novel finds its his
torical Importance. bringing before
the modern readcr a picture that VIII
not be forgotten.
The situation upon which hinges
tic tragedy of 'sThc LcathcrNo God
God" Is not AN unfamiliar ono. in this
form or that: but il is n tragedy real
aud potent because invested with COM
polling power. Needless to say. the
novel il something. more than tragic;
comedy run through 1t. az II must
run through every thing of fiction
which MIR. liuwclls writes. and in
addition there Is romance of II quality
rarely encountered. The study OF
DylkS himself, ut first a conscious
fraud, set gradually becoming half
convinced that he IL supernatural, is
an accomplishment which the veteran
author of seventy titles has seldom il
EVER .,lua,icd: and the conclusion is
not merely %,"girsl {, il inevitable.
More than ordinary interest attaches
! TO "Thc Leather wood God' because
tn" occurrences described really took
P place in that region OF Ohio where
liuwclls lived ;s u child: the story
mas told him ny his father. Who had
known the Lcathcrwood God per-
snnaliy. and for half "A century
lluwclls has intended some day to
develop II n the form Of fiction. Now
hc has lone So. and the result speaks
Tor itself. II speaks. also. for the pur-
lt,e,s t,ASSiI IA .ptnlltlnas tIl,,r1s hp, .,rN
religious prctcndcr. all the way from
Joseph Smith Of the Latter Day
Saint down to John Alexander
DuNic " recent times; yet. a. mas
been indicated. for readers Of rctlcc-
tive mind the chief interest il not
more In the book itself than in the
surprisingly unfamiliar hight which
the book thrnws ON MIR. iIowclls.
From youth ne has been writing
fiction. poetry. criticism. biography.
i1tOpiography. essays. acting come
dies. What u long lis, of titles PUSHES
across tho m"mor II how many
stars of magnitude flash UNANIMOUSLY
in that literary armament: The Lady
&c the .ALoo>juok. Their silver
Wedding Journey "Thc Minister'S
Charge April Hopes" ~ Chance
Acquaintance" 9TH" Rise of Silas
lapham.' The quality of Mercy"
9Th" Undiscovered Country"-to
mention bat a few "f the bong list
which instantly recalls Itself. Thirty
five years ago Howclls was So we'll
known for his individual style. for his
insiStence on a realism in fiction al
most Photographic AT times. that an
English ON opera COMPANY. III
Patience tcr.utiy coupled his
name with that Of lIpnrA lanes while
par"iNing - type If young man of the
period the type IL the young men
w1om they We're supposed to use ~
characters in their stories. And now.
Ven HuweliS J. but Il few months
short Of eighty, the world has from
aim a iunk which j. absolutely unlike
anything he has ever done before: -
different in fact. that Il put forth
anonymously none bu; discerning read
,iS could nave been certain OF it, au-
thurship something more than twenty
Years aGo Urrp,,'s Rdud:iH. COM
m"nccd ,""iI. publication Of q re-
mark IA" history. loan Of Are" and
S%"tlul"lslN 'ndcaN"rcd :" k..n secret
-" u.tm' or IT, writer. Thc opening iu-
~;h'r"uf C',Jtcd extraordinary attcu-
,iou ilruIchuut tie country: lat i"inr.
i"n- 'n" secret Nl~ cNpl"lod. for tine
author made one Of ili> characters use
an oppression which could not have
been used at that time. N France
az expression - characteristic Of
Mark Twain that c"nccalmcnt If au-
thutslip MAS No longer possible.
Nothing 50 crude ~ this - t" hc
found Ia "Tic l.rdtAcrN"ud God" In
eas" "i movement. IN play OF delicate
ium"r dud whimsical, fancy. It reveals
tho spirit of Towels. iiu' i'm rugged
strength, plot, sharpness uf uutlinc
ana dramatic farce ui high ROVER a
new ana unexpected ilpw"li> J. re-
N'iIcj. r." Interested reader may
B." pHrd"n"i Tor wondering what inter-
AIRY surprise lIoNclls may Sprin= on
III" publ" S"N ten wears from nuw.
when he j. approaching ninety.