New-York tribune., 1921-09-01
Books

To one who has just met Hall Caine
for the first time (through THE Mas
ter of Man") Mr. Caine seems to be
pleasant old gentleman of generous
inclinations, bent on making you happy
by telling you long stories Of his pet
Isle.
AS you meat him, through "The Mas
ter of Man. you feel that he is glad
to make your acquaintance. He asks
you to sit with him on the piazza Of
his house at Baldromma, or wherever
it is he settles back in his easy
chair, crossing his thin legs, and
straightway he begins to entertain
you.
After while you grow little rest
less with the recital, it is so excited
and overflowing, so droning and seda-
tive. Though interested, you feel that
you have ha / enough for the time, and
you try to change the topic. Mr.. Caine
persists, Hospitality. Preoccupied, you
skip an episode or two, and try to
think Of other things. At a pause
which seems propitious you rise and
walk to the other end of the portico,
and express an admiration for the view
! of the sea or the fragrance of the
gorse. Mr.. Caine follows you, resum-
ing his tale with gestures. Finally
you decide that you are in for it, that
Mr.. Cainc has asked you to Baldromma
al bo Cf to1l =
you, and that, after all, it is very
good talk of it's kind.
Five million copies of Mr.. Gaines
works have been sold, which is 4,000,.
000 fewer than the circulation of the
novels of Gene Stratton Porter Mr.
Gaines books are longer than those
of Mrs. Porter, and it is believable
that he has disposed of more words
than she has. Those things, of course
are of interest only to publishers ant
librarians. A glance over Mr. Game:
descriptive catalog will show that il
most of his books he strikes grea
blows for righteousness. The troubled
lives of the principal characters i,
"The Master of Man" and in severa
other novels by Mr.. Caine are dis
tingushed BY sin, by suffering there
for, by vast remuneration and a grea
redeeming at the end.
There is in them the explicable mis-
step, the subsequent Gethsemane, tn,
| overcome temptation to evade respon
slDlllty, and the voluptuous agonie
OF abnegation. His man roles. usual,
persons of prominence in the com
munity, seem always to be rushin,
leVerlshly up to the constables an,
crying out: arrest me, for hav
: slnned!" The constables. havin,
known him, man and boy, these thirt
years. decline to do so, and he ha
. TO try and to try again. Eventuall
ne succeeds, and upon his tremblin
. shoulders they adjust the pale MAI
+ lyrs shirt Of fire. Actual acouaint
ance of Mr.. Caine and his stor;o
errs' perhaps, in this omnibus class;
< hcation. One of the many disadvar
: eages OF newspaper book ok-reviewinr
mat 1t interferes SO much with one
reading.
Inc chief actor in "The Master
Man" is Victor stowell, son of tt
old Deemster. At the beginning Vii
TOR Is the patrician schoolboy who r
ce'Ves with curl of the lip and
= shrug OF the shoulder the punishmel
lor scandalous misdemeanor pc
formed by pal. Victor is a mani
handsome fellow who develops lat
n the males vigorous weakness for tt
l. female of its kind. She is not tt
woman thou gavest him, for Fenell
the Governors daughter, occupies tn
position. Rut she is Bessie, buxc
peasant girl, big bosomed, with h