davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
A Voice From Santa Fe.

I wish to place myself, not with
the side of the angels" in the Fer
gusson controversy but with the
few who consider this a great
book.
To one who has loved the south
west for fifteen years, | find in
this book feeling and apprecia-
ton for our country / have found
nowhere else and know that the
book could only have been written
by one of its lovers.
In choosing atmosphere for a
book, one is obliged to discrimi-
nate and use the things and Incl
dents which will strengthen the
local pictures. So doubtless Fer
gusson for this reason introduced
things that perhaps, I say perhaps.
no longer exist in the country but
they have existed and not so far
away either. The moral issue of
the book is no issue at all. The
very people who rail about It will
pour for hours over the indecen-
cies of Robert w. Chambers in de-
light and they have not even the
merit of being honest. Pray then,
is this sort OF looseness entirely out
of the experience Of Albuquerque
people? Ferguson was clever
enough to make the American girl
partner to the Spanish infidelity
else the criticism Of it might have
been passed over.
To people who gloated not long
since over the diary of Clara Smith
Hamon and the trial OF Fatty
Arbuckle, the mild adventures OF
Ramon and Julia must be dull
reading. Ferguson certainly does
not convey that only in Albuquer-
que are Spanish Dons untrue tc
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
THEY'LL TAKE IT NOW.

The Garlands of Buzzard's Bay. Mass, who
gained notoriety some months ago by declining to
accept 100000 that had been bequeathed to them
have changed their minds and have taken the
money.
Just what it that spurred the pair to change
their minds is not stated fully, but 1t is limited that
the pending need Of cash for the purchase of a baby
carriage and the employment of physician and a
trained nurse may have had something to do with
it, Or perhaps the rigors of New England winter
with coal more than s12 a ton and the wood-lot
hickory the New England farm on which they
live tough and hard to split might have been fac
tor in arriving at the conclusion to grasp the filthy
ucre.
II don't for the money for myself" says
Charles "but for the advantages it will give my
children" which reminds us of the argument of the
father who goes to the circus for the boys sake.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
Mt nor RnnIr Enct

Mr. ferguson might very well
have delayed the writing of "The
Blood of the Conquerors" until he
had better understanding and
more able handling of his subject.
The adventures Of Ramon Del
casar are told in n more or less en-
caring manner but q man who
calmly incites the murder of
relative as an expedient for OBJ
tanning money, and himself has
not the courage to perform the
crime, is scarcely the hero one
could wish.
The mirror the author holds up
to life as it is lived in New Mexico
is a strangely distorted one and
shows neither sympathy for his
subject nor insight into existing
conditions. He ridicules Albuduer-
que society for "aping eastern man
ners," quite losing sight of the fact
that a large majority of Albuquer-
queans are eastern people and can
hardly be censured for holding to
their lifelong customs.
None of the characters Ia we'll
drawn and convincing. Julia
Roth, the heroine, is a creature of
such weakness and vacillation that
one hesitates to believe she en-
joyed the avalanche of admiration
the author says she aroused.
In more than one instance Mr..
Ferguson has been vastly unfair.
He says of the Alvarado hotel,
thinly disguised as the "Eldorado',
that it was not a beautiful build
ing, but 1t was a apt expression of
the towns personality" Continen-
tai tourists will not agree with Mr..
Ferguson in this estimate of the
towns beauty spot.
Mr.. Ferguson might have made
a wonderfully appealing story of
this descendent of the conuuerors
struggling against a changing or
der of things but he has failed
signally to do so. The story is
sordid and purposeless and one
closes the book with the feeling
that 1t is not a good book to send
to ones friends back east"
M IT
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23

rights, or $4,000 down and five cents royalty on
every trap sold.
All this goes to prove the truth Of the epigram
IF a man write better book, preach a
better sermon or make better mouse-trap than
his neighbor, though he build his house in the
woods, the world will make beaten path to his
door" Conditions not propitous for the at
tainment of even modest fortune by the Nashville
negro Having reached the age of 81 without hay
ing advanced to any higher position than that Of an
elevator operator, he generally would have been re-
gaded as one to whom more opportunities would
come.
The story OF his should be an inspiration to
ambitious persons to whom success has not yet
come When one considers the countless things
used by the human race, and the countless things
in which mankind is interested, 1t seems though
nearly every person, if he chose wisely and applied
himself to It, could effect improvement on at
least one of that vast number and win the world s
homage
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
Book Corner About Writers and New Volumes

their moral up-bringing. 1t is
certainly the mark of a provincial
to rail at a book that has charmed
so many discriminating readers
because it does not make of Albu-
querque a celestial paradise for
real estate dealers and up-lift
workers.
It is. said that all residents OF
Gopher Prairie burned Main
Street" in a huge municipal bon
fire. There may be one in Albu-
querque but in spite Of it, there
will always be those In New Mex
leo who thing Fergusson's book a
great book and appreciate what he
has done for New Mexico.
We can not help wondering what
the pious people would say If ex-
Governor curry were TO write
book about New Mexico as he
knew it.
RUTH LOOMS sKEEN,
Santa Fe.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

The death penalty is believed to be well on It's
way back among the statutory enactments in Mich
igan. A riot which had the murder of warden in
state prison, few weeks ago. as one of its promi-
nent features is responsible for spirited revival of
demand for capital punishment which was defeated
in the last session of the legislature by a vote of
40 to AS.
There remains enough opposition to the death
penalty to compel modelling of the proposed meas
ure upon lines that will include only certain cases
Of homicide-as, for instance the murder of police
1t is probable that cases of unquestioned pre-
meditation will be included The fact that the con-
vict, who confessed to killing the warden has made
other murderous attacks presumably because as a
''lfer' he has greater punishment to fear is the
explanation for stressng the necessity for return
to capital punishment
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
PAYING THE BONUS.

President Harding will have The country bach,
of him in his demand that soldiers bonus legislation
shall provide for raising the money necessary to pay
It, The only argument for any bonus is that the
men are entitled to something additional to what
they received during their terms of military service
1t would be mockery to patriotism were congress
to hand them an A. o. u" that could not be cashed
This would be done it left to the president to
get the money where he could. The president cam
not raise revenue That is the function of congress-
To provide that bonus payments shall be made
out of interest received from foreign governments
on their war Indebtedness to the United States would
not be right satisfactory 1t very question: BILE
IL We shall receive anything from this source for
many years. We cannot count on anything as con-
gress well knows. That bill is pending and prob
ably VIII be passed, creating a commission 10 fund
the foreign war debts evidences understanding at the
capital that there be an extension of credit in
atoms we so largely financed.
Every consideration Of good faith requires that
specific provision for payments be made in the
bonus bill. Some new form of taxation will have to
be devised That is what makes congress hesitate
But the bonus proposition meets with popular an,
proyal, judging by tests Wherever state has sub
mtted to its electorate the question of issuing bonds
for the purpose Of compensating service men the
people have voted for 1t. we'll knowing that it meant
an increase in taxation. Public fairness to the men
who went to war is quick today If they are to be
voted bonus it should be in form to benefit them
at once
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
This From Arizona.

10 H.!
It takes all sorts of opinions to
make a world, so there is very lit
tie or no harm in airing 'em over
Harvey Fergusson's "The Blood
of the Conquerors. AS you pub
fish at Albuquerque, and Harvey
has split the blood all over Albu-
querque, why not let Albuquer-
que people talk about it? And ex-
Albuquerque people, like Friend
me?
reviewed the novel for the pio-
neer book section of the southwest
Chat OF the Prescott, Arizona,
while Harvey had done some very
young writing in his opening chap
ters, he had done terribly much
better toward the end. For first
novel, it was not at all bad--had
flashes of extremely good word
painting. I enjoyed it because it
was albuquerque of the days /
knew-for l went to the univer-
sity between 1904 and 1911 when
this be-praised and be-mauled
young author was there. I did not
enjoy it, too, because it was Albu-
querque. But there! That sounds
merely mysterious. In palmer
terms, I enjoyed what was good
description or narrative and I
failed to enjoy what was not. Both
sorts of stuff are in the novel.
But do not let anybody kid you
that there is smut" in the Con-
querors. The shrinking young old
ster who is shocked because Harvey
did not write a Y. M. c. A. novel
cannot be expected to know what Is
smut and what is not. Have it on
the word of a rather catholic read
er that all is not smut that deals
with the various aspects of the
we'll known. virtually sensational
subject of lovel
Very few of us who are tearing
hell out of the daily copy for the
readers of morning papers, could
do better first novel. A tremend-
Gus number of us think we could
and some try. Me? Don't ask me.
And besides. If l am, you will know
it as soons as some publishing
house accepts tor them. But
anyway.
1t is half-baked to hop on Har-
vey for writing about (1) Ramons
rather unconventional love; (2)
the Penitentes; go the half-breed
Indians or, (4) anybody or any
thing else. He was not, In a
shrewd analysis. writing about any
of those things or persons. He was
writing about two or three hum
dred pages of novel, with a sub
iect capable of extremely interest
ing handling And he has done it,
even If few of us darned back
woods critics do take an idle slap
at his style or ideas.
LYLE ABBOTT.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
Conner Prairie.

I have just finished reading "The
Blood of the Conquerors," and wish
to state that I enjoyed it immense
ly. In fact, 1t gripped my inter-
est<to the end. 1t was so full Of
New Mexican atmosphere that /
could see the places, feel the de-
scription. and enter fully and APP
preciatiVely into the entire book.
The description Of the mount
aims of New Mexico and their fas-
cination for Ramon, with their
barrenness, yet greatness, thrilled
me and satisfied my soul.
/ think the book remarkably
we'll written, and the character
drawing splendid and certainly
true to life. Especially those
parts which refer to New Mexican
life, the Penitentes, the grabbing;
OF land from the natives, and es-
pecially the fine portrayal of RAJ
mon, with his ultimate reversion
| to type-back to Incidence and
manana, being waited upon by the
Mexican girl whom he ruined.
Through his rise and fall, we can
seen what is left of THE Blood OF
| the Conquerors."
II ! were Harvey Ferguson,
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
tide OF CRITICISM TURNS I'M
favor OF FERGUSSON'S Novel
= OF the CHANGING SOU !lBv 4
Essays Received in JournaI-Knopf Contest
Last Week Generally Commend Book AS
Faithful Picture of Conditions in New Mex
leo; Contest to Close February l; Money
Prizes.

would add another chapter to the
book-that damning chapter of
establishment. And 1t would
happen something like this:
when the corpulence Of mid
dle-age and indulgence began to
settle upon Julia, and it became
necessary to use peroxide to keep
the bright tone to her hair, she de-
cided once, en- route to California,
that she would stop off and see
Ramon just for q few days of ro-
nance. Life had been a bit Dor
ing Of late and friend husband
would open his paper the same
way every morning-so she pic
tured few lawless days with RAJ
mon, the intense, the picturesque
las a sort of appetizer for the
winter months.
Hence with rousseau to fit
the OCCASION she stopped over-in-
CURED If he had married, was told
no, and she decided to ride out to
see him, picturing the romantic
aloneness of his life on the ranch.
She dismissed the car some little
bit away, and walked to the ranch
house around which she found sew
eral dirty, little children playing,
which she Immediately attributed
to Catalina, whom she saw in the
door. Her first Earring note came
at the meagre, rather squalid looks
Of the place inside. Then she sat
down to wait for Ramon. Finally
he came in all his dirty clothes,
tot, 1,a 1Ayra1 trrit1
hair and hands-and Immediately
she saw the resemblance between
him and the children around. Then
he did not know her-and she re-
allied how she must have changed
and saw therein a picture of her
self-mlddle-aged and fat and
therefore lacking that feminine
charm which he always knew-so
she hurriedly invented a lie about
hearing his place for sale, etc,
etc, and disappeared-with hardly
a memory left of her former ro-
mance-but with more tolerance
for the annoying rattle of Friend
Husbands paper. And thus does
the law of compensation reward
us"
out NltWlUB MI, GIS uSSOll p
book as it is written. l think he
has done a splendid bit of literary
work. Perhaps no has not painted
Albuquerque and New Mexico Just
as ANNOUNCEMENTS and New Mex
leans would like to see their city
and state painted. But they need
feel no resentment at this be-
cause Mr.. Ferguson didn't set out
to write a faithful history but an
interesting novel, and in my judy
ment he has succeeded to a marked
degree.
Those of us who have read
"Main Street" can appreciate the
resentment that some of the resi-
dents Of Gopher Prairie must have
felt whom Sinclair Lewis told his
famous story about that city. But
the residents of Albuquerque sure
ly must be hroad-minded and gem
ereus enough to give Mr.. Fergus
son proper credit for his book
rather than to narrowly consider it
a slight upon themselves.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23


Harvey Fergusson'S 1.-The Blood
of the Conquerors," is novel writ
ten for people who are interested
in the basic facts of life, and life's
attributes. 1t is not a novel for
surface thinkers who are agreed
that Jean Stratton Porter's pro-
liX sentimentalities are the proper
material for their children to read
nor is it written for delicate wom-
en- who blush and stammer and
look uncomfortable when sex is
mentioned Sex is the primary
problem of life, and Ferguson has
attempted to give an analysis of a
certain type of sex. He has pro-
duced a work that smacks of the
amateur, but he has added more
truth to literature in his one novel
than Porter has in her many vol
umes.
Ferguson, however. deserves
severe critism, not on the basis of
o-dollars-and-a- or proof
reading as most of the local crit
les have judged him; but on the
substance of his book. He has, in
'"The Blood of the Conquerors,
worked out an excellent idea for
a novel. The story that he has
given the public should have been
the outline from which he devel-
oped his plot.
He handles his hero and heroine
as though he was only vaguely
familiar with them. He never once
makes a deep study of their char
acters, nor does he give logical
reasons for the motives that
prompt them to act in critical cir
cumstances. A woman who lovee
as his heroine did, would surely
leave her family and live with the
man she loves, unless there was
some powerful reason against it.
Ferguson leaves Ramon a puppet,
and his heroine an enigma.
His Penitente scene, which is
the most vivid sketch in the book,
is handled in disinterested and
hurried way. With this subject as
a nucleus, he could have woven a
powerful interest into his novel
and created in his eastern readers
a potent desire to visit this coun-
try where group of natives with
a religion similar to that existing
among the world famous sect OF
Oberammergau, is to be found.
Instead, he has allowed a desire
to criticise the priesthood and a
few local men, to dominate over
tho more sane procedure of criti-
Ching people as a whole. His Grit
icisms are, no doubt, we'll founded,
but they should be left to a more
talented writer.
For the reasons named his book
is not great, and will live only a
short time.
u ANDEp CON
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
BENEDICT XIV.

The pope IS dead, In respect, reverence or love,
perhaps in all three the world bows its head.
Measured by the intellectual standards of the
world, the pope may not have had a great mind
But he had a great heart and great spiritual insight
Such spiritual gifts the real measure of great
ness They give praise, judicious wisdom and vision
The pope cosmopolitan-he was the friend
Of the whole world He liberal in spirit and
broad in sympathy, He devoted himself to mitigat-
ing the suffering of a war which he powerless
to stop.
Acceptance of his dogma IS not essential to
regret at his passing. great, calm, helpful spirit
has gone to the Maker in whom he trusted
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
THE FoRTNIGHTLY CLUB.

The public will not criticize the Fortnghtly club
because of the curtailment of the program of Vr-
gnia Rea. The illness of the artist was the fault of
no one. More than half Of the program rem
dered. The universal practice is to return the
money only in cases where less than one-haf the
entertainment is given,
The Fortnighuy club did the generous thing by
paying the artist in full She bravely tried to keep
her contract and incurred weeks illness which
might have been avoided had her thought been for
herself only.
The public appreciates the efforts of the local
musical organization.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
BOOK ENDS

w. L. George. the English novel;
list, has arrived in this country for
another lecture tour. Little, Brown
& Co. announce the following
printings of Mr.. Georges books
which they publish Second
Blooming" sixteenth printing.
"Blind Alley" fourth printing:
1.-THE Strangers Wedding" third
printing; THE Little Beloved"
fourth printing; and The Intelli-
gence Of Woman" third printing.
When Rudyard Kipling was
made Doctor of The Sorbonne re-
Gently, he gave an address at the
University of Paris before Presi-
dent ,Millerand and an audience of
5000 in which he expressed his be-
lief that the world will continue
upside down for at least another
four years. 1--WE hope much of
Washington" he said. 81 see
world peace, not far away on the
horizon, but quite close up. II
takes seven years for wounded
organism to be re-established, and
1t will take like period for the
world to regain its equilibrium"
New novels by Fl. G.. Wells, Sir
Harry Johnston, May Sinclair, e.
M. Delafield, Eden Phillpotts, Mary
S. Watts and Edgar Lee Masters
will be published by Macmillan in
the spring.
This month a biography Of Clara
f. Barton will be published by
Houghton Mifflin company. It's
author is the Rev. William e. Bar
ton, and he has had access to many
letters, journals, official papers
and other first hand material.
Enos Mills, the nature guide.
has recently completed new book,
Watched by Wild Animals,
which Doubleday. Page & Co will
publish in the spring
o. Henry as a Lyric poet is to be
introduced to music lovers this sea-
son by the young composer, Alex
ander MacFayden, whose musical
setting of 1.-THE Crucible" will he
featured this season by the John
Church company. The song is in
scribed to Carolina Lazzari who.
says Musical America, will UNI
doubleday sing it in her recitals.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
QUOTATIONS
Logan PearsaIl Smith Writes u
Book of New Ones.

More Trivia by Logan Pearsall Smith.
(Harcourt, Brace q Coz
A constant reader of novels
once confessed that his chief
pleasure in them came from the
discovery OF quotable passages.
He didn't care much why or
how Mr.. Drifting saw in through,
but was repaid when he found
this comment by Mr.. Wells on the
futile attempt of the allied armies
to check the Germans in the
early days of the war: ut was as
if David had flung his pebble
and missed"
To that reader of novels. the
writer recommends More Trivia"
by Logan Pearsall Smith. 1t is a
SECOND installment of Trivia
which the same author produced
in 1917, much to the delight of
Christopher Morley and a host OF
others.
1t is as quotable as most pre-
pared collections - more so, be-
cause it's views are fresh while
those from the carefully COM
piled books are too well known
to be stimulating.
Take the first paragraph:
look at my overcoat and my
hat hanging in the hall with re-
assurance for although l go out
of doors with one individuality to-
day, when yesterday l had quite
various selves buttoned UP togeth-
err, and enable all these otherwise
another, yet my clothes keep my
irreconcilable aggregates of psyche
logical phenomena to pass them
selves off as one person.
Or this:
The talk OF most people is SIM
ply--how shall l put it?--sim-
ply the ticking Of clocks; 1t marks
the hour, but 1t has no other in
terest.
An eloquent essay, is it not, on
the manner in which current
topics limit the vocabulary and
thoughts of the average individ-
ual, and as tersely phrased as
Strickland Gillilan's poem on The
Antiquity of the Microbe. Adam
Had En-"
&C. p. A.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
SEEK FRIENDS IN HOUR OF
NEED

I'm the hour of need we quickly
seek our best friends" writes Chas,
Schr!dd Ward de Wet. 957 73rd
Ave, Oakland, Cal. "our little boy
and girl had a severe dry, rasping
cough without phlegm, a cough
that chokes and flushes the face of
the sufferers like unto commissions.
Foley's Honey and Tar was a Won
derful emergency remedy" Cases
like this give Foley's Honey and
Tar its reputation as the best rem
edy for coughs and colds. Sold
everywhere.
Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-23
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS.

Down in Nashville, Tenn, is negro 81 years
old, who elevator in a department store.
Amusing himself during his leisure hours by manip-
ulating some old wire from baled hay, he conceived
the idea OF fashioning it into rat trap. The trap
worked so well that he won a rat-catchng COMPETE
tion held by the Commercial club Of that city. Now
he has been offered $4,000 cash for the patent