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THE ATLANTA- GEORGIAN AND NEWS SATURDAY, MAY 4, 1907.
13
FOUR GOOD BOOKS
REVIEWED BY
ARTHUR PENDENNIS, JR.
“THE END OF THE GAME.” By
Arthur Homblow. (Q. W. Dillingham
Company.)
.Mr. Arthur Homblow, who made a
fairly good novel out of Charles Klein'
play "Tho Lion and tlio Mouse,” has
written a story, called "The End of
the Game,” based upon the fast and
furious life of Pittsburg and Its over
night millionaire habitues. In "The
Knd of the Game," tho author has a
much, better chance (and he accepts
It) in which to show his worth as a
writer, than In the novelizatlon of the
play mentioned. A play may be a great
success on the stage, as in tho case of
"The Lion and the Mouse," and the
presence therein of what would be a
weakness In a book is needed In a
dramatized form to prove'a successful
"mellerdrama.”
Mr. Hornblow has taken for the evi
dent basis for the plot of his new-
book that notorious case of . a certain
steel maker of Pittsburg, head of a
large steel making corporation, but now
living in New York city, who, having
married yourig, long before success came
to him, llnds when fortune does smile
upon him that he was "outgrown" his
wife. In the book, the hero lives a model
life with his attractive and most su
perior young wire, until ho awakes to
llnd himself some twenty times a mil
lionaire. The hero of "The End of
the Game,” Roy Marshall, Is closely
painted to the likeness of the afore
said head of a large steel corpora
tion, whose doings, with actresses in
general and one In particular, has filled
the dally press with his name. As In
real life, so In the book, his sweet
young wife, who has fought the good
fight ,1s.discarded, and she goes to a
far Western state to secure a divorce,
In real life, the steel maker as reported
In the pewspapers of today Is preparing
to marry tho actress on the 7th of
May, while In the book, the artist, who
paints portraits, gives the hero as he
deserved, "tho Icy hand.” In books It
Is pleasant to note punishments re
ceived for 111 doing, even if In real
life thero seems to be at many periods
of the game, a great number of short
circuits In the connection of cause and
effect. There Is no doubt that we reap
what we sow, but It takes a very long
time sometimes, for the tares to out
grow the wheat.
The hero of "The End of the Game”
was the son of a rich man, who gave
up all connection with his rich fam
ily to marry his pretty wife and the
author sends him through many ex
periences In newspaper work In New
York city before he finds his real form,
among the steel makers of Pittsburg.
In this way, Mr. Hornblow has, and
uses very capably, an evident knowl
edge of newspaper work, especially the
"yellow press.” The author deals pret
ty harshly the city editors and their
Ideas as to what constitutes news and
he evidently has not a very good opin
ion of newspaper people as a whole, If
we take his book as an expression of
hi, Individual views. Of course there
are city editors and city editors, but
It Is not fair to assume that city editors
or oven reporters are all or general
ly, In real life, as they are represented
In "The End of the Game."
After the hero arrives In Pittsburg,
comes the period of the great Home
stead strikes and the attempt of the
Pinkerton detectives to land from a
barge on the river to protect the steel
works. Mr. Hornblow knows much
about a steel mill; one can note that
he at least, has been Inside a mill and
has seen steel and Irop made. The
author’s dlscriptlons of the Bessemer
process of steel making Is excellent and
from the book the reader will get a
very good Idea of a great steel plant.
It does not take long for the hero to
prove his worth In Pittsburg, much
?i h £fU£? 8 . th , an e *Perlence teaches his salary.'
mini™ . U ?° Jerome a twenty-time
nli b . ut thl * neither here
nor there, so far as the Interest of the
story is concerned. Neither does the
2855 L ose . * n, erest In the really ex-
cellent book, when the author speaks
of George Stephenson, the Inventor of
the steam engine, getting his Ideas as
to steam, from watching a boiling ket
tle, when In fact It was Watt, who dis
covered steam control, not Stephenson,
who only applied Watt’s discovery.
Mr. Korhblow scores many center
shots in his handling of the new Pitts
burg rich, and in view of the constant
appearance in the newspapers of some
Pittsburger, with his or her Incidental
paranoia, the oythor's new book not
only Is interesting and well written
but no doubt will prove to be a good
seller. The book deserves the latter.
“THE MYSTICS," By Katherine Ce
cil Thurston. (Harper & Bros.)
«*rS ver * rone W ^° * iajf rea d with pleasure
•The Masquerader,” and even “The
Gambler,” by Katherine Cecil Thurs
ton, has a right to expect something
quite superior from this author In the
way of Interest-holding books.
MyKtlc*.” while copyrighted In
1904, but only issued by the great firm
of Harper & Bros., April, 1907, is a
good, clean, wholesome novel, but an
author who has sent forth “The Mas
querader” certainly has set a very high
standard for other literary work. It Js
under such a disadvantage, If It can be
so designated, that the author of “The
Mystics” submits her later novel. It
Is only by comparison with her earlier
published stories that any real fault
can be found with “The Mystics.”
John Henderson, the hero, has been
disinherited by hls father. After the
death of the latter, John, under stress
of poverty, goes to accept a position
with ^hls uncle, his father's brother,
who succeeded to the titles and riches
of John's grandfather. The book opens
with John sitting by the death bed of
hls uncle, filled with hopes of hfrrown
succession to- the money of the family.
The will of the uncle discloses the* fact
that John has been left with only
$2,500, the balance of the large estate
going to a mystical, sqpret society, to
which hls uncle belonged. By going
through the dead man's papers, John
discovers the only written or printed
copy of the “mystic bond,” which, un
der directions given, he Is to deliver 10
the “Arch-Councillor” of the Mystics.
In this bond Henderson reads that it Is
the belief or make belief, as the case
may be, that there shall come unher
alded to the Mystics a “prophet,” with
certain physical marks, and filled with
certain speeches, which shall give him
control over all members of that mys
terious band. John Henderson makes a
copy of this bond for supposedly ob
vious reasons.
There Is just here a lapse of ten
years, when Henderson, versed in East
ern lore and with his chest and other
parts of his anatomy marked with
crosses and weird signs, enters the
meeting hall of “The Mystics” to be
acclaimed their prophet. Of course
every reader can see that John's Idea is,
through hls connection with the mysti
cal band, to secure possession of the
immense amount of money which Is by
hereditary rights his own, and then
escape. And this John Intended to di,
when enters upon the scene, with soft
music and possibly by “the winding
stairway” the ever present “woman In
the case.” Those old Frenchmen cer
tainly understood human nature, fir
when anything out of the ordinary
would happen they would always begin
to look for the woman. Of course John
Is enamored with this creature of love
liness. As the book puts it, he couldn't
very well have avoided It and “draw
You see, this Is Just the
way women Interfere with the work
ings of mere man’s mind. Here was
John getting ready to make a steal (It
was by rights his own money, of
course), and make a run for cover and
along comes a charmer, who, through
his love for her. steera |im In the
straight and narrow path. From this
moralizing, you, reader, can Bee tho
plot. John Henderson, through his
love, gives up his flgbt for his own
money and wins hls sweetheart. On
the theory “that the world’s well lost,
etc., etc.,” John came out all right.
Some of us might have preferred the
money to the'heroine of “The Mystics,”
but that, of course, Is strictly a matter
of Individual taste and opinion. The
book Is very readable, well worth the
price, and also the time spent In pe
rusing-it.
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CHARLES R. MYERS, Owner and Proprietor, Atlantic City, H. J.
“THE VEILED LADY AND OTHER
MEN AND WOMEN.” By F. Hopkln-
aon Smith, (Charles Scribners Sons.)
When the reader finishes and lays
aside one of Mr. F. Hopkinson Smith's
charming short stories, he feels Just
os if he had hail a Ions, pleasant talk
with an old Intimate friend, about other
old and new friends. There Is some
thing very delightful about Mr. Smith's
short stories. This reviewer has often
tried to discover Just wherein the
charm lies. It must be the Intimate
way in which Sir. Smith Just enfolds
his readers in his great, outstretched
arms full of delight to anyone who ac
cepts hls Invitation to go to any old
place with him.
“The Veiled Lady and Other Mon
and Women" Is a collection of eleven
delightful short stories, ranging In
scene of action from Venice, Stamboul.
South America and good old United
States. In hls new book Mr. Smith
claims tn hide himself behind that fa
miliar old nom de plume of “the staid
old painter.” and. speaking of the old
painter or-even tho lighthouse builder,
both of which Mr. Smith has been In
real life, tho only objection one can
find to this new book from Mr. Smith
Is the majority of illustrations, and
especially those Intended to show the
dear old painter. We all know that
Mr. Smith never In hls whole life look
ed like the frontispiece In hls new book,
and even If he did, we wouldn't admit
It. ahd would not willingly 'give pub
licity to It. There Is ono Illustration
In the charming book that covers the
proverbial "multitude of sins,” and that
is evidently from Mr. Smith’s own deli
cate stroke, called the Rio Gulseppe
Canal In Venice. . The readers of the
book will only wish there were more
such pictures.
The first story In tho collection Is
"The Veiled Ijtdy.” who 'has for her
background Stamboul, and characters
made up of the veiled young person
herself (who has been abducted by de
signing parents and kept In prison from
her sweetheart), her lover nnd the old
painter. The staid old painter assists
In freeing the veiled lady and re
uniting two loving young hearts.
In "Loretta of the Shipyard" Mr.
Smith tells again as the "staid old
painter” a pretty little love story of
Venice. Tho reader con Just see. and
with the hero love Loretta, for she Is
very lovely and alluring.
In "A Coat of Red Lead,” tho author
gives us an amusing account of the
construction nnd sale of n light house
for a South American port. There arc
eight other stories, all full of beauty
and color, and It Is difficult to attempt
to give an Idea of their charm, of
which all of thorn are full to overflow-
Infr.
Mr. Smith's greatest attraction In
hls story telling Is hls Intimate knowl
edge of people and things. There Is no
bad taste left In the reader’s mouth
or worse, "bad thoughts In hie mind,
after perusal. The reader Is a better
person for the enjoyment of anything
coming from Mr. Smith’s gifted pen.
May many, many more such storiea
come to all of us.
"FOUR YEARsTuNDER MARSE
ROBERT,” by Major Robert Stiles.
(The Neale Publishing Company.) If
a reader of this review wants a de
lightful story of the Civil war, hosed
on facts and Interesting Incidents of
those stirring times, there Is none that
III.suit better than "Four Years Un
der Marse Robert." This Is not a new
book, that Is tiwsay. It was not Issued
recently, but viewed In a larger, broad
er sense. It will always be a new book.
"Four Years Under Marse Robert” was
Issued In 1903-1904, nnd It is so un
usual and Interesting that It ought to
he mentioned every now and then, so
that Southerners may know that such
a fascinating picture of Oenerul Rob
ert E. Lee and hls great army has
been written and Is waiting to be read.
Major Stiles, the author, seems to
have raught. as one reader puts tt,
"the soul of the conflict." In any way
the book is viewed It satisfies.' The
reader takes long marches with that
great army of Northern' Virginia and
he fights with them. too. A book
that coven such a varied and excit
ing field Is difficult to property review,
but It Is sufficient to say that Major
Stiles takes us from the beginning of
the wnr; tells how he and many othere
enlisted In that great conflict, how
they fought, whut kind of soldier the
Southern hero was, what he felt and
what he thought.
Tho book reads like a romance. No
great piling up of figures and dates,
but a thrilling picture of the match
less soldiers of the Confederacy. We
Southerners with all of our grent lovo
for those grand old heroes surely can
never-read enough about them.- The
books have been written, are still be
ing written, and better, are fostered
nnd published by that splendid house,
thj Neale Publishing Company, of
Washington. D. C.
Southerners need not. In their de
sire for romances nnd for stories of
exciting Incidents, seek tales of the
West or elsewhere outside of our own
country In order to secure the desired
mental activity and gratification. We
do not read as much as we ougjit of
our own grent Southern ■ men and
women, and It Is to be hoped that the
admirable work which the Neale Pub
lishing Company Is now doing In en
couraging and bringing out Southern
literature will bo appreciated and
given a helping hand by the reading
masses. We have some splendid
writers south of Mason and Dixon’s
line, but we do not seem to realise
It, possibly on account of our South
ern proclivity of taking everything
that comes as a matter of course. We
really have to go out of the South to
find out what really big men are Mr.
Joel Chandler Harris and Thomas E.
Watson, the latter the author of "Story
of France" and "Napoleon" (two books
accepted In France as masterpieces).
We are a wonderful people, of course,
but let us read more of the works of
our great Southern authors and Ree
what really has been accomplished.
There Is plenty of good reading In our
midst. If we will Just take a look about
us and see for ourselves. This Is not
Intended as an advertisement of the
Neale Publishing Company: It Is only
a ffcw deserved words of rightful
praise.
To go back to "Four Years Under
Marse Robert,” of course, the title Is
taken from the loving appellation given
by hls soldiers to General Lee. There
Is nothing In the book In the wny of
controversy: It Is full of attractive pic-,
tures (sometimes pathetic, but always
Inspiring) of those.noble old soldiers.
Major Stiles was a man apparently of
strong religious convictions and a most
Interesting part of hls delightful work
Is that which deals with the spiritual
side of the men. who fought Grant and
faced death from the opening bf the
war until the curtain was rotted down
at Appomattox. All together, the book
Is charming and Instructive.
THROUGH
SLEEPERS.
BROILER BUFFET SERVICE
VIA GEORGIA RAILROAD TO NOR
FOLK, VIRGINIA, ACCOUNT OF
JAMESTOWN EXPOSITION.
LEAVE ATLANTA 7:30 A. M.
DAILY.
NOTICE!
Thei mayor and general council of the
city of Atlanta Invito bids for lighting
the streets and public places of said
city for terms of one year, two years,
three years and five years, as per speci
fications contained In a resolution of
said mayor and general council ap
proved April 21, 1907, a copy of which
resolution win be furnished upon appli
cation to the clerk of council.
Bidders shall specify the maximum
price to he charged by such bidder to
any person, firm or corporation, within
tho city of Atlanta, during the term of
contract with said city, for electric cur
rent or electricity, for light, heat, power
or other purposes for which electric
current may be used.
Bids addressed to the mayor and gen
eral council should bo filed with the
clerk of council and will be opened on
May 6, 1907, at 3 o'clock p. m„ the
council chamber.
The right to reject any or nil bids Is
reserved. W. J. CAMPBELL
Clerk of Council.
TAX NOTICE
State and County Tax
Books now open. Make
your returns at once and
avoid the rusli, Books
II close in a few days.
T. M. HRMISTEAO,
Tax Receiver.