The Philadelphia Times from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 14

514 PniLADELnilA, SATXJEDAY, APRIL 12, 1902. j- pessimism Is a weakness of the book. AftcMI tuitions than these, which -were selected for the purposes of lil story. The people, 'even though a. number of them are ro-fessors In a college or speak i language of their own.

They, of course, say evening when they mean afternoon. The belle of the village Indulges in such Idiom as: "I sure enough hav'ut time this evening." "Southern girls are a heap brighter than that." "If you think rd be happy any place else you're mighty mistaken." It Is likely enough that this is a correct transcript of the language used In the vil- lage. Tbe however, will study such life only with the aim of learning how to avoid It. The negro problem Race Questions Vigorously Discussed by Thomas Dixon, in "The- Leopard's Spots." Since President Roosevelt gave popularity to the word "strenuous," the adjective has been forced to work overtime. Nevertheless It U.

possible to sum up in this one word "The Leopard's Spots" by Thomas Dixon, Jr. The publishers claim that the book Is as remarkable as "Lncle Tom's Cabin," and before reading it, one Is inclined to accept this statement with considerable reservation. A final decision, however, will be that this claim Is not unfounded. The resemblance between the books Is marked. Like Its famous predecessor, "The Leopard's Spots" Is not a great novel If considered from the li It is a far cry from "Art for Art's sake" to either of these" two.

Both nre too didactic and too polemical to take rauk Mth masterpieces such as "Anna Karenlna" or "Vanity Fair." They are not books written for all time, like these latter, but deal only with temporary conditions and problems. Mrs. Stowc's masterpiece was written to expose evils which are now passed into history, and lu "The Leopard's Spots" Mr. Dixon gives us a sequel to It, stating, with no less force, present evils which may cause much shed-ditiffiof blood before they, too, become dead Issues. "Cncle Tom's Cabin" was a tract In the guise of lictlou; lu Leopard's Spots" we take ringing campaign speech with the same sugar coating.

Both discuss at length the problem of the negro In tbe South, alike treating it with no slight vigor and most unbounded prejudice; Mr. Dixon being as hotly to these descendants of Ham as Mrs. Stone was friendly to them. "Anglo-Saxon Supremacy" Is Thomas. Dixon's war-cry aud his bonk contain little else of value.

True, there is an elaborate land often tedi-ous love-story contained In Its pages. It is written with enthusiasm and sympathy, but somehow It does not attract or convince the reader. Miss Sjllie Worth Is a creation pleasant e'nouuh, but the reader hits a sad fceitng that her veins are tilled with sawdust, rather limn good red blood. It Is not wbiit she doc's throughout the book that gives this impression: both us a duugbtel and as a sweetheart her faithfulness and devotion -ro most meritorious. It la what she does tiot do that irritates the sympathetic reader.

A girl who can. listen to a passionate avowal of affection, seen as Gaston's, ind then calmly reply that she lovej him, hut he may not kiss her until she bus asked "mamma's permission," is undoubtedly a dutiful daughter, but her calmness alienates' the Interest and admiration that such filial conduct ought to excite. It Is difficult to take an interest iu her adventures afterward. Charles Hasten, her lover, is a splendid type of a young American so brilliant, brave and chivalrous Is he but he Is too good for human nature's dally food. There are, however, many strong characters In the book: John Durham, the noblest American of them all, and his beautiful wife, a Southerner "who bad never Miss Susan Walker, of Bus-ton, whose schemes for educating tbe negro, backed by her ample fortune, possibly do more harm than good; the Hon.

Everett Lowell, member of Congress from the same city, who demands perfect equaiity for all men, regardless of color, and yet turtn adrift a yonng colored graduate of Harvard because he aspires to Miss Lowell's hand In marriuge. Amidst a host of figures there stands he unique ex-slave aud member of Congress, whose facility In bar-terlng his influence for gold gives rise to the aphorism that "he had been sold seven time and only got the money once." Most of the characters, however, seem to be types of many living men rather than Goethe, who was then 25, and already a man of mark. It was1 a case of love hi first sight. boy had found his bride the bride his mother designed for him before'' he had gone far on- his tonr, aild when he later brought home the beautiful Louise of Darmstadt as his Grand Duchess, Goethe promptly followed. He Mime to pay a visit; he remained through practically the whole of his lifetime, to make Weimar a centre of German -thought.

Goethe's supremacy at Weimar was not merely that of the man. of letters. He was from the first the close friend and confidential, adviser of the young Iaud Duke, and in due time became officially potent in the Ministry. But in the earlier years his influence was fshown mainly in the picturesque diversions of the court, and. especially in the constant round of dramatic entertainments, were entirely of his creation and iu which the Dowager Duchess was his main sup-Krt.

The Duchess Louise proved' an icy person, who quite disapproved her husband's not always gentle and was not on the best of tonus with her mother-in-law. The latter now had time to devote herself to the muses, arl though she was by no means "precieuse." she developed" a range of learning that even at this day seems appalling. She had a country place away from the town where she held a little pastoral court of her own, and it is quite fair to ascribe to her the establishment of the theatre at Weimar, and of those traditions of dramatic ud musical interest that retained their importance down to a much later period. The story takes a more tragic turn with the Napoleonic wars, when Rue-Weimar escaped entire extinction only at a terrific, but it is no part of the present purpose torelate the history of this interesting Grand Duchy, or even that of the Dowager Duchess. This may be gleaned from Miss Gerard's pages, though not without some application.

She appears to have had access to the court records and makes good use of the correspondenve of Anna Amalia; bnt her manner is discursive and her presentation of her subject not always, coherent, so that often needs to refer to the chronological table of contents to be sure of the sequence of events. Nevertheless she has given a most interesting IKirtrait, or group of portraits, of an un-' usually interesting group of people, among whom the femininely indomitable Duchess is always prominent. The story lias more than the fasciuatiou of romance, aud incidentally it gives the reader some valuable side-lights upon German literary history. The volumes, which are made in Euglaud, are abundantly illustrated with an excellent selection trf portraits and "views." and the reader of historical novels will find it profitable, as well as entertaining, to turn to this true story of a real Grand Duchess and the classical circle of Weimar. A New Translation of Palado Valdes' "Jose." The 11 rent arms bave just issued In a handsomely printed volume from the Helntite-mnnn Tress, of Boston, a new translation of Valdes1 curious little story of life In a fishing village on the rocky coast of Spain, like work of putting the Spanish author's tale Into our tongue has been done by Minna Caroline Smith.

As the title-page Indicates, this Is the "authorised translation," amUlt will revive Interest In the story, which was presented to the English-reading public In another form several years ago. "Jose" is a tale of great simplicity and concerns the love affairs of a tinner-hid and the schoolmaster's step-daughter. The union Is again and ngnln postponed on account of the avarice of tbe girl's mother, who, upon her daughter's wedding-day, will be obliged to give up KHria's Inheritance. The union of the two young people is nnlly brought about by the Intervention of a delightful old hidalgo, the last of a noble race, who takes a great Interest In the lovers. The charm of the work lies not so much In the narrative, but In the desc ription of the life of the fishers aud their families, aud there are thrilling pictures of wonderful storms and shipwreck and death on this rocky const.

The women of the community are famous for their quarrels, anil therein lies the weakness of tbe work as here presented. There are pages devoted wholly to display of the elemental passions of these people, full of foul language and gross vituperation. As the translator bus been greatly handicapped In attempting to put all this into readable English, the result is fur from satisfactory. It all seems very commonplace, but there are several Incidents which will make an Impression on the reader, chief among which Is the picture presented of the old hidalgo, surrounded by all the traditions of his race and living bis life with all the courtliness of the Spanish Middle Ages, but wltbal so poor that be for days at a time Is obliged to go without food. The Bniil scene of the tule Is a great storm at ten, when the rescued, lu hunks-giving for their preservation, go barefooted up the rocky path to hear mass at the old church.

Any one able to read "Jose" In Spanish should find It a work of great charm, tut with the exception of certain portions the present translation of tlio tale must be voted to he quite unsatisfactory. Henry Van Dyko was the poet of the Victor Hugo celebration at Columbia, and his poem Is to be published entire In the May Scrlbuor'g. JWW. Authorized Translation from the Orlgianl Nil A. Paluilo Valilcs.

Minn Vamllne Kmlth. IKmo; Stftt pvi. New York: Brentsno'a. having torn down our pet suiiersMtlons aud prejudices concerning these dusky brothers, Mr. Dixon fails to suggest any remedy for the ills of the state.

There Is an impressive truth about the whole book which Is free from auy ray of comfort. It leaves the reader with a haunting Impression that cold poison, lavishly distributed tbrough the black belt by the Federal government, is the only corrective which will not tend to increase tbe weight of the "white man's burden." Listen to Mr. Dixon's forcible summing up of his rase. "The future American must be an Anglo-Saxon or a mulatto! We are now deciding which It shall be. The future of the world depends upon the future of this Wo-pitbllc.

The Itepublic can have no future If racist lines are broken and Its proud citizenship ginks to the level of a mongrel breed of mulattos. The South must fight this battle to a finish. Two thousand years look down upon the struggle and two thousand years of the future bend low to catch the message of life or death! (iet rid of the uegro? 'e gods, that would be a The negro Is the sentimental pet of the nation. I'ut liliu on a continent alone, aud he will sink like an Iron wedge to the bottomless pit of barbarianisui. The African has held one-fourth of the globe for He has never taken one step in progress or rescued one Juugle from the alio and the adder, except as the slave of a superior race.

He has U-i4 one huudred years of trial In the Northern States of this I'nlon, with' every facility of culture and progress, and he' has not produced one man who has added a feather's weight to the progress of humanity. The more yon educate the more Impossible you make bis position in a demoC-i racv. Can. you change the color of lib skin, the kink of bis hair, the bulge of bis Hps. the spread of bis nose with a spelling book? Is the human donkev.

Yo. can train him, but you can't make of him a horse. Mate hi in with a horse, yon lose the horse, and get i lartrer doukey called a mule, incapable of preserving his Is called our raw prejudice Is siui-' ply God's first law of uature-the Instinct of self-preservation." In seutences equally ringing to those we have Just quoted Mr. Dixon states his ease aud plays upon our sympathy for our race; as agaiust that brown ten million of men and women whom Dixon regards as Imtnea' nrably inferior. The book has both the merits and defects of being written with so evident a purpose, bnt whether Illustrating the failure and dan-; ger of education for these demonstrating that men like Legree, the: ex-slave driver, are more dangerous since the war than before It.

It biases with oratorical fireworks which lose nothing iu con. vincing power from the stump-speaking inrm iu which they are presented. Tbe story treats uf a wide range of events (dealing with the years lS5-inom which, from an MsroTtoal standpoint, have been carefully studied and accurately described. The author's sense of dramatic contrast Is exceptional. Contemporary fiction presents no scene more strongly dramatic and more pitifully true than the futile search for work by Charles Harris, the Harvard graduate, after he has been east off by his wealthy patron, Kverett Uwell.

Though the negro Is a man of high education aud exceptional artistic talent, he finds only one employment open to him, but he revolts at being a waiter. Finally, starving aud footsore, he reaches the town from which, iu his iufaney, his mother, Ellaa Harris, made her thrilling eseape from slavery across tbe lee-bound Ohio river. Here in the market place he finds the funeral pyre of a negro criminal, who has been burned at the stake by an Infuriated white mob, and he realises that under the old slave regime from which his mother fled such penalties were Unknown and unnecessary. Humorous episodes are occasionally Interspersed with the fierce arraignment and with the sombre tragedy of the twok. These are as refreshing as a burst of sunshine upon an April day.

In short, the book will meet with strong approval or disapproval from extreme partisans that range on either side of this contest between white skin vs. black. The larger public that has no opinions merely prejiidiees-about these "wards of the nation," will agree with Mr. Dixon when he says: "Two great questions shadow tbe future of the American peplo-Mhe conflict tie-tween hihor and capital and the conflict between the Africa and Anglo-Saxon races. The greatest, most dangerous aud iniwt hopeless of these Is the hitter.

The towering figure of the freed negro has beeu growing more and niorp ominous, until Its menace overshadows the poverty, the hunger, the sorrows and the devastation of the South, throwing the blight of Its shadow over future generations, a veritable black death for the land aud its people." Aliens," a Southern Story by Mary Tappan Wright Iu "Allena" Mary Tappan Wrighlbas written a story which is entirely without distinction. An effort Is made to bring out certain social differences between North aud South, and while the Idea might yleld'somethlng If It were rightly handled, it Is not likely that It contains any very dramatic elements for the novelist under the best circumstances. At any rute they are not disclosed In this story which is little more thau a few chapters of commonplace dialogue by a number of people who move In a small Southern village. They chatter Interminably about matters which If Interesting to them are calculated to bore others to distraction. One or two Northern people settle lu this community and these are "aliens," falling to understand or admire tbe new life.

If society In such a town has been accurately depicted In these pages the sentiment is easily explained? for most Northerners will prefer to remain "alleua" to such Insufferable stupidity. Even the action which Is Introduced near the end of the book characterised by the general air of sleepiness. A mob and the disturbances between whites and blacks lu tbe South might bave yielded stronger sit- AUKNS. Uy Mary Tappsn Wright. 12mo: 424 tinges.

New York: Charles Hcrlhner's Sons. 1.50. Crises and Crashes as Seen by Con-gresaman Burton. A study of great present luterest In rela- -tlon to the causes of crises, panics ami periods of economic depression by Congressman Burton, of Ohio, reveals ou the part of tbe author much careful reading and a good deal of common sense. It Is a capital presentation of the subject, with frequent appeal to good authorities as la evidenced by quotations lu the text and footnotes aud lu the ample bibliography.

Mr. Burton's work Is largely historical, but be uses his history to construct goneval uses his history to construct general theories and to frame conclusions of much practical importance at the present stage of events In America. His description of finaucial panics and industrial crises in the past are very suggestive and he Indicates clearly that the future Is by no meaus secure from a recurrence of such disasters, "A financial crisis, with Its usual sequence, a period of Industrial aud commercial depression, is Invariably be says, "by a season of great activity marked by much real or apparent pros-' perlty. lu many Instances this preceding activity has been bo marked as to awaken especial attention and to call for congratulatory comments from those exceptionally well qualified to forecast the future of business." He does not hesitate to consider onr present tit ua tlon from the standpoint of the practical man. He finds several conditions which tead to indicate the approach of a period of depression.

Among these are tiie present movement to overcapitalise and float all kinds of securities; the uiau-guratlon of vast numbers of new undertakings, a fluctuating period in the Iron and steel trade, absence of equilibrium between production and consumption In some trades, ns In tbe textile industry, diminished purchasing capacity In other CQim-trlcs. On the other band, signs nre not lacking that prosperity will continue. Among these nre tbe fact that recent development Is largely confined to un extension and improvement of old Industries rather than to new construction, an excellent financial condition, as manifested by ease In the money markets; a currency system better than any we bave had heretofore, the ability to curtail production lu good season because of recent consolidations in management the prosperity of tbe railways and the activity in the shipyards, favorable conditions lu foreign trade. In view of all tbe facts Mr. Burton Is not rash enough to Indulge In prophecy.

modestly expresses the opinion, however, that when a change does occur it probably "will be more like thai preceding 1KK-I, when there was an abatement of activity not accompanied, by a severe crisis; The falling off In commerce and industry will probably be gradual rather than midden and sharp, as was the case lu 1S73 and 1803, aad with much less abatement of activity." Tbe author's conclusions are not always incontrovertible, but his argument h) marked by so much practical sense that his volume la a very welcome addition to current economle literature. The book Is accompanied by tables, charts and much statistical data calculated to prove tbe points raised In the various chapters, all of which will serve to make It very useful for reference In the newspaper oftice, the business house and In tbe library of the mail who wishes to keep himself informed regarding public questions. Sherlock Holmes and His Latest Ad. venture. To those who have lacked the courage to start In upon this hitherto untold adventure of the celebrated detective, which baa for so many mouths been running as a serial lu the Strand Magazine, the annouticeuiout that "Tbe Hound of the llaskervilles," has been put upon the stalls will be welcome news.

The story Itself, while differing very slightly In treatment and the manner of presentation from those with which tbe reader la already familiar, is one of great Interest, it would perhaps be Impossible give any bint of tbe plot without taking the edge off the reader's jest, but It is sutficicut to say that Mr. Holmes' abilities are brought Into play upon the discovery of the cause of the death of certain members of nu old Kngllsh faintly fast 'becoming extinct, in which a mysterious hound plays a prom-Inent part. It is to be questioned whether anything Is gained by making the title so long, for there Is a distinct Impression of "padding," made- necessary no doubt by its earlier appearance as a serial, aud it Is a little disappointing to flud quite so much of our old friend Dr. Watson, whose letters and journals are made use of very freely In working out tbe vurTBug situations, but the famous detective will not suffer for the unearthing of this posthumous record of an Interesting case, and the volume Is one that, when once begun will not be put down until the reader reaches the last page. FINANCIAL CKISKH AND PRRIODR OK IN-DI'STKIAL AND COMMERCIAL OKI'IIKM-SUIN.

Hy Tbeodoro B. Burtou. With IMa-rriu Bibllirniu? slid Imlt'X. liiuo; 3tU piige. Now York: D.

Aiplelon Co. TftK IIOI'ND OF TT1K BASKF.RVILLES. Another Adventure of Hherlock Holme. Hy A. Chilian lhiyte.

lSnio; 240 page. Illustrated. New York: McClure, Phillip. A Co. II.

M. faithful portraits of arty one. The reader recognises them all as types, but "pone as a separate entity whom tbe author has known aud to whom be has Introduced him. I'erhsps this was Thomas Dixon's Intention. His book is a historical document settlug forth, from one standpoint, conditions In the South after the civil war, as "I'ncle Tom's Cabin" from the opposite side showed the conditions prevailing before that mighty coutest.

"The leopird'a Spots' has been written direct from the heart of the author, who presents his subject with an accuracy of detsll which follows upon close study, and an eloquence Inspired by deep feeling. He Intends the book as a slogan to arouse Americans to guard the republic from a danger greater I bun any Imperiling it before the war. He does not Intend It as a pastime for young girls and Idle women. It is emphatically a man's book, the love Interest contained lu It to the contrary notwithstanding. The events strvngly appeal to the sympathy of the reader, but It Is to a racial sympathy for the, men and women of the South as a whole, not for the special Instance 'portrayed on the printed page.

Consciously or unconsciously, "Measures, not Men" Is the motto of the book rather than that riddle of the sphinx printed upon the title page, "Can an Ethiopian change bis skin or a leopard his spots Love Interests and literary values count but little In the face of such facts as Thomas Dixon marshals before us with the strong aud pitiless brevity of a lawyer stating a case. With specif pleading that is cruelly vigorous the hook shows the failure of the War to solve the negro question and demonstrates the fact that It merely enlarged that question from a moral problem to a menace that In scope is nalloual, aud more thau Like a prophet of old, he warns us of a "Ilelgn of Terror" yet to come. In fact, this pervading and conquering 'NIB LKOPAim ft SPOTS, fly Tliomns Mum, Jr. Ten Full-page Uy O. t.

Williams, tamo; 4B New York: loul.lnlii l'OfH Co. 11.60. X4..