Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 May 1915 — The Stories of Famous Novels [ARTICLE]

The Stories of Famous Novels

By Albert Paysog Terhune

Copyright, 1111, by The Preaa Publishing Co. ' (The New York Brenlnr World.) DON QUIXOTC By Cervantes In the Spanish'village of La Mancha dwelt a kindly, eccentric old fellow, Don Quixote, who read so many books of ancient chivalry that he became a little crazy on the subject. He resolved at last to go forth into the world ss a knight errant, avenging wrongs, slaying monsters, overcoming evildoers and rescuing beauty In distress. So he had a suit of armor made over for him: chose as his “Queen of Love anjl Beauty” a plump village girl whom he renamed “Dulcinea,” mounted his aged crowbait horse Rozinante, and, lance in rest, set forth on hii career. A joking innkeeper created Don Quixote a knight, with a ridiculous accolade. ▲ party of travelers against whom he sought to hold a highroad (after the fashion of chivalry's days) beat him almost to a pulp with his own lance. And many another ludicrous misadventure befell him. Bat nothing shook his faith in his qwn mission. One day, chancing to see a line of windmills, Don Quixoite shouted gleefully to his squire: “There are thirty formidable giants I mean to attack. We will kill them and enrich ourselves with their plunder." Deaf to Sancho’s pleas, the knight charged the nearest windmill. His lance caught In one of the swinging arms of the mill and he and his horse were hurled to earth, breathless and half dazed. Don Quixote could not be persuaded he had made a mistake, but declared a magician had foiled him by changing the giants into windmills. Battles, beatings, Insane escapades that ended disastrously followed each other in fast succession. Once the knight and Sancho came upon a traveling clrcnß. In a cage was a huge lion. Here was a chance to duplicate the story of St. George andithe Dragon. Don Quixote ordered the cage door opened, vowing he would slay the monster.

The terrified keeper obeyed the fierce command. The cage door was swung open. And Don Quixote braced himself to meet the charge. But the lion merely yawned and turned Its back on the hero, disdainfully refusing to come oat and kill him. A duke through whose domains the knifdit and squire rode decided to have a liutle fun at their expense. Don Quixote was entertained at the duke’s castle with all the quaint formality of olden days. Ignorant of the fact that he was the butt of the whole joke he hourly threw the court into paroxysms of mirth. The duke pretended to<make Sancho Panza & governor of the* mythical Island olßarataria. The squire’s acts of shrewd common-sense during his brief “governorship” amazed everybody. But, tiring of the cares of state, Sancho at last, ran away from his Job as governor. And he and Don Quixote resumed, their road adventures. The climax came when the knight beheld j a vast army of demons marching against them. In vain did Sancho explain the army consisted of a flock of sheep, attended by several shepherds. Don Quixote charged the “demons,” smiting right and left with his great sword. When several of the sheep had been killed in this way the shepherds' took : a hand in the game. They gave the knight a thrashing. Soon after this Sancho managed to induce master to return home. Don Quixote/died shortly after he reached his own home, his brain clearing just before his death. And the whole district mourned, him —none other so keeply as did' his faithful squire, Sancho Panza. (Cervantes,,in writing Don Quixote, was charged .with "laughing away the chivahy of Spain.” When the book was published, In 1606, it sent the whole { reading world Into roars of mirth. It was, an age when the misfortunes and delusions of an insane old Tr> * >n were regarded as excellent material for laughter, and in which the pathos of the poor knight’s illtreatment seems to have appealed to no one, not; even to Cervantes.)

MIGEUEL. DE CERVANTES-SAX-VEDRA, the most illustrious of Spanish writers, came of an ancient but very jpoor family. His taste for literature : seems to have been developed very* early, and have been chiefly directed towards poetry. In his 22nd year he quitted Spain forltaly, where he volunteered in the Papal Army and fought against the Tirks in the battle of Lepanto, 1671. Hjs continued serving under several lehders til], in 1676, while sailing for the low countries,,he was taken prisoner by an Algerian» corsair. His suffer* mgs and adventures during Iris three years of slavery In Algeria are said to be described in/ his novel THE TIVE, inserted/as an episode in DON QUIXOTE. In 1606 he published the first .part of DON QUDQOTE. Hie appearance of this work of genius speedily made him famous, without, however, rescuing Mm from poverty. ~ / In 1612 he published the EXEMPLARY NOVELS, ia collection of twelve novels tmworthVS of the author of DON QUIXOTE, land in 1616 the seeend part of DON .QUIXOTE was completed. The editions that have besa