New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-23
ANNIE KILBURN.
MR. HOMELESS NEW BOOK.

ANNIE KILBURN BY w. D. IIoweiis. l.nio' Dr.
33i. Harper Brothers
,r Howells's last novel exhibits the Influence
of many disturbing elements upon Inc miho VI
the writer What they call the zeitgeist' III
Germany is strongly reflected in the pages Oh
Annie KilDurnv and the lenses through whlch
current social phenomena arc viewed are not those
of optimism. The heroine is not quite young
woman who, after long residence abroad, re-
turns orphaned to her old home. Ihls is Ne"-
England manufacturing town In transition s''''o
between colonial puritanism and nobody KNOWS
what Annie kilburn stands for that pecuilirV
modern condition of mind in which dissausla'-
ton with social relations they exist is rather
paralyzed than tempered by the operation OF
practical sense which teaches the futhty OF all
the remedial agencies that suggest themselves
She strongly yearns TO do good; to better INC
state of the poor; TO cquaize social conditions
With q woman's impulsveness she begins many
things: with q New-England womans lnteliectuai
alertness she quickly realizes the uselessness o.
her eyperiments But she is not alone III INC
desire TO right wrongs and remove abuses Az
atmosphere of restlessness, doubt ana pcrpcA"y
surrounds the story, which is full OF 1utie IT,
formers and hypocrites and feeble essays do
amelioration undertaken In dens: misapprehch-
sion of what is really needed.
Tolstoi dashed with Anarchy might be said 10
be the most conspicuous f1avors in the BOOK. An
ME Kilburn herself is would-be philanthropls1,
who feels her hands tied by inevitable circum-
stances The Rev. Mr.. Peck is an evangehcai
dreamer who lacks administrative ana co-oroi-
mating power, and drifts into deadly quarrei
with the respectable hypocrites OF his congrega-
ton Gerrish the head and type OF these, Is
vulgar, purse proud, greedy and overpearIhs
tradesman who demands the promises from
his pastor, and is furious when the latter at
tempts to apply the teachings OF Chrlst 10
conduct Putney is an irregular genius VINO Is
strongly drawn TO the side of all the protestants
against modern social conditions; who, as
lawyer, prefers to defend boycotting knights OF
Labor. and who is the opposite of the Gerrish
tribe, Bohemian against Phistine, natrral re-
volten in short Then there is Mrs. Munger, the
social leader, who manages everybody, and wish
ing to start a social union for the benefit OF the
working people, proposes to raise funds by an
outdoor theatrical performance, followed by
supper and dance from which the benetclarles are
to be excluded. Mr.. Howells's art has never oeen
more finely displayed than in the handling Oh tne
feminine elements Of Annie kilburn" Inc
whole episode of Mrs Munger's call upon her
friends for the purpose of gathering opinions as
to the supper and dance plan is described WIN
consummate humor and insight. The vlslt OF
the three former girl friends to Annie upon her
return from Rome is perhaps equally good. There
is marvellous perception and skllful description
in all this; but there is also certain want OF
humanity, which produces a slightly uncomfort-
able impression.
No doubt there are plenty Of people who talk
and act and think very like the Mrs. Mungers
and Mrs. Wimngtons and Mrs. Gerrishes But
Lace
what Mr. Howells makes them seem to be- they
would not be tolerable. In truth even the worst OF
them has more humanity about them than the nov
elist makes allowance for. They not thrown out
in such strong relief in actual life IS TO cxag-
Qerate all their defects. They are seen by
softer and more genial light than that which he
employs. It might be going too far to say thai
Mr. Howells is chargeable with distortion out
he is chargeable with dwelling too much upon
unpleasant traits and depressing phenomena. NO
doubt the perplexities the restlessness the pes
simism the hypocrisies the social shams and i'm
pastures, brought in evidence by him have an OBJ
iective existence, and the artist cal frame
picture Of society which shall put them at the
front without Justification. But such picture
cannot be accepted as q perfectly candid ana
faithful representation and it will not help any
of us to get to the bottom of the difficulties 1t
problem it surrounds with lavish an atmosphere
Of artificial fog In the case OF Mr.. Peck the
ingenuity of the author, elastic as it is, seems
for once to have been at fault for he
has been apparently compelled to get rid of
this unmanageable reformer by the commonplace
and inartistic expedicnt of railroad accident |
lust as he WAS setting out in new line of philsn-
thropic experiment.
Mr.. Peck indeed is not clearly drawn. He is |
dimly outlined at the beginning and we never get
much closer to him. He reacts upon Annie |
Kilbuln more powerfully than seems quite i'll
telligible from what we know of him; or perhaps |
it would be truer to say that in order to explain
his influence the reader is obliged to depreciate
Miss Klburns ntelligence-which, it may be pre- |
sumed is not what the author intended. The
strongest best vitalized. and most interesting |
character ia the book is Putney. the brilliant
Bohemian lawyer who passes his life in cease
less struggle with the lust Of drink, and is now and
then overcome by his enemy Putney strikes us
as one Of the most natural, strongest and best |
compacted characters Mr.. Howells has created |
His iaillngs are as thoroughly idiosyncrated as
are his good qualities. His wit, his satire, his |
quaint terms OF expression, belong to him alb !
solutely. lie is man we know, and he Will 1--we |
by virtue Of his right TO survival DR.. MOrrell on
the other hand, is shadowy 1t might almost be |
suspected that he was an afterthought, brought IN
to save Annie from marrying the Rev. Mr. Peck
a calamity which it became necessary to avoid
by sacrificing the minister. The Doctor is not
much more than lay figure, and, seeing that he
is to be the husband Of the heroine he should have
been filed out and vitalized. He has not half
the individuality of Gerrish the dry goods-store
keeper, who is willing to help the poor, but be-
eves ia making them work for starvation wages
and keep their places at the foot of the social
ladder
Annie Kiburn" has the merit. rather I'M
usual in one Of Mr.. Howells's novels OF cheer
full and definite ending-speaking after the con-
ventions of fiction. Marriage, of course. is IN no
IL -. l. A--. l---..