The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-01

most unhappily. thing TO be expected. in
proof Of which no stronger evidence need be
alleged than that patent to the Abstract re-
porter in the community where tho defaulter
| had his home, and where. In spite Of his repu-
tation for tho strictest probity. II was univer-
sally believed that he had run away with other
peoples money merely because he had been
absent twenty-four hours without accounting
for his whereabouts.
At this point Maxwell wove In the material
he had gathered on his visit to Hatboro'. and.
without using names or persons, contrived to
give q vivid impression Of tho situation and
the local feeling. He aimed et the rhetorical
attitude. and. with some imitation Of Taine's
method and manner. he achieved It. His whole
| account Of the defalcation had closeness OF
texture which involved every significant de-
tail. from the FIRST chance suspicion OF the de-
faulter's honesty to the final opinions and
conjectures Of his fate. At the same time the
right relation and proportion Of the main facts
| were kept, and the statement was throughout
| 80 dignified and dispassionate that Il had the
| grace Of something remote In time and place.
| 1t was when the narrative ended and the crit
| ical comment began that the artistic values
made themselves felt. Kicker had been free in
his recognition Of the excellence Of Maxwels
work. and quick to appreciate It's Importance
to the paper. He made the young fellow dis
jointed compliments and recurrent predictions
concerning II. but there were qualities in It
that he felt afterward he had not been just to.
| OF course II owed much to the mere accident
OF Maxwells accumulation Of material about
Oscillations for his play: but he had known
mon break down under the mass Of theta ma
terial. and It surprised and delighted him to
see how easily and strongly Maxwell handled
his. That sick little younRster carried It all OF
with an air Of robust maturity that amused as
we'll as surprised Kicker. He saw where the
fellow had helped himself out, consciously or
unconsciously. with the style and method Of
his favorite authors: and he admired the philo-
sophie poise he had studied from them: but no
ono except Maxwell himself was In the secret
o: the forbearance, the humane Temperance
with which Northwick was treated. This was
q color from the play which had gone to pieces
In his hands: he simply adapted the concep-
ton OF q typical defaulter. as he had evolved IL
| from hundred instances, to the case of the de-
| faulter In hand. and It fitted perfectly. He had
meant his imaginary defaulter to appeal rather
to the compassion than the justice Of the thea
tire. and he presented to the reader the almost
fatal aspect OF the ofYonce. He dwelt upon the
fact that the case. so far from being isolated or
exceptional. was without peculiarities, was
quite normal He drew upon his accumulated
facts for the proof Of this. and with q rapid Or
ray Of defaulting treasurers, cashiers, SUPER
intendents. and presidents he impaired q
sense OF the uniformity in their malfeasance
which Is so tedious to the student They were
all comfortably placed and in the way to pros
perity, II not fortune; they were all tempted
| BY the possession OF means to immediate
wealth; they all yielded SO far as to speculate
| with the money that did not belong to them;
they were all easily able to replaos the first
loans they made themselves; they all borrowed
again and then could not replace the loans;
they were all found out, and all were given a
certain time to make up their shortage After
that a certain diversity appeared: some shot
themselves, and some hanged themselves,
others decided to stand their trial; the vastly
greater number ran away to Canada.
In this presentation OF tho subject Maxwell
| had hardly to do more than to CODY the words
| of certain character in his play: one OF those
| cynical personaees, we'll known to the drama.
whose function is to observe the course Of tho
| action and to make good -humored sarcasms
upon the conduct and motives OF the other
| characters, It was here that Kicker employed
| his blue pencil the most freely and struck out
passages Of almost diabolical persihage and
| touched tho colors of the black pessimism
with q few rays Of hope. The final summing
up, again. was adapted from q drama that
| had been rejected BY several purveyors Of the
| leg -burlesoue as immoral In q soliloquy In.
| tended to draw tears from tho listener.
the hero Of Maxwelps play. whom no
| parted from his young vito and children
| before taking poison, made some opposite re-
Elections on his case. in which he regarded
himself as the victim OF conditions, and In
line ~ da,aulters n come who sbonld an
counter the same temptations and commit tho
same crimes under the same circumstances.
Maxwell simply recast this soliloquy in edi-
torial terms. and maintained that not only was
there nothing exceptional in Northwick's case.
| but that it might be expected to repeat itself
indeflnitelv On one hand you had men edu-