New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-10
4 NOVELIST or or PLACE.

| y ,r assumed bv the modern novelist Of a cer-
tain type that II is his function to explain what-
ovor &C. amIss in society and to bring all its OBJ
| scure prob,ems TO solution. This Is not In reality
What the public expects Of him 1t expects him
| to foil n good story and to present series or
| characters more or less like fc, acting and
| sneakjng more or less as their vital prototypes
| do and n he Is successful In this achievement
| he Ia accounted 10 have performed meritoriously
his service 10 society at large and to be worthy
| Of such attention and reward as his works may
draw to him. II does matter whether MS
school be realistic or ideal. whether he presents
to us pictures out OF the region or legend or
fantasy or those living and moving upon the
common earth, like ourselves; so long as ne pre-
sents them happily. and with artistic verisimlli-
tude they are equally welcome and entertaining.
and. always excepting the masterpieces not
abundant in this period, make In general. an
equally slight impress upon the imagination, and
brief record in the memory. It - only when he
becomes philosophical and metaphysical ana
comes before us laden with theories OF social
amelioration and reformation that he assumes
ar ntolera BILE aspect. It might be extravagant TO
affirm that he Is then more terrible than an
army with banners, but, on the other manu. IL
might not be judicious TO declare that nc Is
less SO.
There is something spiritually desolating
In this avatar OF the moralist, compared
with which the most acute physical alarm
would seem but a transitory thrill hardly
To be remembered in the comparison. inc
spectacle OF the prophet who cannot fore-
tell Of the whose vision is out OF
focus Of the magician whose spells are barren
Is comparable with that OF the novelist who
takes to himself tho solution Of all social prob
lens and the explanation OF all the en'gnias
which destiny propounds to man now. as in the
beginning Ike the sphinx helping him to no
answer. but leaving him to stumble upon such
INTERPRETATION az he may lie may seem TO him
SELF and perhaps 70 some others. to bring
lamp of wisdom and prophecy into the dark
spaces Of life and destiny. and to shed round
him something resembling a light OF guidance;
but IL is after all only a will-o'-wisp or flicker
ing marsh fire. reckoning over boys and sloughs
Of despond abode OF COLLINS and chimeras. bet
ter left UNEMPLOYED and their phantasmal dwell
inR uninvaded.
When the celebrated 81 Zola appears as
the analyst OF the religious sentiment In man.
explaining It's origin modes Of action. and prob
a bic ultimate conversion into something ese ne
presents conspicuously the spectacle OF the nov
clist out OF place formulating counsel without
wisdom and pretending to ilumne the mystery
which II obscurcs or the deeper impulses which
animate and control the movement OF society at
large he knows no more than he does OF the
power which regulates the beat and pause OF
his own heart rends the husk OF the dragon
fv or frames the symmetry Of the flying bird
lie may complete his trogy of novels In when
everything Is to be explained the reason why |
evil Is IN the world and the way 20 weed II !
out and make an end OF II: why faith clings along
side by side with unbelief from age 10 age for |
ever together with all the other problems which |
confront the modern, less than the elder.
world. but when they finished and published |
and translated ana spread abroad among the ma |
tons II will be found that he has calculated |
nothing VITAL nor afforded any sign Of sapience |
equal 70 explaining his explanation. They Will |
be good stories. much pulled and praised and |
read but will not contain any message for the
regeneration OF the world nor any piercing beam
of insight into its Commissions. No more do his |
occa sional utterances TO the newspaper interview
err some Of which have recently been given to
the public showing undated confidence In his
own wisdom not universally shared. and dis
eliminating sense Of the value OF Increased pub
licty even to who has such superabun-
dance OF II already.