The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-18
RECENT FICTION.


In 'sThe Damnation Of Theron Ware
(Chicago: Stone q KimbalD Haroio
Frederic has given US one of the strong
est novels of the year. with it's colors,
however. mostly drab and its lights
not nearly SO prominent as its shadows.
il is a good specimen OF that modern
realism which delights to seek out the
weak spots In human nature and elabo-
rate upon them until one would think
there were nothing but weakness, moth
ing but failure, nothing but deteriora-
tion in life. TO be sure. the authors OF
these depressingly accurate transcripts
reply to criticism that they simply hold
the mirror up to nature. and are re-
sponsible only for the fidelity with
which they catch and hold the refiec-
tion in the glass. Yet 1t Is q sugges-
tive II not an discriminating. cOinci-
dence that the glass is rarely poised
before human nature at its best. Almost
without exception the mirroring re-
fleets 1t at it's worst. Perhaps the bad
is more picturesque and more fascinat-
Ing than the good: at all events, in
realistic novels, it Is more common.
We cannot, with the time at our COM
mand, present an adequate synopsis of
Mr.. Frederic's book. Its story Is, how
ever. thus limited at rather than dis
closed by Mary Abbott In the Chicago
Times Herald:
Going with his wife to a small village
called Octavius--a small itinerant Method
list minister, with good oratortcal gilt.
apparent or say temporary sincerity, and
deep love for his uncventful but sweet,
self.denying wife. Theron Ware falls un-
der the influence uf Roman Catholic
priest and Roman catholic woman. rich
and tmbucd with Il love for music, the
Greek spirit and artistic taste. New, eX-
citing. passion-compelling. Theron begins
with seeing the office of extreme unction
administered to a dying workman. and be-
comes fascinated by Roman rites. and the
romantic episodes with which the life OF
Roman priest is surrounded. Romantic.
that Is compared to Theron's Methodist
sparsities of living and denrth of ritual.
Little by little he withdraws from his
own religion. gaping as he goes. at the
delightful vistas opened to him by friend-
ship with a scientific writer, learned
priest. and beautiful woman Of ad-
vanced tendencies.
The woman herself is badly scumbled
in the drawing. She behaves badly, and
has no claim to be as indignant as she
aftcrward becomes with Theron. Let her
disgust be what it may at his conduct,
she leads him on. and long after she has
voted him a bore and nuisance. She
even offers to kiss him one dusk, when he
was--and she knew it-given up to strong
excitement under hitherto unknown press
ure.
Vn6 great scene is tnat III winch IHeTOH
ytrays to the door of Celia's house, and Is
led by her to her boudoir, or den, where
she has surrounded herself with all sorts
of accessories most intoxicating to man
Of Therons temperament and innocence
Of accessory. Brought up on farm,
companion of shaving. hard-tisted Meth
Odists, Theron is taken by an exquisite
woman, with whom he Is already fascinat-
ed. into a room filled with bewildering
luxury of hanging and ornament, and
then maddened by voluptuous music,
heard for the first time in his life. Tho
novelist may put words of disgust and
condemnation into Celia's mouth, at the
end. and upbraid him by that organ, for
his many backslidings and faults OF dis.
loyalty to his humble home. wife and
church. He can never excuse Celia Tor
her wanton elaboration In leading the
poor soul on to what might have been
his madness. as well as his ruin, that
night. And artistic value is lost when
Theron Is made to appear the fool, in that
episode. Naked statues, seen for the first
time under those auspices. gleam at the
confounded gazer; pictures delight his
senses; incense fills his nostrils. He Is
made comfortable-he is just out from a
are filled with the ravshing sounds Of
Chopin; the Fourth Prelude" the sixth
Nocturne," the Seventh Waltz"
A beautiful madonna gazed at him from
the wall "He looked from the madonna
to Celia. Beyond the carelessly dropping
braids and coils of hair, which blazed be-
tween the candles. he could see the outline
of her brow and cheek. the noble contour
of her lifted chin. and full-modeled throat
all pink as the most delicite rose leaf Is
pink, against the cool lights of the altar
? But that WAS not all. nor half. Celia left
him. stunned, dreaming. and returned
in exquisite Greek dress-and played
some more. She sang lullabies and hal
ladies' that sent his senses swirling. She
brought him benedictine to drink when
he was faint-the first approach to wine
y,n hoI do ~ n
wife boiling beef. and his church full
drawing, nasal psalm singers!
Again, some days later, Celia let him
make love to her; he did not know 1t. but
she did. He becomes desperate. follows
Celia to New York. wither she has gone
with the priest, Father Forbes, on an ex-
pedition resembling very much an elope-
ment.. And here comes one OF the most
touching episodes Of the book. Theron.
besides himself, with love excitement. the
memory of her voluntary kiss tingins ana
inhaming his passion, pursues her, ana
tells his love, utterly ignoring the fact
that her other lover (aS he can but sup
pose) Is with her.
1t Is here that the Circe casts him off,
coldly, brutally, calling him, at the
:. limit of the passion which she had de-
liberately invited and excited, nuis-
woman, we are moved to say, Is not
satisfactorily drawn. 1t is brilliant,
picturesque, one might almost say
damnable in it's fascinations, but not
convincing. II such women exist OUT
side of novels, we do not know 1t. Much
more true to life is Mr.. Frederic's pic
ture Of Theron's wife-an honest farm
er's daughter, commonplace but cheer
ful and unsuspicious-one of those
models of uneventful domesticity who
are content to go through life, perform
In In, tho ho otx nd fnnCfinn nf
servant and helper. without any wish
to shine. Methodism Is full Of such
good, clean-m minded, unObtrusiVe
preachers wives, and it Is. by the way,
to the credit Of the cloth that the min
istry Of Methodism boasts few Theron
Wares.
Mr.. Frederic is like to get a double-
sized hornets nest about his ears by his
impartial administration of realism to
both Pfetesta,ftts- aid Catholics The
Catholic Father Forbes whom he sets
as foil to the weak, vacillating, sus-
ceptible and utterly unseasoned young
Methodist parson, Is a picture that few
Catholics will relish. Fair fat and sy-
baritic, lover Of good wine and an
epicure, he presents to every one Of
Theron's principles an embodied an
tithesis The picture Of the first meet
Ing of these two men upon what might
be called controversial grounds-al-
though, to tell the truth. Theron was
too dazzled to do much controverting-
is significant one. Theron had called
on the priest, somewhat impusively, to
borrow some books that woud elucidate
the character of Abraham, concerning
whom he wished to write. The priest
fell to talking with him. dreamily.
retrospectively, over his after-dinner
cigar, and soon had led the conversa-