New-York tribune., 1896-05-24
CURRENT FICTION.
STORIES LONG AND SHORT.

THE n,vvATroN OF THERON WARE BY
harold Frederic l2mo. pp. 5l2' stone q h''n-
THE DAY or THEIR WEDDING ty. BY w. D.
A PARTING AND MEETING prbibeH. by w; - HOW
| WORTH WHILE. ny + F. Montfe'o'' lono ~
lt2. Edwin Arnold. -
A MOUNTAIN WOMAN. BY Ella W Peat'ie' lSTno
Do 25l way & Williams
~ ,p-r r,Irr.Rr. By John " Harding. l6mo,
ID 3e +. Tcnnyson Neely
Tho pamnation Of Theron Ware by Harold
Frederic s the story Of square man who tried 10 III
himself into round hole Theron Ware Is young
Metrodl-. Episcopal minister who. having AMBITIONS
20 employ his talent. In wide h"ld Is assigned 20
m. utt. rural community OF Octavius. Here ne Is
n.s,e ed by his trustees. who are represented IN
manner familiar 70 readers OF fiction as sanctimoni-
ous blgois men who Ike the devil. quote Scripture
and are not above sharp practices At OctaViu''
Theron makes the acquaintance ~ degenerate
Roman Catholic priest and doctor committed to the
theories OF the higher criticism. and ne meets also
tho .ln,.rcs,ing Celia Madden" These friends ac-
compilsh hls downfall His orthodoxy Is under
mined by the lnsldous arguments OF the doctor MS
ideals Of sincerity receive severe shock In the con-
duct Of the priest and his sensuous nature asserts
Irsel, and far"- up Ike prairie fire under the IN
ruence Of Cella's matchlcss eyes and hair. tlti-
ma,eIv hc ncRlec,s his wife and follows Celia 70 New
York where ne declares his passion for her In the
Murray Hill Hotel and Is turned down" for his I'M
pndence As the clrtain falls the tragedy he Is
discovered IN the quality OF manager OF a Western
real estate company. dreaming Of entering politics
Whether Mr. Frederic considers that Theron's
career was in the direction Of degeneracy is not
ind Gated. Stress. however. - laid on the fact
that his nature was compact. Ike the ideal person.
age in Matthew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy.
OF the Hellenic and the Hebraic elements In the
latter quality he enters the ministry IN the former
he becomes Celias slave He yie.ds TO her playing
OF Chopin, to her hair which she shakes
down her shoulders on one occasion Tor
his delectation. and TO the general charm
OF her beauty. He sympathizes also. for
the same reason with her desire to be Greek
and sta-es with open-eyed admiration about her
eccentric music ROOM furnished with antique statues
and PICTURES OF Madonnas which. "a Celia explains
N him are valuable manly because they repre-
sent the maternal idea-an idea which Celia pre-
tends TO admire much as she likes her cigar
cites and benedctine. There Is no doubt at all that
Theron Ware was in bad way. His case Is no''
however made as Gear as We would wish For
Instance while ne was visiting Celia and holding
her arm and kissing her under the trees, and try
ing 70 be generally Pagan. what was AIlce. MS
Wife doing? Where were the trustees! Being the
sort OF men they are represented as helns IN the
first chapter. Is It possible they would Keep quiet
about the minister's visiting the priest? man
docs not wander about q small country town. even
a, night w!thou, attracting comment-especially
II ne be minister.
There are certainly several points which need
eIuciiation And they do all relate the plot.
either Thus Mr.. Fre1erics morals are vague We
do not allude TO Celia ashe has morals and since
she ia trying be Greek rather boasts Of tAe de-
ncency. But there are Sister Soulsby and her nus
band Both have had checkered paSts and yet
both are presented successful revivallsts, and
"professionnI debi-ra,scrs" and their success
Mrs. Soulsby explains to Theron. Is due to their
ability to be good frauds Is it, therefore, Mr..
Freleric's idea tha, all revlvasts are frauds? II
would seem so. at least. The Souabys are
the most human folk IN the book. and they the
most worldly. They set Theron his feet after
he has disgracel himself with Celia, and they
manfesly drawn to be liked. Still another point OF
ethics: Theron follows Celia to New York. and at-
ter drinking bottle OF claret for 'breakfast pro-
poses to run away with her. She declines his prop
ositon the ground that he has made a fool OF
himself not by loving her. but by trying to curry
favor with her and the priest and the doctor by
rd!culing his religion and talking contemptuousiy
Of his wife. In other words. Celia approves OF
everything but deceit and cowardice THE Dam
nation OF Theron Ware" Is OF the moet cynical
books which have been written in recent years
since 1t appears to carry the lesson that worldly
success-as exempfed by the soulsbys-is solely
a matter OF consistent fraud"
IL Is difficult TO determine whether Mr. Howells ex-
poets his last story. The Day OF Their Wedding"
to be received merely es the presentation OF a car
tain phase OF contemporary life, or az a novel With
a purpose, having marriage for Its theme In
neither case, however. may the book be described
an unqualified success. The narrative leaves the i'm
preston Of having been built up OF superficial
observations and woven In a spirit OF only partial
sympathy. In short, Ii fails To convince. Althsa
Brown and Lorenzo Weaver are Shakers and con-
trary TO the rules OF the Family" become foolish"
about each other-in other words fall In love. Lo-
renzo gives due notice OF his change OF heart but
Althea steals away. ashamed to confess her weak
hess; and. as the story opens they are discovered
boarding the train for Saratoga. make their way
In the world outside From this point the tale
Is an analysis OF their Impressions OF their moments
of innocent yielding to worldly deals and of the
stronger moments when the principles of their faith
reclaim them. and they wonder II they are doing
right and II their gentle Shaker consciences can