The times., 1898-06-26
HoyyeIis Again.


Howells' latest book will take a worthy |
place in the series of American novels |
which has occupied Mr.. Howells for the |
last twenty years. 1t seems TO have been
his idea to make of East American life |
the sort of picture gallery which Balzac
made of Partisan life, and in this he has
been successful. The books, whose scene !
ranges from Boston to New York and ,
back again. deal with the same charac-
ters TO a certain extent, the minor char
acters in one book serving as the hero
and heroine of another Annie XII
burn, The Quality OF Mercy and The
Story OF a Play" belong in a group. The
Northwicks. who appeared as supernu-
meraries in Annie Kilburn," occupy the
center of the sage in The Quality of
Mercy" together with the Hilarys, an Old
Boston family. A daughter OF the Hiiarys
becomes acquainted with Brice Maxwell.
an impecuniOus, cynical and clever young
journalist with literary ambitions. She is
fascinated by his intellect and personali-
ty and al the same time repealed by his
lack OF social traditions and certain
self-centered, cynical way of looking at
things which seems TO her cold-hearted
but which Maxwell owes rather TO hard
experience and literary training than to
his original nature. The problem here
seems rather fond OF studying. for ii
comes out in at least half his novels-the
| question whether a young woman of So
cial position is likely TO be happy If she
| narries a man without her own tradi-
/ tions.
Although the author always keeps his
! personal opinions in the background, the
| idea is deIicately conveyed that that sort
! of marriage is peculiarly typical OF
| American life. and that husband and wife
are on the whole, more likely 70 be hap
py when there is some social superiority
| on the part of the latter. At any rate,
| whether Mr.. Howells means 10 insinuate
| that a girl ought TO make such a mar
| riage. or that she ought not the fact re-
mains that IN his books she often does II,
| just as she frequently does in real life.
| The American Cophctua does not always
| marry the beggar-maid; 1t is as likely to
| be the princess who gives her hand to
| subject. In the Howells series, these
| themes recur over and over again. Les
| lie BeIlingham in "Out of the Question"
| Jessie Carver in The Minister'S Charge"
| Alice Pasmer in April Hopes" and Lou
| ise Hilary in The Quality of Mercy" are
| more or less of the princess type. In
THE Rise Of Silas Lapham,' The Coast
| of Bohemia, "An Imperative Duty" and
| one or two others we have the situation
| reversed; the man is the one from whom
|
of a Play" is almost the first book in
which Mr.. Howells has deliberately fol-
| lowed up the consequences of such a
marriage by taking the husband and wife
as hero and heroine of a subsequent
novel.
The subtle conflict between the social
traditions of Louise and the hard-work
traditions of Maxwell runs all through
the book, and is a sort of sub-motive.
She has been brought up to think that il
| is the first duty of a man 10 make himself
| socially agreeable; if he has a mind to
| do something in the literary or artistic
line, well and good but he must not
make his work an excuse for not re-
turning honeymoon calls, nor should he
| leave his wife to so 10 lunches and din
ners without him. He, on the other hand,
has been taught through hard experience
| that inspirations must not be neglected,
and has been in the habit of leaving So
cal affairs for such odds and ends OF
leisure remained after working hours.
| But il is by no means indicated that this
conflict is mortal, or that the two young
people are likely to disagree on such sub
jects all their lives.
The main theme of the book however,
is the play which Maxwell writes for a
popular actor. named Godolphin, and it's
reactionary influences upon Maxwelrs
life. 1t may easily be predicted that
this story will not be too popular among
stage folk. In the character of the ac-
tor Mr. Howells has frankly taken the
bookworms View-a view formed in
America, on the basis of the Puritan the
: ory of play actors as ungodly folk of
unwholesome association. He hints that
Godolphin has no business morality and
that he is possessed by an overweenng
vanity and childish sense of Importance.
At the same time he reproduces the SuaY-
ity and personal magnetism of the ac-
tor so that one can almost feel 1t. Flat
tered, petted, courted, a matinee idol,
, Godolphin is a very Tive parsonage in
! deed, and while he cannot be called typi-
| cal of the profession, he certainly is typi-
cal of a certain class of the profession.
There are bits of fine light comedy in the
, scenes between Maxwell, Louise and
| Godolphin, and in the fluctuations of God
olphin between a certain artistic sense of
what the play ought to be and an intense
anxiety that there shall be part in
which he can win all possible laurels.
e Possibly the weak point in the book is
: the introduction of the woman called
S | Yolande Havisham, and the semi Jealous
q attitude of Louise toward her. Miss Hav-
L | isham herself Is fine bit of character
: work. but even with the somewhat pat
g ronizing view of women which Mr.. How
f ellis usually takes, there seems to be nc
e real reason for the insane way in which
Louise torments her husband on the sub
Y iect At the same time there is nothing
# impossible in the situation, and In a bool
e so artistic in its working out as this, i
# savors rather of the hypercritical K
pounce upon a possible defect.
% New York: Harper & Bros. Washing
,f ton: All booksellers.)