New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-10
MRS. WARDS NEW NOVEL.
A STUDY OF CATHOLICISM VERSUS FREE
THOUGHT.
HDLBDCK OF BANNIsDALE BY Mrs; Hun m
phry Ward IN Two Volumes Duodecifno PIP
SO9 a3s The Macmillan Company.

,.,ht,shed her first work Of fiction and ten years
since the novel appeared in which she impera-
ttvely commanded wide public attention Miiy
and CI,y" appeared in 1881 and was soon for
gotten -Four years later Mrs. Ward published
her translation OF Amiers journal. ana
through the association OF her name with MS
gained certain respect among readers OF d
philosophical turn Of mind In 1886 she brought
out Miss Bretherton." a novel or some merit
which nevertheless failed to make ns marx
"7ohert Elsmere" appeared In 1883; Mr.. Glad
vtone took II up and Doomed IT, and the au-
,hor's position was assured. 1t revealed the
ethical and metaphysical bent which might have
been expected in the sympathetic Interpreter OF
Am,eI and In more than one way It justified its
nonularity; II had sincerity elevation OF tone
and emotional fervor But II not work OF
art. II was a pamphlet. not novel Robert
Elsu,ere'' has passed In a decade into the limbo
NJ enheneral things Not so David Grieve.
which was published in 1892. In this book Mrs
Ward not only struck more dramatic note
than had previously been within her reach, nut.
under the influence OF It's fires, secured greater
variety OF motive and action. richer Color
mora nfcturesoue more artistic effect. than she
has achieved in any other Of her WORKS hoo-
srt Elsmere" was q parochial study, Tor all i's
h,,nar touches David Grieve" illustrated
wider sweep of the imagination. deeper ana
NJ the same time lighter. nvelier. more nexlole
and more sympathetic conception OF human nat
IRE II is the authors most artistic DOOR, ner
most consistent novel for. although II Illustrates
the perpetual conflict in her of ethical and arts
tic purposes the balance is held true ana the
pereonages not mere types or thought 'hey
are living beings. comprehensive ana coih-
panionable She had. for a time at least, and 70
q great extent although not wholly broken
9th the strictly didactic ideal followed in her
preceding work
In "Marcella." published in 1894. the break
WA II anything. more complete, ana saving
mat the Issues involved IN the story were less
r,,gnant less dramatic less passionate. than
th,se encountered In David Grteve." we might
.,r,ost SAY that a higher level had been reached
vYr,on this occasion Mrs Ward seemed 10 be
snrxoaching the realm Of romance Ethics still
held their place and indeed. politics. economics
oIled almost as large part In the life OF Mar
DELLA Boyce as her emotions, but the latter were
given free play. especially around the nero OF
the book. One felt that Mrs. Ward was ge'uhg
nearer to the rank Of powerful noVehst one
VINO can treat not only religion, politics. love-
ZACH for its own sake, but he's clear enough
wisdom and a wide enough sympathy to realize
their interplay among human beings. Prior 70
the publication Of David Grieve' she mad
seemed incapable OF treating these things unless
she could treat them one at a time. The story
Of Bessie Costrel." published in 1898. was tragic
In motive but lacking in the breadth OF treat
uoent for which. by this time. one naturally
booked to Mrs Ward. "Sir George Tressady," a
rear later. marked further decline. The move
ment OF the plot is obscure the style is often In
hated. and. In spite Of some merits, the book
20 hint hot QNfh0ra
grip of her material is relaxing and leaves an
,uuression Of artifcaty. "Helbeck Of Bannis-
dale" confirms this impression.
We have sketched briefly the steps by which
the disappointing qualities Of this novel have
been reached, because It Is interesting to OBJ
serve how those qualities have been anticipated.
how they spring from nothing more nor less
than a reversion TO the ideas to which we had
hoped Mrs Ward had said farewell. She began
with an ethical and religious preoccupation In
"Helbeck OF Bannisdale" she returns TO the old
atmosphere Of religious discussion. and now ban
ishes from 1t almost every other element OF hu-
man interest She has repeated herself TOO, in
another way. disclosing a curious lack Of re-
source The heroine OF "Helbeck Of Bannis
dale" like the heroine OF "Marcella," faces the
world with practically no assistance from her
PARENTS and Handicapped with troublesome
woman falls in love with an arstocrat of con-
sentative stripe. and each plies him with prig-
gish arguments. One is a free thinker, and the
other a socialist, but both have the same mark
Of the indiv.dualist defy!ng established order.
and each goes through the same process toward
her lover accepting him. then rejecting him, and
finally accepting him again. Only IN "Marcella"
the heroine lives-to bore us in 'Sir George Tres
sady"-while Laura Fountain regrets her second
surrender to Helbeck of Bannisdele and des-
perately throws herself over a cliff.
These points Of resemblance are trinng, II you
IKE. but they suggest a paucity Of invention
which Is exposed still more by "Helbeck Of Ban
nisdale" as a whole. 1t is az much pamphlet as
Robert Elsmere." The hero's devout Cathol-
cism Is pitted against the heroine's freedom of
thought and womanly independence OF feeling.
The battle is waged through two volumes. chiefly
through the medium Of talk. few other fig
ures appear among them a pallid lady named
Augustine who is Helbecks sister and Lauras
stepmother. but save picture Of faced piety
she counts for nothing. Though the author
makes her partly responsible for the heroines
second acceptance of Helbeck, she dies in the
same hour and leaves Laura just where she
was In the first place Augustine is a wrath.
nothing more A filtration between Laura and
ciownish cousin is introduced. and the two are
made the witnesses together Of a tragedy ugged
In by the heels. but neither the Irritation the
tragedy has any obvious relation 10 the story.
Two or three Westmoreland peasants visible,
poked into the foreground now and then for the
sake Of contrast, apparently and the Westmore-
land landscape is also made to play its part
But neither landscape nor peasant has the
SAVIOR Of nature. The central figures are if any
thing. worse. Helbeck is lay figure talking
theology in season and out Of season. When he
has a moments naturaness, and would discuss
other things Laura filings the subject in his face
Neither OF the two discovers to the reader any
persuasive traits. Helbeck grows drier and
drier, proser and prosier, as the tale drags its