Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-01
COMMENT And CRITICISM.

4 t'hbtth OhufCuhfb fIho CrlbiHp-Nr.
George Moore on tho Morals of Imperial
| ism : The Long niacIay Attack Upon
Rear Admiral Schley.
| remember to have expressed appre-
hensiou some time ago as TO the quality
OF Mr.. Winston Churchill's then forth
coming book, The Crisis. {" 1t did not
appear to me to be in the nature OF
things for so young writer to deliver
himself of an estimable work like
| Richard Carvel" and Immediately
thereafter set about the construction OF
another that would rhold WATER
there have been, some writer's in our
library history capable Of accomplishing
the feat. and daresay Mr.. Howells can
be cited as one always able TO do it.;
hut 1t 10 by no means common. On the
| contrary, it may be accepted as a gem
eral rule that an author who writes one
| good book will not write anuther---
certainly not until large interval OF
time has elapsed. But upon the whuls,
Mr.. Churchill has done fairly well in
The Crisis. ~ The novel may be
olassed as above the ordinary, not only
in style, but in plot and subject, and
1t is unquesttonably interesting, il
sowewhat hackneyed. One can hardly
feliritate him upon his choice OF char
a9ters, nor upon his choice of location,
| although he was no doubt actuated in
the latter Ey the fact that he is
native of st. Louis, and was probably
influenced by an idea that he might
immortalize his birthplace. In that he
has, OF course, signally failed, aa every
writer is apt to do who attempts to
make his home conspicuous by literary
exploitation. The makers OF books so,
frequently hail from outlaudished
places that the least said about their
native environments the better for the
world in general. though do not 90 30
lar as to say that this applies particu-
larly to st. Louis. That city ia not as
aristocratio In it's social appointments
as some other communities of the Union
an invidious comparison might desig-
nate, but 1t does not seem TO be In
Keeping with it's reputation that IL dry
goods merchant an eccentric lawyer, q
young Nortnerner,a scoundrelly Yankee,
pretty girl and few other people OF
like Xix should be utilized to repre-
sent tts urban distinctiveness ia the
early sixties. Richard Cargel was the
grandfather Of colonel dry goods (laryel
Of st. Louis and the charming Virginia
figures as the great granddaughter Of
e'odhoi6t "ho lou hb-RFdDu-
father Richard so gay a dance before
he finally captured her. But "Jinny''
Is no improvement over "Dolly' and
u counter hopper, although distin-
guished by having shot at man Just
to scare him, and pictured as having
the traditional gray hair, with nous.
tache and goatee, is no fitting descendant
OF Richard Oaryel of Carvel Hall.
Tastes and ideas differ, however, as
we'll as knowledge, and Mr.. Churchill
may think the characters he has placed
before us in 1.-The Crisis" are repre-
sentative OF America in the period he
writes of--that u.s., the st. Louis end of
1t, which may be true.
Ibs sketch he gives of Lincoln is
surprisingly commonplace. 1t displays
no evidence OF original reseaf oh Z; indeed,
IL i5 little more than the popular news
paper conception and is hurdened with
the usual Lincoln anecdotes and back.
woods uncouthness. IL he was really
the man such writer's as Mr.. Churchill
would have US to believe, the ascent of
the "rail-splitter'' to the presidency
was marvel of the age. Fortunately,
most of US know that Mr.. Lincoln was.
after all, very murh of a gentlsman.
He was not emotional aud was never
known to pose for stage effects.
Despite its literary defects, its tire
somenees, its artificiality, 1.-The
Crisis" Is we'll worth reading. 1t
brings up the war period viyidiy, aud
throws interesting side-lights upon the
evils OF slavery, which it is we'll We
should remember in these imperial
days. THE Macmillan Co. From Il.
S. X. Butler & Son..
Mr.. William Archer still continues
his real conversations and in a
manner as agreeable as ever. The fol-
lowing from the Pail Mall Magazine is
quite rich-let us say particularly apt,
when considered in relation to present
conditions in both this country and
England.
Mr.. NJ. The moral atmosphere is
unbearable-at least by me. Even so
lately aa Gladstone's day there we're
some remnants OF moral sense in the
national life. He represented all that
is noble In the national character, just
as the present government represents all
the inferior qualities. Why should
live in London to witness the deatruc-
tion OF beautiful buildings aud the
erection Of artistic villa resioepoesY
Why should l live 10 London to road
bad acoouts of bad literature in the
papersY DO you think the modern play
house holds out any inducement TO rns
to remaiu2 But, know you agree
with me about the theatre, SO | won't
enlarge on that.
Mr.. A.: Agree with you! Why, l
disagree with you so utterly that II We
once start on that topic We shall never
get of iu agnip And. in the maan
time, want to hear more of your
reasons for shaking the dust of London
of your feet
Mr.. M: must escape from the
Brixton Empire.
Mr.. A.: Lritish Empire, you mean.
Mr.. NJ: l call it the Brixton EN-.
pire.
Mr.. A. I: Oh, / see! Thank YOU
the surgical operation is complete.
Mr.. NJ: This empire of yulparity.
and greed, and materialiem and hypoc-
risy, that is crawling around the whole
world, tbrottling other races and nation
alities all for their own good, of course
land reducing everything to one
machine made Brixton pattern,
Mr.. M. l am goiug to find u print
tive people, in place of sophisticated
Il may say decadent- people. l am
going 10 search Of air that can breathe
without choking. The first concern OF
every man is the moral atmosphere in
which he lives. Some people are quite
at their ease in an atmosphere of
cruelty, lust of gold, and all the graft
tioatlcnH of the senses. Others desire an
atmosphere III which tenderness, and
pity for humanity and the cultivation
of ideas, count for r1ure than st-ealled