The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-04
JAMES LANE ALLEN.
Written for the Philadelphia Times
Saturday Book Review by Albert
Elmer Hancock Author of
Henry Bourland."

Henry Bourland."
A great many of us, nowadays, are
getting somewhat muddled in our ideas
about books. So many geniuses have
appeared lately, so many great Ameri-
can novels have been written, and SO
many persons high in authority have
been pressed into service to proclaim
their greatness that we have lost our
critical bearings: and we stand, be-
wildered, like the poor fellow in the
adage who couldn't see the forest for
the multitude of the trees. Amid all
our perplexity, however, one thing is
unpleasantly certain: we have, in large
measure, shifted our standard of judg-
ment from that of excellence to that of
big sales. The proof of it is that we all
rush to buy the record-breaking books
at least. the publishers say we do.
And things have actually come to such
pass that sales, real or inflated, make
the reputation of a book just as, in
some social circles. money makes a
man.
This lapse of all sound critical judy
ment is demoralizing to author, pub
Usher, and reader 1t is, therefore,
wholesome and invigorating to find,
now-and- then. a writer absolutely un-
affected by this clamor of anarchy in
the modern book world. And such a
man is James Lane Allen.
On every page of his work one sees
the unmistakable marks OF the gentle
man-and the gentleman of high
thought as we'll as high tone. He is
gifted, moreover, with a rare artistic
conscience; and he listens to its voice
and prompting with Puritanic devo-
ton, and obeys it with Puritanic obe-
dience. You feel, when you read his
books, that here is writer who will
not compromise the integrity of his
own ideal of art, and whose mind is
clean of all the temptations of sordid
rewards. Every self-respecting author
owes to him certain measure of graft
tude; for, in these times. when writ
ers of cheap fiction are swarming like
so many Brownies, and are bringing
the profession of bookmaking down to
the plane of levity, he stands fast by
his own IDEAL and maintains the dig
nifty of authorship.
He is, primarily, an interpreter of
the moods of Nature. Though his me-
dunn is prose. he invariably attains the
effects of poetry. Whether he writes
of the primitive, painless forests of
Kentucky or the cultivated hemp fields
of a later day, he never fails to trans
late his impression into a poets
phrases of sensuous beauty or to in
duce that dreadful yet exalting vague
ness which, as a great critic declared.
is the essence of real poetry.
Yet, for all this excellence, he has a
/ deeper and richer vein of imagination.
Nature, after ALL is only a garnishing
to human life. Mr.. Aliens greatest
| merit is not as a poet of the external
| beauty of Nature, but as the clairvoy-
| ant of the spiritual beauty of charac-
| ter. His form of conception and express
sion is peculiarly his own. He is an
| idealist. The baser realities-the petty
details, like the Inaccuracies of colo
| quail speech, which disenchant: for
| these he has no interest. He is a gold
smith of human character; he refines
| the alloy of weakness, and extracts the
| pure gold of strength. His chief figures
| are soldiers of the spirit-men who
seem to be set apart from the world
| for especial missions; who have like
the prophets, a divine belief in them
| selves; but who, withal are divinely
vested in humility.
The idealism of Mr.. Aliens vision
would be dangerous for a lessen man.
Ideal men in books so easily degen-
crate into prigs. But the genius of Mr..
Allen saves his characters from any
such fate. They are not mere portraits
OF painted goodness; they are the mill
tant survivors of spiritual battles that
leave scars with their victories, and a
zest for the greater things still to do
The righteousness that comes as the
spoils of warfare is not the mark OF
the prig, but of the real hero.
But even above these merits, Mr.. AL
lens work is significant for the per-
lection of it's art. He attains a sub
tier harmony of style than any other
living American author. The youthful
and inexperienced writers of the day
strike out for terrific effects. They con-
jure the epithet from affair; they strain
the adjective; they exhaust all the coli
ors of the paint pots; and they do get
effects-but not the effects of endur~
ing art! Mr.. Allen knows the limita-
tions of the pen, and of written speech
Like the great painters, all Of whom
shun the gaudy Hastings of brilliancy.
he prefers the low tones-the browns.
the grays and the restful greens, with
only occasional patches of brilliance
In some aspects, his work is akin to
that of Corot-an artist who takes a
vista OF landscape, transfuses 1t with
pearl and the somber tints of cloud of
twilight, and then adds the glamour OF
Transforming beauty. And, because
these two men, painter and author.
yielding the desire to do the terrific,
resign themselves to less Ambitious
things, they attain the highest goal of
the artist-the harmony of perfect art.
They never tire; they never offend the
taste; they give restful sense of ease.
Such harmony is not without it's dis
advantages, of course; and there are
drawbacks in his work. His charac-
ters run too much to the same type:
and he reveals them too often by the
same method. AS they say in paint
ing. he has distinct manner. He re-
veals by reflection rather than by the
more dramatic method of action There
is not enough variety of incident and
scene-not enough stirring of the blood
and exertion of muscle to keep awake
the reader who will not think; and.
often, even the thoughtful and intelli-
gent man regrets the lack OF a swifter
movement and vigor of narrative. But
for these faults he possesses a virtue
to outweigh them all--that virtue
which has made the French the lucid
expositors of the worlds thought: the
tact of knowing what not to say. 1t
takes courage to throw away good
ideas and material; but the true artist
does II mercilessly-and Mr.. Allen has
that courage. He gives the reader only
the choice pickings of thought and
phrase; and the result is unparalleled
simplicity and clearness, and further
proof of his artistic conscience.
The result of this patient devotion to
his ideal of work fc that Mr. AI1.~