The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-29
.THE MErrLE OF THE PASTURE,

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Inc Information has been somehow spread
IN advance that II is a problem novel. ana
there Is resentment that the exquisite ano
chaste. yet strong and impassioned. prose
poet and painter should lend his art as q
vehicle for problem; there is fear lest he
should he found IN have cbe,ne,.d bInnsajf
~ -...--.,- ,N--.a-
Ahese sussS'hohs ciilef iato lue IMPRESSION
with which one opens the covers
Momept,ri,,, tho ,,nrrassso,, a., s,sna,,oa
rna .n,hor s,.,,,s a. 80, ~ .an,t,. :.
Inc autnor seems 10 fevei In warmth OF
color painting, in glowing picture OF beau
ty ana love and exractancv .oucbea With
HE oh.r.o..rs.,,, - =, -.
genuineness and full accord: and the can
vas growing and b-irhte,,n,, ,naar ,h.&
~, -. ..e ,.a 1.40. ''.a.
haho eniists sympathy Doth Tor the art
and the subject-a sympathy which Instant
ly berets fear for the in,e,rity q, the
n,scs WIN ,ha b,,. 49, 80 VI WV
will the harmony proceed? Undoubtedly 1t
is art-thi. preparation of the readers
a,,,o-;o,,. ,,- ,to g.
o.,ons io' '"e Jaiiiis mute winch IS soon
TO follow.
But the Earring note tbe ip,ernol,,;or If
tho ..nroh,a,., ;, q -. po'.'toi -.
sne p.oD.sni' Is zoo warmly resented. 1t
vertiser's name unexpectedly &, tho noids
~ O cr.,,io,, a., it, =. 80 -','N.-
~ eauon III oiis' Aho afterwards mar
under tho ar.,, 90 ~, o,.o,,,,,,- - y
fra aan. =. .ne e'etiihs SKY IN .f'e
s.an. sarueh, turns at the sound OF Ko-
vans step on the gravel, and comes fond
and radiant for his embrace only 10 meet
the male coll, f.cn .. :, - - -.
shatter her dreams and her sn mho , Ms no 10
climax It is an smoiiana, n bi,SE; ~ Is me
the hook nans.r az s Jlio.ioi,ai neignL 10 whicn
occurs In the firsi ci,aetary "a Is' anu !.
1t seems carniiic.al. ineacIsable. Yet Ills II is
problem. ThenceforwarJ the ta,n =. y is Que Que
Alpied with iimstra,inr ,nS ,ree rs oS
not answering. the Question: Is If Ticht
wife or his ;nten5ad ,sif ~ ~, III, ms
story of his past? Must he he tr, nh -,
the point of brutal frsnknesss ~
Is an inscrutabie SHINY EAR ird;,;,d, y I
must gather his own iaea ar Nv 49,
answer. Prohablv no Two in,iiIa,,a1s vii Il
his responsibility. He nicely ha,ancs sii tsa
wiggle out OF the difiicuity by way Of a a
moral-an eternal morality; which. Of
then he would have no nncnn fol paS ana ana
discomforting truths to tell. II NAV ''i he
author relieves himself of the charse '. nf
having attempted to write .csfcby.
problem novel II may be that he intendei
simply to illuminate one Of m. b'ee eter WAS
rerfties. oAe VI 'he eternal
But the reader is entitled to his own i'm
truson Of the problem, the reader e ma as Ut Il
were, lays the author ,,nder the hnrsen ~
overcoming the deagTeeabie surpestinn that NJ
aT rhs aes5 III g Of the Pasture i mere
purposes 1t seems almost Mo Sacrg;iaea
to utter 1t In Mr.. Aliens case hut re-
suggestion constantly recurs that he had
one eye on his canvas and the other on ms
bank account. If this Is indeed sarri,eee or
Is putting 1t too bluntiy then If mny be
fairer to say that he seemed to have inn
bibed q good deal OF the nubijsher snirft
1t is possible that no man Is above s,,s-
picion. Surely MT. Allen ought fo he and
Is as far above If as any man
On the other hand. II should be recor-
nised In perfect fairness to an antb no 81
his brilliant achieyement and n.fainmenf
that no man is enable of evenly snstained
quality and that a Iansf in cnaIifv Should
not OF itself give rise to presump,tons of
less admirable motive. Much NAV he for.
given the author q. ..Sfster Dojoro.s "a
Kentucky CARDINAL and Aftermath"
good measure Of classic ahf,ity Havipe
Established a STANDARD he IS held To ris,ii
adherence Criticism OF ..The MettIe Of the
Pasture" IL relative Compared to his best
WRITINGS this one Is INFERIOR in diction.
in coloring. in atmosphere. in Character de-
lineation, and especially In Construction. It
lacks the clear penciline SO ECONOMICAL in
earlier pieces, and. except In the openins.
scene IS waYting in the vivid and rjch
pictorial quality of his hest dissertations.
Somehow there is q striking absence OF the
Lane AIIen-the Cardinals feather. the
h,i1bt ,,ine tba S.ra1harryss flint the c,,ic,-
flush Of wornan's cheek. the crimson OF
a pouting LID. the burnished heaven.
Apparently Mr. Aliens theme is simple
and would not seem to require a great
wealth of plot and incident for its develop
ment-the woman scorns the man who tells:
then her resentment is allowed to burn II,
self out. her hearts passion for him re-
asserts itself to dominate her course and
she turns her face toward him again. But
Mr. Allen seems to have orerreachcd him
self in the abundance of secondary charac-
ter and incident and movement Introduces
NJ the Novelist To- develon Ms main on re da,1l
fnonf n,,rnose 20, s;stenf,y md s--odnsiI,,
ever mpvipe forW,rd ever keen,pS the an ;
ne os NJ, IN Action md Wr Allan h ~ ~
served r. nn nIS,sr occs s;nn. That ,,,in,,
does mot assist toward ne end IS s,,nerf,,,.
se,opng ais meme an1 po.,i,asing the char
aees .h nI nre,;.t VI , h,S oiag person
e,is. .i,e 9ot Is NO. heia 70 olreet2ar
iotit,.de OF ~ "a. ne ne Is ai.owea grea!
AZ dc ~ aeds, ne nesu not oesSrioe' oui
ci,anpes os e,n n m ,ne us smsa ano
show his characters BY contrast and com.
= vsp p anu ~ st,s,at; may 1ispiay .nem "
a,S Sa. fer ,, OF si,GaIions and relationships
S Msaihn g, minor CHARACTER and incident and
eeLaa B1t th,s should be means. ALWAYS
st ott sa, AIteS1 aoing MI. Aliens book
me impression Is inevitable that the END
,,tS peen 700 frequently suoordinated to tina,
WIG" m, IS secondary
.ri nGere are numerous incidents which con-
tr,hute nothing to, the story's movement
when; anoeeo, neediessly retard it-and sew
tasa. enaracters; OF no special individual in
.eIest. whose doings and dialogues tend to
wealth OF minor character. dialogue de-
scriptlon and incident has another purpose