The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-11
Business, Morality and Idioms.

Society, exalted and less exalted, Is seV
forth in Annie Eliot Trumbulls story,
"Iife's Common Way" "a. s. Barnes Col
The opening account of the meeting OF
the association of benevolent ladies styling
themselves the Committee OF Ten, we
must think, is a little too realistic IL
ia too much like the real thing to
commend itself az provocation and
source Of pure joy. Mr.. lngledew, a
strong man, avoided the meetings of the
Committee Of Ten; and the whole story
teaches us the entire sanity of Mr.. lngle-
dew, though he was indeed almost brutally
deficient in conscience and in the sympa-
thetic' and emotional qualities. 1t Is true
that Ursula Keith attempted to ct some
amusement out of the meeting; at the
same time we cannot shut our eyes to the
possibly paradoxical but Certainly OBJ
vious fact that her wit and playfulness
seemed violent and fell fat in that I'M
propitious atmosphere; she was I'M
successful.
The story is in large part careful expo
stion and elaboration Of character. Ursula
Keith, HAYWARD Fngham, Roger Morcraft,
Hutchins Ingledew. Theodore Ray Blsnken-
ship, Berkeley Sidaons Mrs. Somerford 1--WE
like the names) are built up before US with
much elaboration and detail. riot
following upon strike of the street rail-
way men makes a dramatic part. The
busy little broker, Theodore Blankenship' g
father, Is shot by the militia, and much
is made of this, an incident quite acct
dental and etached, in the way OF charging
vast bloodguitiness upon Hutchins lngle-
dew, who wanted to buy the street railway
cheap and had bribed walking delegate
to keep the strike going. The moral atti-
tide and what is assumed to be the business
attitude are duly contrasted here, and we
must say that the business attitude does
not show at all we'll in the comparison
The marriages in the story are not happy.
Theodore Blankenship married Berkeley
Siddons when she wanted to marry Hay
ward Bingham, and Ursula Keith married
Roger Morcraft when she ought to have
married Hayward Bingham. Poor Eng
haml He was twice needed and not once
utilized. Siddous was -out after the dust, "
and his liking for Theodore the person did
not amount to alteration. Morcraft was a
sort of moon to Ingledew; he reflected the
light of that luminary, and thought himse If.
and others thought him, very fine in con-
sequence. The end came, 80 far as Ursula
was concerned, when she learned that
he had been the instrument OF Ingledew
in the briting Of Ryan. the walking dele
gate. He had profted by that immoral
act From it had COM his money-money
of which Ursula had said: ut has blood
on i'll"
It must be that many readers possess a
language sense which L. susceptible Of
hurt. We sorrow for the sense in question
when we read on page As: "You always
came Just after had bought somebody's
else tickets" We sorrow again at page 93
where we find Bingham saying: "You
would better not go alone, Ursula Again.
nj page lu5, where we read of consolation
for ills which she did not pause to clearly
forcsee." Again at page 1893, where Ursula
Is made to say: Il wouldn't go 80 far,
Hutchins, as to actually suggest the cellar
stairs"
What is the matter with somebody
else's" instead of somebody's else?
What ia the matter with had better' in
stead of would better? Why sever the
lnfinitive? In four books that we have
read recently We have remarked the sub
stitution OF would better for -had better.
From what area Of nice pedagogy does
this reform arise? In the course Of many
wears, fraught with many troubles, we
have encountered somebody's else" only
once or twice, We are glad Of that.