The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-24
NEW BOOKS.

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Tho gift Of perpetual youth with which
the fairies have blessed Mr.. Arthur Sher-
burne Hardy shows itself in his latest ro-
nance, 'His Daughter First (Houghton.
Miflin & co.,. We don't like to think how
many years ago II Is since his poem on
Francesca de- Rimini" and his work on
1Quaternions' appeared. for 1t was Prof.
Hardy then, but II is all Of twenty years
since he made his first bid as writer OF
fiction In But Yet Woman, and his point
OF view seems to have changed very little
since then. To be sure, he has been Min
lister Of the United States at Teheran and
at Athens, and in the Alps since then; he
has left the professors life far behind him.
and he has acquired a smooth style and
the strength Of mind to suppress his ton
dency to epigram, but the riddle Of the
eternal feminine still bangles before him
and he seems as far away from solution
now as then.
Mr. aardy's new book IL suited admirably
to reading aloud to women. It is sure to
arouse comment from them that may be
instructive. His comedy Of love, not
withstanding the tragedy that may be
read between the lines, Is extremely anus
ing. We detect the professor In the study
and analysis Of American women. He sup
plies US with lot OF them, all interesting
and all dlsseoted by a masculine observer
many Of whose observations are keen and
accurate, while others will make women
smile. His women seem to be composites
from life, and Mr. Hardy's acquaintance
with bright women must be extensive, for
from them he must have derived many OF
his most entertaining comments. His men
are all wooden and mere foils.
We can hardly call the book a story; it
Is a succession OF love episodes and love
scenes, with pretty bits Of description OF
scenery Interpreted. There are three dis
tinct sets of lovers, with two OF which the au-
thor seems to grow weary. The parties to
these are gentlemen and ladies, who talk and
act as such There is a rather theatrical but
amusing old lady who acts a. the deus eI
machina and whom the author forgets to hold
down to consistency Of character. There
are the three actors in what seems to be the
story that Mr.. Hardy started out to tell,
. wilful young GIRL who may be the up-to-
date type, though We hope she Is not; q
college-bred governess ready to 60 to the
bad. we infer, and an insuperable cad who
stands for the present-day young business
man.
Old-fashioned people cannot but shudder
at the tragedy that must arise from the
love ending Mr. Hardy has chosen to give
to this affair. There has always been a
streak Of what seems very much like snob-
bishness discernible In his previous stories,
and that stands out very offensively in his
description Of the college girl who IL spoiled
by living for long time with a wealthy
family. There lie a good deal Of money
In the book all around and at times it verges
on the ludicrous. We can't say that We
enjoy his digressions into the stock market
particularly.
All the same, even II the story fades into
the background, the book is extremely
amusing and the conversation bright and
entertaining. 1t Is sure to be read and
discussed. 1t Is not quite 30 realistic as
Mr.. Howells's work and infinitely lighter
and more comprehensive than Mr.. James's
for it is with these that Mr.. Hardy must
BE- classed We can't say that he has got
much beyond the point at which he started,
except In workmanship. He has always
seemed to write from the head rather than
from the heart though there arc pages
here and there, that raise tho readers
hopes. And his women, charming a they
are. seem like pretty butterflies with .
pin stuck through them, watched by an
entomoloeist through magnifying glass,
They miss being alive or real.