New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-07
SPRING STORIES.
Nelr Books By hrs. Edith H'harton
and Others.

THE Dissent OF MAN AND oTItEsR7, STORIES 5IIis:
ecr.bners Sons
FOUR ROADS TO PARADISE. BY Maud Wider
Keller. l2mo Up. ix si7. The Century Com
PORT ARGENT. a Novel By Arthur Cotton.
yith s fronf fIa3t Ry Eliot Keen lzmo' pp
THE PANCHRONICON. by Harold steele Mac
kaye. Emo. PIP. $50. Charles Scribners Sons
THE NAPOLEON OF NOTING HIII by BY
tocs py William Graham Robertson and
Insp OF the seat OF war. l2no. PIP. ~ Johh
Mrs. wharton's new book opens auspiciously
The Descent OF Man" shows her in complete
aossession of = clear and polished style. writ
ing with 100 keen an interest in her theme to
lose sight OF its essential elements in an eager
pursuit of merely verbal effects. PROFESSOR
Linyard, the central figure in this narrative, has
the reality of d type studied from The life and
portrayed with the truest insight. he is a
scientist whom the gods vouchsafe. i'll rare
moment. exQuisitely satirical idea. and as
the Inspiration is diffused through his brain he
feels the JOY that hardly comes to more
than in lifetime. The professor proceeds
to put his idea into execution and then follow
results which at once surprise the reader and
MI him with sense OF things absolutely nat
ural. 1t is. indeed. the genuine humanity OF the
work which most impresses us. Mrs. Wharton.
has. IN many OF her Stories disclosed a decided
taste for the odd situation. the odder emotion.
and sometimes she has conveyed an impression
more OF oddly than Of truth. But nothing is
strained in THE Descent OF Man. not even a
phrase; It is as satisfying IN substance it is
artistic IN form. 1.-The Mission Of Jane" which
immediately follows 1t. is not, a whole, SO
convincing, but il IS in many Of its details on
the same leye, OF sympathetic observation
Though Jane, her apbringing and her love af-
fair, may not be quite credible the little touches
with which Mrs. Wharton exposes the feelings
and .deas OF the girls foster parents re-
markedly Illuminating.
1.-The Other Two" the story OF a woman who
has not been dissuaded by two experiences in
the divorce court from marrying another hus-
band, is not in the least persuasive. but the
author writes to good purpose again in The
Quicksand" and If she loses ground IN The
Dilettante" and 1.-THE Reckoning" she RECEIVERS
herself in the remaining three stories. Elk
piation," like The Descent of Man." is written
around an amusing motive. and IL is written
we'll In THE Lady's Maids Bell" Mrs. Whar-
ton touches the supernatural with skill and puts
admirable atmosphere into her pages, and then,
with "a Venetian Nights Entertainment" she
brings her volume TO a close on note of pict-
uresque romance. The book. we have indi-
Gated. is uneven in invention. In all of the
whole pages of the deftest analysis. vivid illus
trations of the authors capacity IN the elucida-
ton of those little psychological obscurities in
which every moment Of life abounds. For both
directness and delicacy of style this is the best
collection OF short stories Mrs. Wharton has
thus far published.
-Four Roads TO Paradise" is a clever book.
clever because, while it enforces moral it does
this unobtrusively, and embodies. in fact. as
pleasing a love story the most romantic Of
readers might desire Mrs. Goodwin begins by
introducing to a young clergyman in the
West bent, in his youthful ardor. on following
IN the footsteps of Father Damien among the
lepers at Molokai When he is advised by a
wise old bishop TO see a little of life in the East
before he takes this step, we naturally con-
clude that -Four Roads TO Paradise" is going TO
be the tale of one mans struggle between the
world and the spirit. But Mrs. Goodwin soon
shows US that she has no intention Of writing
a tract. She carries her young clergyman TO
The East only to bring him IN contact with
beautiful widow who is heiress 20 millions
and with certain OF that young wOman's adorers.
Zach Of the latter is as strongly marked a char
acter as Stuart Walford, the clergyman himself
end the book is devoted TO the description OF
the different ways in which Mrs Blythe's SWANS
look at her, at lie and ct principle. Il is
interesting story. the plot of which is fairly
well devised and the general tone Of which has
4 certain freshness the men involved are bet
ter drawn than are Inc women. The latter do
not seem 20 be made OF flesh and blood at all,
whereas among the even the unedifying
Walford-who IS far from justifying the ex-
pectatioDs raised in the first chapter-stands out
as though he had, IN some sort. a veritable ex-
istsnce.
Mr.. Cotton has written some stories which
have willingly praised, and we had hoped TO
find Port Argent worthy of his talent. I'm
fortunately. II turns out to be one OF those
novels which somehow fail TO seize the atten-
ton at the outset and keep Il steadily fixed on
definite lines Of development We gather from
this book that Port Argent was a town in which
a man named Wood acquired the dubious au-
thority OF boss; that one young man was
content TO have relations with him, since they
did not lead,into dishonesty; that another young
man fought the boss" as well as he could and
that Miss Camilla Champney remained good
terms with both the juniors OF the disgraceful
individual Also We are aware in this book of
two murders and courtship. But Of the con-
structive elements which should hold all these
people and things together, making them worth
while and giving TO the book some sort of ar
tistic unity. We fail TO perceive more than the
cirrnest ghost Of a suggestion. Port Argent"
is not precisely without a plot It is rather
that the plot. such as it is. is feeby worked out
that the author has not given his leading motive
SUFFICIENT salience and vitality
With the best Will in the world to find The
Panchronicon" amusing. We nevertheless find it
deadly dull Mr.. Mackaye's book takes its title
from wonderful Aging machine in which
New-England village topper undertakes to carry
RehaNpQ asadl arc fsro ED.,.