New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-06

THE CUSTODIAN By Arehi6ala EYE Emo WI" DID,
359 Henry Holt Co
THE UNPARDoNABLB WAR By James
Barnes. Emo PIP ID Inc Macniiiah Coii
pany.
Mr.. Eyre has added one more romance to the
pile that has accumulated since Stevenson wrote
prince Otto" and Anthony Hope made that
sort of thing fashionable by winning brilliant
success with -"The Prisoner OF Zenda Only
The Custodian" has more to recommend 1t
than find in the average tale OF the same
general character. Though the authors theme
is not new one, he treats 1t In a way Of his
own The hero begins life in the lodge at the
gates of a ducal estate He has never known
his father. Before his mother dies, and while
he is still a youth. he learns that If he is the
son of a servant he also has noble blood in his
veins The old Duchess of Pendleton befriends
him at the outset more from sense OF duty
than from anything else. but presently Mr.
Eyre shows his originality by making the hero
and the lady who is, after all. his grandInolhef.
very good friends She introduces Master Os-
valid to a representative of German grand
duke who employs him as secretary. and tho
first task assigned to the young man is the dis
covery Of the foreign potentate's daughter who
has come to England with every intention OF
marrying a certain Thoroughbred scamp
Cannot the reader see just what the climax Of
1.-The Custodian Is bound to BET II Is OBJ
yious and In that fact lies the explanation of
Mr.. Eyre's failure to produce story of much
Importance. But we gather that he has not
cared to be important On the contrary he
seems to have given himself up In a gay spirit
to the fabrication OF OF those romances
which merely pleasing There Is tn
geniuous quality about the book II has an al
most naive simpiicity-and wholesomenesa Its
sentiment is charming. 1.-The Custodian Is .
very pretty 6ihe-
Romance is scarcely limited at tn The On
pardonable War" The author writes In a pro
phetic vein. The war which he describes b
placed in the present century. far enough away
from time for Its extraordinary tn
cidents to credible. and near enough to
US to suggest that we are ourselves responsible
in measure for this great catastrophe of tho
future The story starts with sketch of the
conditions created in the United States by the
rise and triumph of the Peoples Party" a po-
Htical organization inmIcal to the conservative
interests of the country. Mr.. Barnes bases hts
work on the assumption that In due time the
baser journalism will have attained to ire
mendous influence and that the ignoble ele-
Tnents in national life will have everywhere
gained in significance, He represents the gov
eminent as falling into the hands Of ncorn-
petent vulgar and dishonest men, from whoss
maladmnistration of public affairs there flow
causes of friction between America and Eng
land Matters go from bad to worse until war
Is declared. and at this point Mr. Barnes brings
In the inventive genius OF the race destined
rs he shows us to Increase the horrors of
war as to make the sheathing of the sword
practically essential to the preservation Of a
really civilized world. When the ships Of Eng
land and America meet In conflict In this book,
the damage on both sides Is too excessive for
either to feel any satisfaction in the result New
factors In the ammunition employed lead to new
horrors. But worse Is to come and in very
ingenious illustration of what may expect
when the resources of electricity are further
developed. he shows his opposing armies In
VOWED in posture of affairs which end
either in unthinkahle tragedy In a conclusive
cessation OF all military operations The IN
pardonable War" has at this stage considera BILE
dramatic fervor It is brisky written story.
save that here and there the dialogue moves
with perhaps too much elaboration 1t is in
teresting as a story, and ii is suggestive
prophecy Of what might come out of the tri-
umph of ignorance and Of inammatory 20
utical ideals