The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-18
Ihe AmhnssadnrS.

Probably most of the people who like
Henry James" enter upon the opening
chapters of The Ambassadors with the
feeling that here is something quite out of
the common and that the author is at his
best. Whether this conviction continues
unchanged to the end depends something
on each readers personal idea of the ethics
of fiction and his understanding Of James's
own attitude. Is he (James) merely de-
sirous of contrasting, in a purely unbiased
way the rigid American standard of NOR
ais with the loose views in vogue in GER
tain foreign circles, without any express
sion or his own opinion on the subject?
Or is he endeavoripg to demonstrate deity
the possible advantage of loose morals
der certain circumstances? His handling of
the subject is subtle and extremely James,
esque, yet apart from this question of NOR
ais there Is no doubt but that he has
presented In "The Ambassadors a re-
studies. Mr.. Strether, of Woollett Mass,
is one of the ambassadors" who comes
to Paris to rescue from the tolls of a siren
the son or Woolletts leading and wealth
lest lady, Mrs. Newsome Mr.. Strether, a
man OF fifty, sedate, respectable and pre-
sumably entirely safe\to be trusted on such
a delicate mission, is engaged to marry
Mrs. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS at her request
he not being a self-assertive man-and is
delegated TO the duty by the lady herself.
chad, the son. young man of twenty
at home taking up his deceased fathers
business responsibilities. He had been a
good deal of a cub when Strether saw him
last. When the latter encounters him in
Paris he finds him immensely improved in
respect TO all the outward qualifications
that go TO make up a gentleman, and it
Is presently borne in upon the ennis
sary from Woollett that all this improve
ment is due to the youths association with
the Objectionable lady-who turns out to be
a woman OF gentle manners, ten years
hon 4 4
shadowy background. Strether insensibly
finds his prejudices against the irregular
relations slipping away, and in a sense
feels himself in sympathy with Chad. In
TACT, being man who has never had his
fling, he becomes intoxicated in a mild
and harmless way with Partisan life, and
to the same extent loses his interest in
WoOllett It's people and its affairs 1t is
even intimated that he would himself come
under the sway of Nine De Vionnet if
Chad We're away. At all events he shows
an indifference to the purpose OF his COM
ing that creates breach between himself
and Chad's mother, and other "ambassa-
doris" come overmChad's sister and her
husband, tO-wit. They accomplish nothing
but the sister is by no means affected by
Nine. De Vionnet's charm, regarding her to
the end with stern hostility. There are
other Observation-Disclosures a New Eng
land lawyer; Maria Gostrey, transplant
ed American, and othors-who help to COM
pl1cate affairs and TO add TO the interest
but the authors art is chiefly shown i'm de-
llneating the effect of the Paris atmos-
phere on Strether. He becomes spoiled for
Woollett TO which he must return, and he
will forever after look back. wishfully to his
Drlef period or freedom. Also, too, his
Woollett standard of morals becomes so far
undermined that he admonishes Chad that
he will be a brute, will be guilty of the last
infamy, II he ever deserts Nine. De Won
net, that lady being deeply and honestly
in love with the young man. The desertion,
however, is foreshadowed, Chad being
young, and the inherited commercial in
beginning q hac 70 10
fathers home. Like all of James's stories,
this ends lin the air. far as the COM
pletion or rounding out of a plot is con-
cerned, but, unlike some of his stories
where such endings do not matter, ii leaves
the reader wondering as to the future of
the various characters. 1t is a book of
over 400 pages and yet it is not too long
IF one likes James" Harper & Brothers,
New York.