The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-12

in the Wor
TIE SON OF ROYAL eLANGBR1T1t.
BY William Dean Howells, 800 pp.
$500 Harper & Brothers. New York.
For sale here by Bell Book & Sta
tionery Company.
We are inclined TO disagree with tho
publishers expectation TINT Mr.. Howclls'
new story Is destined to rank among his
most popular novels ."rhe Son OF Royal
llangbrltli," though showing to good nd
&c all Mr.. Howells' remarkable
capacity for understanding and portray
ing homely and everyday types Of cliar-
| acter. has not, to p,lr mind. the uunlt-
ties that would make strongly for wide,
popularity. The book Is jnst trlfle
heavy for that, and also to speak cutie
frankly, in spots Just trftle dull. ,Thn
plot hinges about a son.. whose dead
fathers scoundrrllsm is so completely con-
ccaled by the lads weak spirited mother.
that led on by certnip obvious evidences.
and being naturally the sort of young
man to make a fool. OF himself e given
half n chance. lie gradually comes to n
sort OF ancestor worship Of the father
no has never known, and ultimately 10
a public glorlncation Of tho dead mans
mythical virtues. The two or three people
who could have set him straight are for ono
reason or another silent. and It Is not
until close to tho end that the son finds
out that his dream woven conception OF
his fathers character Is a colossal error
from base to summit. Then. as he was
engaged to marry the daughter Of the
man his father had chiefly wrongcd. and
as tho attempt to strnightcn out the
tanglc promised to bring about moro
harm than good, the sons error in
which the whole community. moro or less,
Shared, was allowed to stand pcrpetu-
ated, EH
OF course, III the school OF realism
OF which Mr.. lIowells is easily the chief,
we do not look for plots as We do in
Conan Doyle: and thus stated the theme
OF this story has rather more Of unus,ial-
ness than Its type usually allows itself.
B For the most part the authors mastery
writing Is nil Sufficient to compensate
for any tagging In the action Of which
the novel reader might be conscious; but
there are places here and there where
the trivnltes seem too marked to call
sinSistently5 for any sort of writing, hoW-N
ever good. The, most trfling of &lncidcnts
shows atendencyto become seven days"
food for conversation. An attitude A,,n-s
expectediy assumed by one of the char
acters Is banded back and forth In tho
discussions Of all the others more than
tales OF a different type When James
sLangbrith first mentions his Idea OF
erecting u tablet TO his fathers intmory.
IN tie public library on which some Of
tho old gentleman's i'll gotten gains had
been invested. The fancies that Dr.. Author
appeared notably unenthusastic I'm
seconding the project. as indeed the good
Doctor was, for very good reasons OF his 4
own; and James Langbrith, who was
quite unaware Of any reason at all, and
who was half persuaded that Authors
aloofness was only q n1atter. Of MS own
irnaganation anyway. thrashes up and
down the little incident In conversations
with his mother and Falk and IN his
own meiitations till We are inclined to be
heartily weary Of It. OF coure. we know
better than to deny the naturalness OF
this sort Of thing, but we arc somewhat
disposed to question its interest to thu
reader Even a novel Of realism has
got to be interesting or nobody VIII
take the trouble to read It. no matter
how natural and true to lifeit all may
be. IN
AS was to be fairly expected Of Mr..
Howells' the drawing of the characters
in this story is eminently good James
Langbrith. able. assured, 53ullconsclous sl
vet often extensively patronizl:ig. and I'M
mensely self-centered. is never dull, even
though. as his best friend Falk tells DR.,
Author "a good many OF the fellows
think he's an ass" Falls. is clever ana
sarcastic and he understands Langbrlth
thoroughly. BY his keen and outspokcn
comment and an utter lack OF hcslta-'
ton in tramping on his friends dearest
foibles, he had acquired the position q
a sort OF omniscient mentor, TO Wnom
.Langbrith turned for counsel as to an
oracle.
The person We liked best in the story
was Hope Hawberk who. for all her sweet
nature. knew how to guide I,angbrtl, no
isss successfully, if more gently and
sympatletically, than did Falk. Dr..
Authcr. TOO. is Il good man, and truly
depicted. whom every reader VIII IKE 4
for lust the same reasons that MADE
everybody in Saxmills like him; and no.
body can be blind 10 the literary grace 4
and deep understanding that created I
the character OF poor Mrs. mIAngbrlth.. sF
III tho thorough and sympathetic I
knowledge of human nature. ana N ,nei
signal abilityGto cast the fruit OF mat IA
knowledge upon the written page no
body will notc in the present pGok any
signs of failing In the powers that brought
ro,.th "silas Lapham.'' Is prl1l-
cipally the wholesome and kindly humor{
Overlooking the pages of that ende e.
work that we now seem resFfttuilS ~, \, :,
miss. .The Son Of ROYAL ka n D, n !,
would have appealed to US more. sLr"nss
had it been a little less deadly serious rlt'F
INA clNARY OBLIGATIONS. By Frank
Moore Colby. 1856 up. 70 loodd,
Mead & CO., New York
People who read books VIII mig en-
tort,in,nr and SOUL searching truths In
wharMr Frank Moore Colby has 70 say
"ow Literary Compulsion,n in his recently
published volume Of critical miscellany.
First, Mr.. Colby takes ,,p nnu punehes
we VET are one Of him ourselyes-who is
oppressed by III sense OF the undyiln'g
lgnomlny Of contrasting that l,e hasn't ,,a
"r',o IN vo reads, 4 says Mr.. Colby. ''nre
hard insolent and cruelty Triumphant.
The haven't reads feel that they must
either tell lies or slink away ,nnron nhsse
M ~ ,, y" actnallv saving TINT he has