The San Francisco call., 1905-08-06

Loves Cross Currents is an apt title
for the newly published, but not newly
written. novel from the pen of the most
famous Of living English poets. He speaks
Of The story as being the disinterred
bantlirg Of his literary youth. A friend
Of his, Theodore Wacts-Dunston, had con-
fdeuce in its worth and advised it's resur-
~ ction- Il is altogether too good a thing
" have remained permanently buried,
and We should rejoice to nave at least
one novel from the pen of Algernon
Charles Swinburne. It certainly does not
read ike q youthful production, but
seems full Of the knowledge Of life gath
cred through long years OF experience.
One Of the chief characters Of the work
is Lady Alidhurst, an old grandmother,
and her knowledge Of life seems almost
extraordinary, even for a woman Of her
age. 1t is a good novel, but not such e
one as might be expected from a poet.
IDEAL expectation eagerly awaiting the
prose work OF a poet would look for
story Of a life, or lives. so beautifully
lived out that We would remember the
Characters thus revealed TO US as having
been living poems. II is a prose poem
in a measure. though, for all the people
ir II, who were subjected TO the pain OF
these crOss-currents Of love and the temp
tauons Of the sentimental passion, came
through il all unsOileo at the last, and
English ideal Of a strict and wholesome
moral life.
The statement Of the books announce
ment that its pages would be filed with
delicious hUmor and the keenest of cpl
grams viii. not mislead, for il is fully
true. II is the only novel Swinburne has
ever written Its position then, is
unique in two ways-it is the only Of the
only. Standing squarely on its own mer-
its. the story, II published anonymously,
would be noteworthy. If by any posi-
bnity il had been inferior, yet would the
world wish to read IL because Of its
notable author.
All who delight in Swinburnes sweet
employment OF the melody of words in
his verse making will naturally be Curl
Gus TO experience with what art he
matches sound with sense when he is
, writing prose. II is good prose, but we
-lst remember he is not therein making
& much Of business Of melody as when
he is writing that delicious poetry which
IS so wonderful in its combinations of
sweet sound that we scarcely care
whether the ideas intended to be conveyed
have any sense TO them or not Who
wishes TO be so alertly critical as to ask
what is the precise meaning Of the things
that are said TO US by 'welling waters
vinsome wordsr If it be pleasing music
we know that il must signify something
beautiful. Not anywhere in all this prose
novel does SWinburne seem to sacriflce
the clearness Of his thought for the sake
Cf linking beautiful sounds. In this way,
for the purposes Of his art, poetry and
prose are 10 him things apart It is
thoroughly good prose, but you need not
read the book expecting to find in IL that
characteristic love Of word melody which
IN his verse he seems to make the su-
preme aim
Save for a short Introductory explana-
ton Of the interrelations Of three Eng
Esh families, the story is told in q ser
les Of very clever and loQuacious letters.
IT is a fine example Of that species Of
art. and for the purpose he had in view
Il was the best method Of revealing the
interplay of the lives OF the seven prin-
cipal characters. In the world of lit
erary creation there is a legitimate place
for that apparent compromise between
story and a play by which the alternate
agents and patients Of the tale are made
10 express what befalls them by word
of pen" Note those four words, 1.-The
alternate agents and patients" Letters,
YOU know. not only tell of the moves
that are being made on the chessboard
Of life bur letters cause the making of
some Of the moves. Five OF these seven
people do nearly all Of the correspond
g. -Four Of them are the victims of
loves cross-currents." Not fatally vic
AAIlEs k4DABAs LOT LIlS nOfh OA NhC PcSt
is tragi-cOmedy.
The fifth person who. diligently CORE
spends with these four entangled ones
is, perhaps, the salient creation of the
work; and the reading world, when IL
learns Of her. viii feel regretful that she
lay buried so long in manuscript. One
wonders how many Of her there are in
real life; and what part these play in
the love affairs Of younger people who
get into sentimental entanglements. This
Is Lady MidhUrst. an old woman in close
touch by relationship and friendship with
the three families concerned in the narra-
tive. "Capricious or not, she was
beautiful old woman TO look at;
CIesr-skinned. with pure, regular fea-
lures and abundant white hair. she was
q study for old ladies. People liked to
hear her talk. she was not unwilling to
crafty them. At one time OF her life,
she had been known TO say, her tongue
got her into some trouble and her style
of sarcasm involved her in various little
dff7erenceg and difficulties All that was
ever said against her she managed some
how to oUtlive, and at fifty and upwards
she was generally popular, except, in
deed. with religious and philanthropic
persons At sight of her acute
n teutive smile and reserved eyes a
Surate would become hot and incoher-
ent"
. The six other people are much younger
than she, and she has watched them de-