New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-14

,o,,. Iou.,,,s +bera IS perhaps force inimica
n tho hoIorco ~ the novel The worst circle has
its redeen,in, section. and 1t seems incredible
that no one of Lily's friends. any more than
Til,y bareelf sbouId be able TO bring breath or
rr,,h ;,,,-ieoratinr air into THE House Oh
nrirth II is difficult to see why the scenes
which arc not fashionable should mostly nave
something absurd or squalld ABOUT theih' Aliei
loan life &c not invariably either all ordnance
or all dnginess. 1t is conceivable lor eAdlnpi0'
that Gerty Parish might live IN cr1rhPeu h"'
and still find wallpapers when "eie
.bidaous.' and similarly it would be posslole
for 1iI,, Kart 10 illuminate the Grand Central
Station with the radiance of her beauty without
the presence there of the 'sallow faced girls in
preposterous hats, and fiat chested women
struggling with paper bundles and PAIN zeal
fans" who somehow seem. with other drap hS-
ures. TO be adventitiously brought in to helshteh
the beroine.s distinction In other words,
broadening of the canvas to permit the miro
duction of some of the more normal phases OF
our social system would have helped to give the
work a richer quality. and would only have
served we believe to put Miss Bart in a truer
irrespective On the other hand. there is dis
passionate hnaIitv about Mrs. Wharton's pre-
sentation of the essentials in all those charac-
tiers she has chosen to illustrate, which torpldS
nc 70 dwell too long on the significance OF her
omissions.
The hook has an accent of confident veraclty'
# niles charge upon charge against most OF 'he
actors in the drama until the jury, as we nave
bip+ad above cannot but convict, yet there is
never any straining of the argument, and only
at a single point is the fabric of the story helu
together by a doubtful eXpedient That is "heFe
Selden is led TO pass the Trenor house just when
&c INNI1Fl n
affect his attitude toward her. and thereby
thicken the plot; the coincidence seems forced
For the rest Mrs. Wharton has her work per
fectlv in hand and gives to The House OF
Mirth' an artistic integrity which is kind OF
rebuke to the horde of popular noveltsts The
narrative moves with delightful elasticity, as
though it had been written out of full NINA
and with a certain fervor. 1t has vitality ana
it has finish Best of all. IT has the rare quality
of fulfilling its uttermost intention. of justfying
itself where justification is seldom achieved we
are perpetually being told in the novels OF the
dav that the heroine has all manner of beguiling
traits but in nearly every case we have to take
them on faith Lily Bart is a credible human
figure who never falls below the standard OF
charm which we are asked to recognize when
she first appears She is weak woman, else
she would not suffer half the humiliations she
is called upon to bear. But at no stage of her
career. not when she is ingeniously seeking to
land" Mr. Gryce, not when she is flirting with
Gus Trenor and dabbiing in Wall Street through
him. not when she is straining every nerve TO
rehabilitate herself in a society which her better
nature tells her is unworthy Of her ambitions,
does she ALLEVIATE our sympathy. 1t is the last
tribute to Mrs Wharton's successful portraiture
that we rejoice at her heroine's escape from two
of the fates within her reach. and vince at her
subsection to the third.