The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-08

Sons) 10 accompanied by q number OF an
nouncements calculated TO excite interest.
A note by the publishers explains that tho
author had agreed TO this American publi-
cation OF his book before the Catholic
Church authorities had banned 70. A q
loyal Catholic, he would not have given
this sanction after the condemnation but
having already given Il he did not feel
justified In Withdrawing Il. Another
nots explains that this Is the concluding
one OF q trilogy Of stories. and that 10
continues the history Of . pair Of guilty
lovers-the beautiful Jeanne Dessalle, sep
arated from her husband. and processing
amostio opinions and Piero Maironi.
artist and dreamer" In one OF the earlier
stories the husband OF an insane wife. but
now O widower and, &C tho end Of three
years, a man purified Of his sins BY q life
Of prayer and emaciated by the severity Of
his notification the Benedetto and the
Saint Of this tale.
So much Of preliminary matter may well
awaken i~ntereet, but there Ia more. In Q
| long INC imposing introduction Mr.. william
Roscoe Thayer tells us a good deal concern
ing both the author n the story. He
speaks Of the myopic censors OF the Index
and says that they have assured the widest
circulation for the book by condemning IL
No herstical. In the few months since its
publication in Italy IL has been read. he
declares, by hundreds OF thousands OF
Italians. In france 1t has appeared In the
Revue dee Deur Mondes and In Germany In
tho Hochland. 1T has been the storm
centre Of religious debate It's author he
-pronounoes -the most eminent Italian novel;
list since Msnzoni,' a ranking which may
- A.An4A GA-@mA NoNNinIU
The Saint" will seem TO many a better
story 10 read than -tbe brilliant but OBJ
scene and degenerate books Of Gabrielle
d'Annunzio.'
Il may be learned from the introduction
that Senate Fogazsaro was born In 1912,
tina he began with the law, but left it for
music and poetry, that his first novel cane
out in 1881, hat his books appear at inter-
walls OF four or five years and that he
is much honored and is surrounded by a
band OF eager disciples in Vicenza, where
he lives INC where he was born. Regard
ing the new novel, It is pointed out In
the introduction that IL il several things
has Interested the critics in several Of its
aspects. For one thing, IL is a love story.
The agnostio Jeanne pursues the Saint.
She Is consumed with love for the purified
B~enedetto. Hers is the service OF the clayI
though we suppose that many would call
her spiritual enough. Again IL Is q story
concerned With what we may call b poll
tics of the Catholic Church. Its earnest
chief characters are the Christian Demo-
Gratis. The Introduction explains these.
They are q body Of the younger. genera
ton of Italians, among them being q con-
siderable number Of religious, who yearn
to put into practice the concrete exhorta-
Hons Of the Evangelical They are q
manifestation Of that same ethical wave
which with US has resulted In "slumming.'
They are the radicals of the Church. The
differences between them and the steadfast
Vatican occupy pages Of the story. In
the words Of the introduction: Senator
Fogazzaro's book, hlled with the liberal
and Christian spirit, has been eagerly
/ caught up as the mouthpleoe Of the Chris
tan Democrats On the other hand, the
! CONGREGATION Of the Index has declared
the book outcast
At the beginning OF the story We find the
abandoned and unhappy Jeanne reading
Mr.. Maeterlinck's disturbing play of The
Intruder There IL a curiously fanciful
account Of a walk that she and two COM
panions took at night through the deserted
streets Of Bruges. One Of her companions
was her brother CaTlino, and Carlino was
planning a novel Of his own in which tho
hero wasa priest 90 years old and the heroine
a hereto young lady who spoke Italian
badly and did not understand music. The
end Of CarlIno's novel was TO be a vague
revelation OF q sexuality Of the souls Of
These two and Of a future Of love for them
in the star Formalhaut.
From Bruges we are carried far away 70
Subiaco. Here We find Giovanni Selva, tbs
philosopher, and his beautiful young wife,
Maria. Maria at one and twenty had
fallen In love with Giovanni Selva, after
having read one Of his books on religious
philosophy She wrote ardent words to
tho unknown author. He was 50. They
exchanged photographs. He wa charmed
with hers, with the intellectual, passion
ate and youthful face, with che sweetness
Of the great eyes, with the symmetry of
the figure They met and were married.
1t was in their villa hat the Christian DEM
ocrats held their first meeting. 1t is very
interestingly described here.
From this We 90 to the monastery Of
Santa Scolastica. Here the repentant Bene.
dstto has lived for three years, employing
himself as helper TO the kitchen gardener.
He has a feshless, pallid. intellectual face,
In which there is no sign Of agitation. TN
three years he has never onoe tasted coffee,
wine, milk or eggs. He has touched nothing
but bread, pOIsntd, fruit, herbs, oil and pure
water. He has led the life OF a saint and
all about among the people he IL regarded
as boiler than the monks themselves.
We have said that there was no sign OF
agitation in Benedetto's face. In genera.
that was true, but be will be found under
great agitation in the chapter entitled
The Night Of Storms On this night he
was out on the mountain, combating temp
tation. After three years he had had a
moments sight OF Jeanne. The Introduction
says Of this story that It Is "a study In reliE.
iOus morbid Psychology and that Is true
enough. The description for pages here
is remarkable. Repeatedly an ecstasy
possessed and abandoned him. At one
point We read: H had scarcely broken
his fast for thirty hours, having eaten only
a crust Of bread at noon. He felt millions
OF pins prioking him. felt the violent beat.
ing OF his heart. felt his mind becoming