The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-03
AND MAGAZINES

A study of the -Artistic Temperament
The Artistic Temperament" By Jane
Wardle. Mcclure. Phillips & Co. New
York. publishers.
Once more is the old knot Of husband,
wife and lover disentangled, but the an
cicnt and trite situation is here handled
with a great deal Of originality. The au-
thor is an English writer. hitherto UNI
known. or. at least. unadvertised, but,
whoever she is. she writes as none could
unless well trained in literary hnesse and
In the observation and reproduction OF
character. She has written a thoroughly
interesting book, and one likely TO ocea-
sion a good deal of argument one way or
another among those who read 1t.
A young painter who is the victim OF
the artistic temperament, while paint
Ing the portrait Of the wife Of n very old
friend of his, conceives a passion for her
and she for him. The artist is at the
same time engaged to marry a very lovely
young woman, his better angel, an ALI
ance with whom means to him an en-
hancement of his fortune and position
as well as the supplying of a solid ana
sustaining influence lacking in his own
character and needfui for the best realiza-
ton of himself. He is not a bad sort,
this young artist. He has right ideas
OF honor and deeency and loyalty to his
friend. But he has also the artistic
temperament, and for this failure of his
honest effort to subdue his passion Tor
his friends wife while. all the time, para
doxlcally. but really. In love with the
other woman. he blames this coyerer OF
a multitude of sins.
The climax of the situation is most ORA
matte. Discovered by the husband in each
others arms, the artist and the wife begin
on aICnornapt huf ara nUprtakeD by the
husband n few hours later and before IL
is too late 70 amend, the denouement IS
pleasingly unconventional.
Once or twice In her story, the author
makes references to BernaFd Shaw, Al
though she puts these in the mouth or
the least admirable character In the book,
a youthful devourer of novels whose jeai-
ousy of the painter and desire to con-
found him in his Illicit love making finally
drives him to insanity, yet we are in
clined to believe that she Is a bit OF a
student and admirer of Shaw herself, for
instead of causing the husband to fly into
Il jealous and murderous rag at the
alienation of his wife's affections when he
comes upon the guilty couple, she makes
him behave quite like a sensible and think
ing human being in violence to all the
laws and conventions Of romantic litera-
tpre. He merely points out to the would
~ tNbPtAo lhS diHliN 1iiNd&NH w -
their Intended act and the probable brief
duration of their happiness in each other;
and. by his manly. self-respecting and
commonsense attitude would have con-
WINGED them had the author given him
time. Instead of this she must introduce
a purely fortuitous circumstance in the
shape of the mad young man referred to
who appears upon the scene accompanied
by a revolver with which, aiming at the
lover, he seriously wounds the husband.
whereupon, of course. but not as a matter
of logically developed necessity, the wife
secs her duty by her husbands side.
The finest element in the artists charac-
ter Is now brought to the surface when
he makes a Glenn breast of it all to the
girl he is engaged to. asking her to re-
lease him. for his unworthiness, from the
engagement. She, however, like the in
jured husband. is a sensible person, and,
knowing her fiance better than he does
himself. refuses. The result is their happy
marriage and a notable career for him up
to the presidency of the Royal Academy
and a baronetcy. The scandal is COM
pletely hushed up. and even the circum-
stances attending the shooting Of the hus-
band are interpreted by press and public
to the painters great honor.
The tragedy of II all comes In the
authors merest hint of the contrast be-
tween the artists lot and that of the hus-
band and wife, their lives broken by the
affair and the wife soon in the grave.
The conclusion is a cynical quotation from
a speech of the artist, now become great
and powerful, who, having exemplified in
his own life the evil of which the ar
tistio temperament" is capable, now
breaches that the one who has 1t. like
the king in the proverb, can do no wrong.