New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-10-03
Some Flashes of Ouida's Scorn foI
the Modern World.

TIE GREAT MISS DRIVER BY AT5no"EEf Mcclure
illustrated. l2mo, pp. N''
Company o
. -r,T- x.,prRoR,s cAxpIBsTICKs a Romance 2; &c
BY the Baroness oEczy. 1-n''' Up
Doscher & Co. Mi,
THE LONG ARM OF fl9stnsted by Frank snapp
i5no. pp rs. Boston; Little brown .
,..... .,os,hun,ous novel is in some sor.
.,,-,,,,s1 testament In the imaginary
which gives the book its title OF -
ono may see plainly enough the Itai! VIM =
,o,ed-and ritied-and in the naf'"'' =
which il supplies the scene one may -
L.. ,,aesfonate outburst against the eN1l
as -, ;, ,,,o5ern life The old Oulda'
n. fouiaa Of the vivid romances INTO WHICH
,,o,,-sa herself so lavishly, is scarcely
=. ..zyo,,s,,,b,,s" But on the other haho' tiie
ii, : fairly sufflsed with that huTnahl'a ian
-,+,,S5asn, which was part Of her cIiSi 60
.-o-n the very beginning. There Is SUM
o.,r,o,,s and even little pathetic aoou' 'i's
MACHINERY Of this book In the use OF Iii'
,ar,es snd places in the portrayal OF iiiouei'
-,7,es under strange DISCUSSES, oulda Is IA a
case and she puts her suppositltious s'd'e NC
fore us with nothing like her Wonted Oreau'i -
touch But the inadequacy OF the imp esS1oi'
she CONVEYS in the pictorial sense so 10 say -
not by any means an affair OF falilhs shf'
z.-,a-e We sind II pathetic is simply in its sug-
social purpose Of her story. The book Is
~ from, the heart II IS written with burning
.s.eretion against selfshness. materialism ana
,,-,,eltv and as though the writer had not the
-a.eroe 70 look 10 mere questions Of local color
"a waste auv time on the mere machinery OF
fiction She gathers no the emotions OF NE
time and hurls them against the powers una
,.~ell in luxury waxing fat on oppression Inc
slrida who is To be read for entertainment must
he sought elsewhere The Ouda whom one
wishes 70 know fer her own sake may be found
in this book,
The hero Of II is young Prince ElI1a' one u
TIE sons .of the King Of Helianthus he Ieaus
a life more or less detached from the court
He follows SITS ceremonial and fulfls certain
duties but he is quite out OF sympathy with
the throne In his opinion the people are mis-
governed. Where they are burdened with taxa
ion. and. in fact, practically enslaved by
regime of rigid discipline he would give them
more liberty and more happiness, sweetening
their lives in every way that generosity could
suggest He IS ouixotic and, if you like. unrea-
sonable carrying his protest against the exist
ing state Of affairs 10 lengths which finally
threaten to plunge the country into civil war
From the point Of view Of drama his character
is perhaps orudely conceived His impulsiVe
actions. though provoked by events have an air
OF suddenness about them that is inartistlc
Cause and effect are not arranged with sufficient
subtlety. nor are they fitted skifully enough
INTO the picture Possibly. however, this defect
might have been modified if Ouida had carried
the tale further. II closes on allusion TO the
King which is full Of tragic suggestion. One
thought alone" SAYS the author, was prominent
in his angry mind: Elm must never reign"
Taken with reference TO the context this is rich
in potentiaIities out Of which Ouida, we may be
sure would have fashioned some impressive
situations. And yet unsatisfactory as is Films
career we cannot precisely regret it After ALL
IL is Ouida. speaking through him, who counts
She bitterly oastigates our modern ideas, our
unitarian and speculative projects, our mill
terism, and all Of the evil forces which draw US
away from the purity Of nature and the brother
hood Of man. She scores the hypocrisy which
crops out in modern statecraft-as it has
cropped out in the sfatecraft Of all ages She
has her fling not only at the Italian government
. but al the systems Of England. Germany and
France. These countries and their rulers are
not specifically named. Of course, but one can
hardly mistake what she is driving at when she
writes as, for example, in this passage;
julius had manner Of telling his army that he
expected il 10 massacre its fellow coQntrymen
times % medieval despotisn- He has felicitouS
i2HiaTlJ. IN ms airston Of himself and Of
his own acts. his own speeches. his own talents
and p0hcies-
There IS much more in the book in this vein,
and i often reads 10 tell the truth, very like
slperhea1ed Journalism. There are moments in
which the author is positively shril But her
sincerity carries the day. Vehement and even
overwrousht though the book may be. it touches
the imagination with q sense Of ouida's true
nobility Of feeling. her tender sympathy and
=; H., .l,-,-" mill oh
e place apart in the list Of her works a
poignant souvenir Of a Iovable personality.
There is one story in Mrs. wharton's new
volume. The Hermit and the Wild Woman, "
which by itself would make the book welcome.
This Is the story called In Trust" a perfect
satire on the manner III which human nature
viii break through the crust of habit and show
a man his true attitude toward principles which
he likes 10 believe are as the breath Of his nos
trils They may very easily continue to seem
thus indispensable 70 him through many OF the
chances Of life. hut let him beware when he
faces 2 crucial test The wealthy young man
who is introduced TO Us in the tale as eager to
spend his fortune 70 good purpose is cordially
encouraged by his wife and friend. He dies.
His two advisers have the opportunity TO prove
their fidelity 10 a sacred trust. Mrs. Wharton
describes their predicanent with an insight and
a oeftness bOlh oeEoi4u Pi4iSe- foile mas never
written more skilfuly or more amUsingly than
fn this instance. She is admirable. too. in The
Verdict" and The Pot-Boier' two studies Of
the artistic life forth in Of quiet irony.
"The P-etext" somehow wants reality. II savOrs
more Of ingenious artifce than OF nature and
we are left no better convinced by The Last
Asset" The portrait Of the worldly wise mother
IN that narrative IS ali that we get from il that
inspires confidence In the titJlar story. The
Hermit snd the Wild Woman" n picturesque