The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-01
A thorough Novel Of Boston.

A Thorough Novel Of Boston,.
In reading with interest Mr.. Robert
Grants story Of The Chippendales'
Charles Scribner's Sons) it surprised us
10 find Blaisdell saying. "No two, per-
haps. except Miss Avery and H. Blais-
dell had only just finished filling himself
with humanistio culture 'at one OF the
smaller New England colleges and his
interlocutor was a professor OF Greek
from Harvard. Prof. Patton, as the Satur-
day company at Mrs. Avery's delightful
boarding house in Boston were going in to
dinner, had propounded sententiously
the double headed question: is not all
life a struggle to reconcile common n
with conscience? But do any two agree
precisely as to what is common sense?'
doubtless he had perfected himself in the
mental stand that nothing is wonderful.
for when Blaisde!l in answering exhibited
the interesting verbal combination Eek
cept l. he did not appear to notice 1t.
The music Of Lora's explosive laugh
is recorded. but Lora was not laughing
maliciously. The story says indeed that
her laugh was a reward to Blaisdell for his
rejoinder; it was not at all a silvery criti-
cism OF him for following a proposition
with the nominative.
The story relates with humor, and yet
undoubtedly with respect and a%pprecia-
ton, tho intimate social history Of those
Boston Chippendales who were. as we may
say. current 50 recently as the beginning
Of this century. 1t is impossible Of course
to hear tho name Of ~Chippendale without
thinking OF venerable and a~ttenuated
things. The mind is bound to revert to
that historic and revered kind of furniture
that is distinguished particularly by its
spindlng form. The Boston C~hippendales
had been 50 long in Boston that it seems
proper and not at all disrespectful to think
81 them as furniture. II we say that this
story has endeared Boston Chippen-
dale to us and has made it seem in our
Eyes every bit as beautiful as the old Eng
fish variety we express nothing that is in
the least contrary to our wholly reverent
and complimentary state Of mind. But
ne Boston Chippendales could not have
heen too lean. Chauncey Chippendale,
xho was in the -Puddng' and a quarter
sack at Harvard, must have had stout
legs.
We found Mr.. Harrison Chippendale,
the father Of Chauncey, a delightful gem
tleman. He was the particular custodian
OF the ~Chippen6ale conservatism. II was
not possible for him to approve Of Blais-
dell after that money making invader OF
Boston had begun 10 turn the old town
over by power Of his rapidly accumulated
millions. Mark my words said Mr..
Chippendale as he -augustly blew his nose
With his silk pocket handkerchief" ad-
dressing himself to his nephew, Henry
Baisdell-"mark my words, a man of this
stamp II not watched is liable in time to
undermine the whole social structure Of
Boston, What he said seemed true
enough, for Blaisdell at that moment was
projecting the double infamy OF looping
on a slice Of the Common and running a
subway through a graveyard.
Henry Ch~ippendale Sumner was very
powerfully impregnated with the New
England conscience. The story is
thorough in Getting forth this fact. Pris-
ella Avery snubbed him at first because
he was so unalterably addicted to his
N'"iS uii ilS tiDlIltT, Dut IN the COuT6e
81 years she came to think very we'll OF
bis lnhexibly conscientious attitude. He
had reasons Of his own for not approving
OF the establishment OF the -~Bacchante'
IN The Public Library and he stuck to
mem, 1t cannot be eaid that he was
not a little absurd at times from the gross
ana common point Of view. II was rea-
tohabi" enough even in the general mind
lf MN to object to the violation Of the
Boston skyline by skyscrapers and to the
PROJECTION Of tho subway through the
Venfrated bones in the graveyard. but
ms Remuneration Of the quarter OF a million
VII nm by his aunt Goorgiana on condi-
ION mat he would cut off the Sumner
rom his name was almost universally
""in to be an indication of a feeble in
ellisf nee. Only his mother and Prls-
,I'ia were able TO sac the matter in the
neht hat seemed true and shining 10
hin ~
""asa shock 10 tn, surviving Chip |
le"n'!'s TO find a skeleton in their family
,r'~ Oh tho death cf their Uncle Baxter.
'n'r" had never boon such a thing in il
!"r"' II had been a thoroughly re-
- NJ, many Ht1tTaIlOn6 !
90 inc I ~hippcndales vera able to count.
',' now to find in it this fantastic deposit,
=" mere without IA word of warning bv
,e absolutely unsupported donor. was
!iils. "'
nus surprising Uncle Ba rter Chippen-
a. hai raised as n bachelor during
"s Nhnr" life. He hal been a bachelor
"'a'1 until he had reached the mature
-" ~ n, but o Boston was 10 learn
,ns' IN hi' ninth decade he had married
m,ry 'mPp"ndaIe Summers typewriter
twI mat presently there was TO 10 an
~" As soon rs Boston did learn of
Jus horror Mr.. Harrison C~hippendale
q, interviewed very much against his
N"' ana We may say indeed violently.
- yellow reporter. This was piline
n.'rof nron horror. AS we read the 40
.vlnt ~ this interview we shudderej
'Pea'elly and we do not believe that