New-York tribune., 1909-01-24
OU4CKERY.
,,,r,,rss in It's World Painted by
Mr.. III. G.. Wells.

pufiele q 20
49,, anthor Of 'Tono-Bungay," as BELTS
1 stb a scientific turn Of mind, is careful
W. ~ classification Of his works A list of
IL ,reaxed 10 his latest volume, divides
w ,..o four groups, devoted respectively to
'e, tories rornances, novels and sociological
s'D'' ..r;alist essays. This grouping has not
"H' s..e-mined by his publisher. Mr.. Wells
p'~ ,,yavs a definite purpose, and every work
ton that he produces is framed to fit into
d "a, category. But Mr.. Wells is, after all,
human creature, and though he calls
-" rrnga.,'' a novel il has, in form well
= Substance, many points OF contact with his
q .a.aU, romantic compositions. Indeed, he
euns up as in a little cosmos many if not
= the things that have occupied him else
% We are even brought TO wonder if he
=. M, supplied us in these pages with frag-
&c of autobiography. II is hard TO believe
=. came parts Of the book are not based upon
5.nce The power OF "Tono- Bungay.' and
. hos z kind of power is that which resides in
,ross section Of actual life, put into literary
IN under the influence Of a poignant emotion
= = a hook with two heroes the qUack who
.orts z sr,ecious remedy calls il Tono-Bungay,
rs = fortune and loses it, and his nephew.
- syrr,ositit5ous narrator Of the tale. This
.,.s,v is the son Of q servant the housekeeper
45,,5asoyer an historic mansion in the coun-
When in his forties, he comes to write
= ..r,, of his life. he brings TO the task gift
,r,ros.7,,llical analysis lie begins at the be-
ing and being able 70 treat his subject
..,,-,,+ 7,re5r55-oe he turns the social fabric
..+ = embodied in Bladesover inside out, as
,,-..,b II were a glove All through the book
i sr-ri.- NXlTh q i l.
raczt rncannv detachment The accuracy of
kr Weiss picture Of modern England is an
,tser ouesti,n As VIII presently be shown, he
has asIicuties of vision, he makes certain arhl-
,,qrv asslrn1tiuns and permits himself omis-
sjors which i1alair the documentary value OF
lis s4gdv. Bat let the reader Gnce adjust him
self TO this noveiis1's point Of view and he is
re,,nd TO ind entertainment in this curious mar
rative Take for example, at the very outset
tbe description Of Blaaesover House, and all
that such an ~Oiympian" establishment implies,
upon the English countryside. Described at
once from the standpoint Of the housekeeper's s
raarn and from that OF man brought up
therein eraanciF FateG, and enriched by the pas
sage Of time in the crucial matters of intelli-
fence and sincerity, this representative segment
q, the English social system is made profoundly
Interesting The stuff Of these opening chap
te-s IS rather dangerous stuff in which to deal
II welld be so easy TO lapse into patronage or
sordidness Nj Wells beautifully evades his
dilemma. avoiding above all things the tact
which in the circumstances would spell vulgar
irr In straightforward fashion he puts the
truth before Us ard makes Us realize young
George Ponderevo's character in all its COM
rle.ity- showing US how that character is formed
ly circumstances and reacts Upon them. George
is unn1istaka ably a type, an image OF mingled
strength and weakness, the common man max
ing progress through the world in common, nat
ual ways
The Lad is expelled from Bladesover for having
T-ssumed upon the intimacy between himself
and two better born children in the house a boy
ard a girl Of about his age. He has q
miserable period in the home Of his cousin, Nlco-
6s-nas Frapp. z baker. and then he really begins
rfe as a.. apprentice TO his uncle, who keeps a
fgenist's shop in 4 quiet Sussex town Reck-
less E1eculation presently breaks up the estab-
Eshmeot but young Ponderevo's visionary uncle
i NOT 10 be kept down. Later, in London, where
,he HlbiIom apprentice is studying with scien-
tlfc ambitions. the two come together again,
and collaborating in the promotion of Tono-
Bungay. they leave the housekeeper's room, the
CHEMISTS shop and all such obscure common
place things far behind them Just what they
CO is important. Of course, 70 the plot, yet the
plot as such is Of no great moment. The truth
is that in the rise and fall of the inventor of
Tono- -Bungav and in George Ponderevo's rela-
Il ton te his uncles campaign the dramatic motive
hardly counts In all this, as in his younger