New-York tribune., 1909-06-19
4 CURIOUS NOTEL.
Ur. Gals7corthy's Latest Satire on
English Society.

FRATERNITY. BY John Galsworthy. Emo pp. Ii.
$50. G. ?. Putnams Sons.
It is important for the social satirist espe
cialIv when he is writing fiction to know his
own mind and keep his temper Is he actu-
ated solely by blind in1patience with things as
they are. or is he moved rather by thoughts Of
better things to come. criticising with con-
structive purpose in view? In short. where
precisely does he stand? The reader is bound
to ask these questions and whatever else the
novest's answer may be II must at least he
clear. Mr.. C1alsworthy's reply To the interroea-
ton raised by each Of his novels leaves us a
little in doubt We wonder if he altogether
knows his own mind, Sometimes his humor
seems q little more than sardonic- II suggests
something like a Erudse against society: not. Of
course. a private grudge. but just the hard and
bitter resentment Of an observer hopelessly out
of tune with his surroundings Then again.
this writer's touch seems more that Of the com
passionat - healer. the man who looks on life
with wistful sorrow but dreams bright dreams
Of possible progress He has never lef; more
strangely mixed impression than he leaves in
Fraternity
There is a kind Of perverse fascination about
this book Like the shilling shocker." which
il resembles in no other respect. II fills the
reader with a desire 10 know how the plot viii
he wound up. But if we find this appeal as
bizarre as II is strong It is because. from he
ginning to end. Mr.. Galsworthy violates our
sense Of the credibHties and makes the viola
tion the more surprising by working up his sit
uation in the midst Of what ought 10 be
thoroughly credible world His people are
members of a fairly prosperous London family,
two brothers and their wives. and several other
figures The married couples representa-
tives of class one of the women is painter
and she uses as a model a girl who falls i'm love.
I'm dumb. adorins way with her husband
That individual Is totally innocent of even the
faiutest thought Of infdelity. but Dee presently
finds himself in the fantastic position of man
with a Jealous wife. Humanity speaking, the
misunderstanding created by the young model
could not endure for more minutes than IL would
take two rational beings TO exchange few
sentences. But in that case Mr.. Galsworthy
would be without his story. or. rather. without
his Indictment Of class" Bent upon satirizing
the subsection of his conntrymen to an un-
emotional and conventional code of intercourse.
whether in society at large In the intimacy
Of family life, he carries his men and women
from one distressfu posture of affairs to an
other The result is that he makes you feel
the dreary comedy TO he a Fictitious thing of his
own devIsiug, not the outcome Of a genuine in
terplav of character among normal human be
ings.
We surrnise that he has his dreams. There Is
a venerable philosopher in the BOOK who Is all
the time interfering oracular ideas bearing
upon the brotherhood of man. Yet We cannot
quite take this mystic seriously, for the author
himself does not hold him in hrm grasp The
book is a curious welter Of half formed ideas
Mr. Galsworthy has been dwelling too long on
his grievances as social philosopher HIS
scorn Of British dulness amounts to an obses-
sion "Fraternity' discioses a vague discon-
tent, warping the novelist's art He attaches,
perhaps. too much significance 10 his reflections
He is clever man. and il would be good for his
talent IL he were TO work for time IN more