New-York tribune., 1909-08-14
Il Remarkable NOUeL of Life IN a
Provincial TO7gH.

WIN TINS book Mr.. Arnold Bennett lakes iai4A
among the salient novelists Of the day. inviting
more serious consideration Of his talents than
they have. perhaps hitherto receved-though he
long since gave proofs of cleverness. 1t was
indeed peculiarly as a clever writer that he first
attracted attention. The reader is not deeply
impressed by such books as ''The Grand Babylon
Hotel" or the department store novel IN whlch
the great Hugo applied Napoleonic methods TO
the sale Of a grand piano or a paper OF pins IL
is enough TO be joyously entertained by these
ingenious narratives Yet even in his gayest
moods Mr. Bennett has suggested the Idea Ihat
ne had only TO give his mind TO il in order to
produce work Of lasting value, and It has been
with special soncitude that have observed
his proceedings. They arrived at a somewhat
puzzling stage when he published Sacred and
Profane Love" That novel had unmistakabie
merits. 1t disclosed flashes Of insight II not a
steady grasp upon human nature. Possibly the
infatuation which il celebrated would have
proved a difficult theme I'm the hands Of almost
any living novelist. At all events, Mr. Bennett
was interesting in his treatment Of it without
persuadng us that he had quite struck twelve
He left confidence in ms ability unshalxen, but
also inspired the conviction that his full stature
as an author was still TO be revealed. Now AT
last We see IL in ''The Old Wives Tale" a book
wherein he ratihes all that was most promising
In his previous work, and somehow contrives 10
slough off all that trihing or immature he
Is here the clear-eyed observer, the balanced
thinker and the finished craftsman, producing a
novel which does not hy any means spell genius
but which nevertheless commands warm aP-
preciation.
II is one OF those novelsfh writing or Whch
imposes the severest test upon an author MT
Bennett las had to triumph over his material
10 invest with the qualities proper 10 hcuoh
1hases of life nominally devoid Of any artistic
interest Whatever. The task seems easy enough
when we watch its execution at the hands OF
master The scenes of provincial domesticlty
unfoIded bv a Balzac vibrate with romantic or
even tragic emotion, and at the same time seem
the most natural in the world The magic of
The great realist acts as a kind of solvent upon
the most stubborn motive. and though We know
with what terrible labors he developed ms ei-
fects we never feel as we read that he was at all
embarrassed by what may call the limita-
tions of the field in which he was often content
10 work II is Of course the old story Of find
ing inspiration in the humblest fgures--n only
YOU bring the inspiration with you So it was.
on a different plane with Anthony Trollope. He
could make the humors of a sleepy cathedral
town or the familiar types OF a complacent
county interesting and even as exciting, as
though he had been another Dumas, following
the call Of golden romance. What were MI
Benefits resources for an enterprise akin IN
many OF It's issues 10 lldk NllCl was ISPNdASA4S
embarked upon by these predecessors Of his?
From what point Of view. with what special
perceptions and intentions. would he attempt 10
paint provincial life IN England in earlier Vic
torian days? He faced his problem, we should
say more or less in the frame of mind charac-
teristc OF Zola, though with little II anything
OF that writer's thought Of proving a case"
His purpose appears 10 have been the minute
photographing OF q given form OF existence, the
~ lafiO Off md details
il hibiting certain types and their environment
with scientific precision. There is no controlling
force in the book embodied in individuality.
There is no central passion such as you find in
'Eugenie Grandet" for example and such
Bslzac found essential to the evolution Of prac-
tically every story he ever wrote. The dominat-
ing influence is that OF town, or, -ather Of a
specific stratum in the society Of that town
There is character in the book. plenty of it, but
II is not character for the sake Of this that
personality that We asked 10 observe. 1t is
character marked by the stamp of a civic
organism.
The town is Bursley in Staffordshire. and the
people in il with whom the author is more par
ucularly concerned are the members OF a family
living their shop in ST Luke's Square
John Baines the draper who owns this shop.
has been bedridden for a dozen years when the
story opens. His wife, kindly but determined
and very efficient matrOn. looks after the bust
ness. partly under his instructions. and with the
assistance Of Mr.. Samuel Povey their ernpIoye
The only children OF this house are two daugt-
ters Constance and Sophia, who are in their
teens when first meet them. Constance takes
after her mother, and is obviously predestined 10
marry Sam Povey. whom we naturally see at
the head Of the shop when Baines and his wife
have come 10 the end of all things Sophia.
radiantly beautiful is the rebel OF the family
and one. does not need to have the gift OF
prophecy in order 10 foretell that she will only
too soon give all for love and count the world
well lost. We have already indicated the sub
stance OF the story, story. but have in
wise thereby diminished the readers enjoy
ment Of The old Wives Rale" II is not for the
sake of a dramatic plot that Mr.. Bennett has
composed volume Of nearly six hundred pages.
He has composed il in order 20 analyze the hu-
man heart, in order TO portray a handful of
men and women slowly but surely formed" by
the life about them, responding as inevitably 10
the action OF their surroundings as flowers are
governed by soil and water. light and air
Obviously the author makes large drafts upon
our sympathy. A provincial Diapers family is
not in itself calculated TO touch the imagination
Why would we care two straws about John
Baines and his sickroom OF about his wholly
commonplace wifep Constance Baines II not
precisely colorless, certainly makes no vivid ap-
peal is she any the more imposing when she
becomes Mrs. Povey. Sophia, for all her eager
and even reckless traits. remains a thoroughly
normal specimen OF humanity Though she
elopes with a who is profoundly unscrupu-
lous and fool into the bargain. though she
goes with him 10 Paris in the last brilliant days
s,f the Second Empire. and passes through the
frivations Of the Siege and the Commune Mr
Bennett successfully resists the temptation 10
turn her into romantic heroine She. too at