New-York tribune., 1910-09-24

social conditions enu maIef1dl cOihl"tt l
are even worse. Culture. the arts. are
( in danger Of extinction. The expert
ment proves TO be a failure within the
short space of a single year. Mr. Walsh
deals only with large outlines. but the
mild antidote in its gliding Of fiction may
serve its purpose. OF course. there is the
/ inevitable love affair between the social
/ list leader and the capitalists fair daugh-
ter.
Mr.. Ian Hay is likely 10 prove well
come addition to the ranks of the Eng
/ lisb minor novelists who furnish light.
wholesome entertainment. He knows
nothing OF problems and purposes, ne
eschews "isrns.'' ne does not attempt TO
prove that the abnormal Is IN reaity
the higher normality. His people-who
are mostly young-are average healthy.
well balanced men and women. with
elders to match. "A Mans Man" is good
fun-perhaps that>is the best way to de-
scribe this story. with its first hair OF
adventures by land and sea, experienced
by a young Englishman of some means
ing no moss, and its second half con-
cerned with the more delicate and diff
cult task Of winning a girls love.
'Fortiter in re suaviter in modo. may
well be the device Of the manly hero.
Mr. HAYS ideas of Coney Island are
somewhat vague. but sufficient for the
purpose Of the strenuous episode Of
which he makes It the scheme; at any
rate, one does not seriously object In
an unpretentious. way he can outline his
pleasant characters consistently - in
short. he is aE entertainer worth con-
sidering.
The amiable detective whose exploits
are celebrated in THE Quests of Paul
Beck is not only amiable but modest
He deprecates tributes TO his genius for
the solution Of a seemingly impenetrable
mystery. Always he protests that II is
merely his good luck. The reader is not
very gravely concerned. All that mat
tiers for him is that Mr. Bodkin's twelve
stories put before him as many enticing
tengles and in every instance are worked
out with good deal of cleverness. We
like Mr. Beck He deals with astound-
ing crimes so blandly and so neatly.
For q railway journey he makes excep-
| tionally good company.
Heralded by the enthusiasm OF English
reviewers, Mr.. Wedgwood's Shadow Of
Titan proves to be but much quail
fed justification Of their praise The
book suffers severely from the method
Of its author. who should learn to con-
sumo the overabundant smoke created
by the fire of his unquestionable brill
fancy. In reading him the interest is
constantly distracted from the matter
in hand by his manner, which makes II
clear that he has studied Meredith as
siduously and with unhesitating admira-
ton In his case, however. the reader,
on closing the book, thinks not so much
of the Titan and his story as of Mr..
Wedgwood and his straining after ef-
fects. The manner is not adapted to the
subject matter, the two are not fused
into one whole The author constantly
stands between the beholder and what
he would show him. The Titan. a Gen.
tor is a Jumble Of higotry, cruelty.
craft. superstition. self-deception, weak
ness and power. a physical and moral
monster repulsive in its remOteness-
The characters that play their parts in
his story are presented in the same un-
necessarily weighJy manner; the only
one to whom we are allowed to draw
near is the heroine. Mr.. WedgwOod
does not take the opera bouffe view of
Central American conditions found in
our own fiction: he knows better. and
presents the barbarian, disgraceful
facts. He has written d striking story,
but has handicapped its chances Of sue
cess severely and unnecessarily
DR.. GrenfeIFs enthusiasm for his
noble Hfework, his sincere love for his
charges and Of the Labrador country
give to all he tells US about them a
comUelling quality His work is more
than easy reading; one never stops to
ask whether it is hard writing. The
yarns from Labrador which he tells
Us in Down TO the Sea" are direct
transcripts from life in one Of its prim-
tive forms. They can hardly he called
fiction, yet they will hold the attention
far better than many a volume Of short
stories. 1t is nearly always winter in
these gli1npses he affords US Of the life
Of fishermen and Esquimaus. out on the
deep, all the way across the Atlantic, or
in the fjords at which the steamer calls
at such infrequent intervals. No better
tale Of shipwreck and heroism can be
wished for than the one he tells in
Northern Lights" the opening sketch
of the book And on every page shines
forth the spirit Of loving service OF the
his