New-York tribune., 1910-04-23

r,esr ROUND. BY s.. John Lucas.
riE, s-,, ~. as =. T. Dutton & CO.
sT-aT-l plsR KNOT. BY Mrs. Henry
~ 'r.lsury. 12n1o. pp 29S. Cassell &
90, Lic-
rs authors splendid workmanship and
=. s,r,ncthe;ic understanding OF an
,r,sres.iug subject make The First
80 s novel erninently well worth
avg Ge,lius has often been defined:
:. - ns.-cr beer oxplained. Il Is some
- mysterious. apart from the per-
ait Of him who possesses il. force
.s,si- hi-u. or perhaps above him. not
,..,ss,s that drives him 10 DO what he
= its bidding Nr. Lucas traces
81 sercste insight the directing. self
.-,,srting power ~ this force tn q child.
-Aih al UrkucUiuE os Yet IL hes
,bosen for its instrument. A lonely boy
:, q carving within his dreamy. Wis
,,-s-, sensitive soul the fuel that is TO
!, canned into the divine Ere. His
,s.ssr. a practical. prosy. Well meaning
country physician. does rot understand
-, but even when he meets q mature
,.ins Of discernment he cannot formu-
is,s what is coming 70 life within him,
gradually and as yet bIndly.
Ee Is an unhappy child. unhappy AT
homo. unhappy 81 the great public school
- which he Is sent unhappy in the Office
- she country LAWYER 20 whom he is
s-,~ertloed. vistfully longing for the
,s,-scized Bohemian and his young
daughter who alone spoke his language
long ago spoke it with ahectionate un-
outstanding and with the voice OF music.
10 and his father are utter strangers
-sur 20 each other and at last he escapes
., Ton6on. whittier his muse has been
,i,.ing and driving him. Throughout she
he prompted him 10 maintain himself
,rtsct for her service by shrinking ever
further within himself, until he hes
grown negatively selfish. taking what is
cFe-ed him of loving service without
Thought ~ giving q return. The defen-
tve sloofness. the unconscious selfish
rfsS Of this rare spirit. ever obeying the
guidance ~ the force IL does not realize,
r. brought out in a sequence Of well de-
sissd because perfectly natural contrasts
with the harder everyday material Of
lff Then comes the emotional awaken
ing but his foot is already on the FIRST
round n the ladder now. His real sl-
lsrisnoe viii he always 20 his art. for
genius does what il must. The book is
The most convincing and subtle study in
frton ~ genius since the appearance
OF Mirs sinclsir's Divine Fire
Disbolir possession. the elleEory OF The
dual nature ~ man. viii never lose itg
value - literary material Occa asionally
q master hand seizes upon Il and bids all
the world halt and realize. by confront
inE IL with q Fraukeustesn's monster or
o Gr. Hvde. Mrs Dudeney's successful
venture 'n the field has = less universal
sgni6oanoe. but gains in novelty 10y its
exclusively artistic conception. A decs-
oeut poet. vino is led by his devil 10 sin
vith his eyes" 20 see unspeslzshle. uE-
tvovshIe things and sing them in flaw
isss verse. this IL her inVention. which
re handles with sdrlirs bic skill The
nan publishes much. and destroys more
n his sane moments, when the obsession
lssveS him. chance leads him 20 re
mole EuR'ieh farmhouse. snd there he
frdE p v-omlu-the won1sn whose pure
lovt. pershsuce. v-ill sst him free. But
ihf shadow on his shoulder returns. is
bsnishe6 returns sEain until that lonely
house becomes the sbode ~ vague ter
foFs end forebodings The mans fear