New-York tribune., 1911-04-08
Spring Stories Of Character,
Adventure and Mystery.
"Qs IN AN ODD VEIN.

u TN AN OOO NCiN'
BROTHER COPAS. BY Arthur Quiller-
Couch COZ. 12mo. pp viii, sol. Charles
Scribners Sons.
The clever novelist is always with us
but very rarely do we encounter the type
whose cleverness is made fine and VIM
ming by a strain of tender feeling -
would long ago have subsided into the
ranks of the ordinary public entertainer
II he had been only a clever writer. only
one more of the facile craftsmen de-
veloped under the influence of Steven
eon. But there was ever something
wholesome about him. something both
gentle and strong o. has heart, and
II has told substantially In the fortunes
OF his books 1t has made the latter
ouriously hkable. one reads them with
q certain pleasure, even when they are
not altogether successful. So 1t Is III
the present instance. Brother Copas
is not by any means one of "Q's' sue
cesses. but then neither is 1t failure.
Its virtue lies in the charming pct
ures It contains Of a drowsily romantic
hackwater in English life and in us
illustration of the kindly traits III oiu
mon OF a certain sort The scene is iaia
IN and about an ancient charitable IN
etitut!on. a place as picturesque ana re-
roseful as an oxford college, ard the
author finds his account in exploiting
the hunlors of the poor Brethren ana
their governors. He brings these out
deftly enough and in some instances at
least with that old sympathetic touch OF
his q touch that generally wins half the
battle. There is promise Of an amusing
p,ay Of circumstance, too. in the intro
duction into this scene of whimsical
child. a little girl with character all
her own. There is sentiment in the BOOK
of course. and much Of ii is true and
touching And yet. all the time, as we
loyallv count up everything in the tale
that can bc put to the authors credit
we are plaintively asking him why IN
the world he ever did ii. 90 In ironlcai
mood, The thing is absurd. And why
wreak his irony upon company oi
broken down old men and their guar
dians. good or bad? In the first place
the game seems hardly worth while. and
what is perhaps worse. the nature oil
COS" scheme somehow keeps reminding
MS Of Trollope and The Warden" The
inevitable comparison is bad affair
for 90"
When Trollope was accused Of being q
man Of genius he was wont playfully tc
bring forward the talismanic qualities
Of cobbler's wax as q means Of keeping
an author in his chair and compelling
him to do days work. We are toic
that there are persons who really believe
that he owed let 10 the wax But ther
there are persons who say that they can
not read Trollope at all, fact surely
proving. If anything were needed for the
proof. that It. indeed, takes all kinds @
reople 10 make a world. We'll, genius o.
not. Trollope was one Of those novelist'
who, doing a certain thing once, do j
I'm such 4 way that there is no earthly
reason for any ones ever trying TO do j
again. 20" has tried. and TO the faithfu
reader OF his romantic pages the resul
is a grievous shock. He founders abou
md about, and just because he makes
roor start pretty nearly everything goe
wrong. He makes us acquainted VIII
entirely unpleasant people, so that w
are nut ont of humor for the really goo'
company in his book. The little girl II
the story of whom we hope delightful
things. presently disappoints us, becom
,rg rather a pert chanseling. The au
rhor's art grows uncertain. Where n
was wont to make character all OF
piece he vacillates and leaves 1t q dis
ccncerting mixture In short. "Q' seem
I'll at ease In "Sir John Constantine
he tells US. he expressed his faith in hi
. fellows and in their capacity 10 treat lif
Y as a noble sport. In this new story h
n fries TO express Something Of that cor
relative scorn which must come soone
or later to every man who puts his falt
into practice"
20" ought to let scorn alone His near
Is better off without il, and 50 Is his per
MlIRDER?