New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-14
HIGH COMEDY
Henry James On a. Burning Topic
of the Moment.

= if. III II ~. bA Henry lanes. I-litpi
up. 81. Charles Scribners Sons.
1t is "a little SURPRISING to find that Mr..
Henry James is also among the proph-
cts. writing a story. around "a subjcc, al
most sensationally mp To date "'rhe
cutlery is a prodigiOusly topical" AZ
fair, written as though from data taken
out OF the current newspapers, head
lines and all Everybody knows how
the old families Of England are selling
the herlooms from their walls for
Americans to hang in their picture gal
lerics. and how, through appeals in the
public prints and through the formation
of societies. strong efforts have been
III le 10 keep these precious works of
art from coming here. Mr.. James, whom
we generally observe in rumipatyc
mood, as il were. quietly seeking his
case" in the byWayS of life. rises TO the
occasion like one Of those "husLling'
journalists so absolutely foreign to his
world and gets q bookful Of copy" out
OF an ordinary. mundane theme. Only.
We hasten to add, ne does not for a mo-
ment even begin TO commence to pre-
pare to hustle" That is not Mr..
James's way.
Nevertheless, il is delightful 10 see him
yielding 70 the eXhilaration OF the game
and extracting from it effects that very
nearly do violence to his wonted calm.
Being the sterling artist that he is, he
cannot, of course, be untrue to himself,
and so he has TO work through the first
Of the three parts into which the book is
divided with an eXhausting amount OF
that kind Of dialogue which is about
equally compounded of supernatural
"subtlety" and plain sawdust But he
well rewards the patient reader. First
come about a hundred pages Of the
smallest kind OF conversational small
change, and then-bang goes saXpence,
in q situation which, for Mr.. James, pos
itively tingles with drama. The truth IS
that The Cutlery" is piece OF sheer
comedy. which cries aloud FOR the foot
lights Possibly Mr.. James was think
ing of the stage when he wrote. There
are passages in the book, relating to en-
frances, exits and the like, which read
like the directions in a scenario.
For success in the theatre, however,
the piece would have TO he put in the
hands Of some vulgar person. with
heart like paving stone, who would
ride roughshod over the authors most
cherished Sensibilties and merely see to
it that the clever charming play lying
latent I'm The Outcry" was brought 10
the surface We may note in passing,
that his face would he "A study as, in his
search through the book for bits of por-
traiturc to put to his use, he came upon
"A fragment like this:
What the Gnc. slightly long oval Of her
essentially quiet face-quiet ia spite ot Ger
tair vague depths Of reference 10 forces
of the strong high order. forces involved
and implanted yet also rather spent III lue
DrOceSS-kept in range from under her re-
druriant black hat was the strength Of eX-
preston. the directneSs of communication,
that her guest appeared TO borrow from
the unframed and unattached nippers UNI
ceasingly perched. by their mere ground
glass rims, As she remembered, oil the
bory ridge Of his indescribably authorita-
tive (suce II was at the same time de-
N4AfNiN iiiN''l"lAiNN' s'hiir '''''''
No, in the stage version Of THE out
cry" for which we Unfortunately banker
this would not do. it is hardly bearable
in the book, which repeatedly makes us
wonfer If Mr.. James is not uncOn-
sciously bent upon parodyng himself.
Iii. mannersms were never more OBJ
trusivc The affectation which tinges
his use Of the advert is an almost inccs-
SAINT source Of irritation, and, as usual,
he works the epithet beautiful 10
death This she beautifully showed
that she beautifully saw" 80 awfully
kind Of YOU TO have found
beautiful minute for me" IT'S awfully
beautiful, then, your having come to Us
So" and you regard your cntreaty rs
helped by the beautiful threat YOU are 50
good as to attach to it?' How one
wcarles of diction so self-conscious. 50
Jar from the easy fiuidity and natural
imposing a single Fictitious mode Of
speech upon al his characters. With all
his passion for the mot jPStc ne is, all
innorcntly. perpetually the victim of the
clicbt. Even the clever art critic IN the
look who is supposed 10 have traits of
his own, says, "Oh. I hope not, unless
YOU again dreadfully are and asks,
Has it deplorably been offered you"
sim. we must not let these things dimin-
ish our JOY in the play.
1t is a perfect play. Lord Theign pos
sesses two daughters and houseful of
one Of the latter, already
valuable as Moretto, may prove price
less if Mr.. Crimble the critic aforesaid,
can prove. as he wishes to do, that II is
really q MantOyano. Lord Theign is a
great nobleman who abhors tratlicking
I'm the paintings left him by his ances-
tors. but the gambling debts of his
daughter Kitty Lady Imbcr, have to bc
paid. and he would like 10 give "A dowry
with ms other daughter, Lady Grace. 10
his friend, Lord John. Moreover there
is certain Mr.. Breckenridge Bender
urowIng about. an American millionaire.
who likes to buy pictures at enormous
prices But Lady Grace and Mr. Grim
blc hate the idea of q sale, and in their
desire to save the Moretto-M antovano
for the family, or at any rate for the Ma
tional GALLERY, they complicate matters
IN an absolutely blissful degree. When
the public is brought in-which is 10 say,
when the newspapers begin to take no.
ticc-thc play of emotion becomes even
more heated and more intricate. And
then there is always Lady SYNDICATE,
Lord Theisn's Egeria, to pun the tangic