New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-05
FICTION
THE Increasing Purpose of MIR
H. G.. Wells.

,aoa-ends its fullest justification in
Mr.. Weiss novels. One may question
,,s theories Of the elective affinities,
- tho rights Of the individual versus
.ba institution of marriage, but when
aeols with collective humanity, with
civilization in the mass, he is always
,',roestive And his final achievement
,ies in this. that he never forgets that
his readers have a right to a story
along with the criticism.
wharfage" is a criticism of contem-
,,orarv life that reaches far and wide
"a deep. 1t is a study of interrela-
,,ore Of the influences which mar or
make the life in common. and on which
a. reacts. a study Of surviving infiu-
orces Of the past and of the new infu-
orces Of to-day Above all. it is still
orotber plea for efficiency in the con-
duct Of life in all its branches.
Nv Wells's hero is a scientist man
f,,.bom his researches have taught to
+bink logically. Marriage takes him
ont Of the laboratory into the world,
which appalls him by the haphazard'
crnae unreasonable, unforeseeing ways
-, which It manages its affairs, per
.or.l national social economic. 1t
=. all matter Of "muddling through,
he finds. and, in the case Of his own
married life. a matter of reckless eX-
,or5iture by his wife, whose parents
have muddled through her training for
voman's destiny. The girls father is
.ooritaI study Of that abuse Of parental
o,,,bority which led in the closing
,,.oars of the last century to the aboll-
zion Of the authority itself, with moth
ing. Of course, TO take its place except
the individuality" Of children. Most
alarming to Mr.. Wells, or, rather, TO
Nc scientist. is the jaunty, spontanc-
.,,s oroniscIence of the dilettanti, who,
without knowledge or understandings
start movements and societies for the |
,,nrft reformation. Improvement and |
control of everything, from the drama
70 the moral mental and physical quail ]
,ties of the human race itself. These
,roll-r,eaninc muddlers never think out .
to the end the movements they start; /
they could not, even if they tried. !
They do not stop TO consider whether
what they undertake is the right thlng !
"a do. they are perfectly satisfied and (
sen.satisded, to be doing something
anything.
oTbe astounding part Of it is Traf- /
fo-d hurst out, that this sort OF thlns, 4
This Movement and all the rest OF " /
does really give the quaIlty Oh En ~ e.
public affairs. The-the cheapness OF IL. .
Paised voices rash assertions, meetings. {
and committees and meetings; thSt tne
stuff of it, and politicians really nave 70 /
attend TO it, and silly, ineffective. hrltaI51
ing bills really get drafted ana messeS
about with and passed on the stTehstn
OF H. Public affairs are sun IN the
Middle Ages Nobody now WouId thlhN
Of getting together scratch co COM aoue
OF rich old women and miscellaneous
conspicuous people to design an electric I,
tram. and jabbering and jabberlng' ana
if any one objects, labberlnS faster uut
nobody thinks il ridiculous 10 attempt
the organization Of peoples AFFAIRS tha'
I suppose it's the way that sort OF
thing gets DONE" said Marlory. q,
s1arped Trafford. "All these people I
burbie about with their movements ana I
iohs and lectures and stuff-and things
lapper. Like some one getting sg9ashae t1
10 death in a crowd Nobody did H. out I
anybody in the muddle can claim TO
have done IT,"
Mr. Wells is Of the generation that /
reached manhood in the fourth quarter 4
Of the last century with the firm and /
inspiring belief in the ultimate victory |
Of science and scientific methods over !
ignorant authority and haphazard T.
ways. The valiant leaders Of that /
day, with Huxley at their head as their /
interpreter TO the multitude, did not, |
could not, foresee the spontaneous /
superstitions and panaceas of the /
pseudo-science Of to-day. No doubt we .
are only on the way 10 a dispensation /
Of clearer understanding; but even so. /
Mr.. Weiss voice Of warning and pro-
test is only the more timely and sig
nifcant.
The problem presented in this story !
Is in essence the same as that dealt .
with by Robert Herrick In 1.-THE .
Healer; but whereas the American .
writer presents the wife's, and espe- /
cially the mothers, demands as shack .
les put upon the man-as hostages 4
to fortune"-Mr. Wells deals with .
them as rights that are wrongs only
because our whole system of hving is
wrong. The woman's aspirations arc
not her husbands, nor are they even
hcr own, since she lacks efficiency in
purpose and planning, but they ar.
those Of her social environment, Of h er
class, and 10 them she sacrifices 'aer
husband Ia a sense, yet TO the gre alter
material benefit Of her offspring. This
material benefit brings with 1t wider
opportunities Of intellectual and moral
and physical development. She is the
eternal mother fighting for 'Aer chill
dren, II necessary at the expense Of
her mate. He would cont nue. TO de-
vote his life 70 pure scier ce; her ex-
travagance in an extravag ant social en-
Fironment forces him TO turn his sci
ence into wealth-synt' Aetized rubber
The fortune acquired, he plans to re-
turn to his laboratory f: she, aspiring TO
higher social honors. seeks to drive him
INTO public life.
10