The Detroit times., 1913-06-12
B O K
1.-THE Catfish"

IRIS latest OF CnarfeS MarrlOtt
! novels Is something out OF the beaten
! track In the way of a character study
II leaves the reader an impression OF
, sealing AT first hand with the soul OF
q man; II we may be permitted to Dor
row that expression from religious
Technology.
The author has succeeded in givine
| n clear picture OF the meaning OF ordi
nary events to his hero: that Is their
/ real, personal. poetic meaning. II you
! please. which he often could not con
vey 10 anyone elese II he chose, and
yet one. which largely controls his
| life.
George Tracy, for that Is his name
starts as Il dreaming, imaginative boy
and turns out to become an unusually
ksuccesstul business man.
HHThe story is that OF the growth OF
Dis personality and OF the part played
I'm II by several persons. including his
mother, his chum and especially one
Mary Testing, who even as an occA-
sional playmate of his childhood ap-
pealed to him as the one person living
In the real world" with him and look
inc al things in the same way.
But because Mary did understand
him. she always unconsciously put
him on the defensive and while il kept
them from following up mutual at
traction. at the same time II made
her the chief stimulant OF his life,
This stimulation is the theme OF the
story.
The title. The Catfish" is inexplic-
able except for one paragraph OF the
IL uh
AT one time the North Sea fisher
men brought their cod 10 market In
tanks in the holds OF their vessels.
In the tanks the cod lived at ease.
with Their esult that they came TO mar
ket slack. labby and limp. Some
genius among the fishermen introduc-
cd one catfish into each Of his tanks
and found that his cod came to mar
kct firm, brisk and wholesome. The
article went on to speak OF the world $
catfish-anything or anybody that in
trotuced into life the queer unpleas-
ant. disturbing touch OF the kingdom
Of heaven
Well" thought George amusedly,
Mary was his Catfish. She kept his
soul alive ."
ePrhaps some introduction OF the
author is due American readers, al
though he is one OF the most interest
Ing figures among contemporary Eng
! lsh writer's OF Action He is now
aged SO. but his career as a novelist
dates back only a dozen years.
! The Lie of Charles Marriott has
been one Of the development which
must be largely credited to the man
himself After an early training In
in orphanage, he was at the age OF
ID disappointed in an ambition to be-
come a sailor, being rejected because
| of short-sightedness For three years
thereafter he was an art student. and
then finding himself under the neces-
sity of earning living, turned TO the
| practice OF photography which he be-
gan as an apprentice.
He wrote little till past thirty and
has given his whole time to literary
work only since the publication Of his
first novel, The Column" in 1901. In
1902, he moved with his family 10 st
yes. Cornwall, the haunt OF a colony
| of well-known artists with whom he
associated
Four years ago he removed to Lon
don and became connected with the
Standard and the Evening Standard
two newspapers Of which he Is now
the art editor. Besides two volumes
OF short stories and numerous verses
he has published IL novels of which
The Catfish is the latest. The YER
sstlle interest and ability OF the man
ic shown in the fact that he took UP
! the study OF music after he was
grown and II has been his chief recre
alton ever since.
In THE Catfish" the natural anat
eonism Of George Tracy and Mary
Posing keep them from recognizing a
mutual love TIL too late. George sud.
denly marries another girl to whom he
remains faithful even In thought in
spite Of the fact that Mary continues
to be his ideal
Such a situation gives rise to some
complicated psychological problems
and II is In their presentation that
Marriott Is at his best. With simple
phrases he throws a veritable search
light upon the mysterious process by
which ideas and impressions are
translated into human activity. II is
book worth reading. Bobbs-Merrill
crmDany TndianapO a Ok paf