The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-21
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"Thc Titan.''
BY Theodore Dresser John Lane
Company.
In THE Titan" Theodore DRESSER Of
fcrs tho second volume OF his projected
"Trlogy OF Desire as he duba It.
Tho Financier." published about two
years ago. introduced the figure OK
Frank Algcrnon Cowperwood, who
continues the central character of the
authors long -drawn-out and still un-
completed trIioSy.
Circumstances. TO put II mildly, had
combined. in The Fmancer' to land
Cowperwood behind the bars OF a
peniteatiary as reward for various
rascalities OF which he had been guilty
In the amassing of "A fortune in Phila-
dclphia, which was the scene Of his
earlier activities. In the opening
pages OF The Titan" lie is described
as being at liberty, and on the lookout
for other fields in which to exercise
has energy and his Uuscrupulous and
schcIning talen FOR money making
He goes TO Chicago, and finds what
ne considers great opportunities in that
hustlinE and growing city--the period
Is the early lSS0's-So thither he re-
moves himself, his enterprise and that
faithful Aileen. who had remained CON
slant to him during his prison term.
In short time. nc managed To obtain
a divorce from his ill-treated wife.
and he thereupon' narries -iileen, hop
ing that, with his mcnagc now be-
core orthodox, they may enter so
ciety." AT first through Cowper,vood's
connection with influential men, they
are TO some extent taken up by those
within the circle. but Aileen, in spite
of her radiant beauty. Is a little too
Hamooyant. and they are speedily
dropped The knowledge Of their
former relations contributes to the
snubbinG which they receive. All OF
this. however, is moro than n little
inconsistent, for.Laccording to Mr..
Dresser, Rome in the time Of Nero was
little less Immoral than Chicago.
SIN. Chicago reviewers will take
care of that feature OF the book-it
they have not done so ulready-and il
remains FOR us to say only that il is
practically inconceivable that In any
community OF even tutwardly respect
able people In modern civilizn ton,
such bald. crude license Of thought and
OF action could have obtained as that
attributed to the society" people OF
Chicago by Mr.. Dresser in Tho Titan
And this element forms conspi-
cuous part of the authors treatment
OF his subject. Ostcnsibly. one would
say, he seeks to present tho gigantic
figure OF his hero" as he struggles
with the forces OF finance and politics
In his ruthless efforts To obtain wealth
and power. to attain the titanic pro-
portions in which the author doubtless
believes that he has created him. Ac-
tually, however, MIR. Dresser has paint
cd quito as realistically the portrait
OF woman hunter. for there is scarce
~ n chapter OF The Titan" In which
there Is not either reference TO or a
bare statement of fact concerning
anorou8 adventuring.
Generally. Il must be said, Il Is n
tNa
found. The author does not tourney
with his nero in his conouering way.
does not send the reader with him. but
from t!no TO time-and the intervals
are short-presents name 4 fgurc
n brief descriptions. until when the end
OF the book is reached It is practically
impossible to recall to mind more than
half of the many, many women who
contribute to this titans DELINQUENCY.
Aileen. now his wife. overlooks and
lorgives again and again. until she
Is driven to Offer grounds for what In
court or chancery would be called
'recrirninauon." and, p!linE Ossa on
Pelion, also takes To hard drink. sim.
Cowpcrwood demands nothing that he
VIII not give. SO he and Ailecn con-
inue 10 occupy the same house. What
becomes o! the wife is not made known
in this installnent OF the trilogy. but
Cowperwood himself. nearing sixty,
'N''V' AHStiiIB IN one or hi9
grating operations. starts afrcsh with
one Berenice.
For the rest, that portion which led
the author to his choice O. a title: II
relates slowly and at grca, length the
hero's methods In big business" Gas
and street railways, roth cable and
electric. and tho handling OF yonal
civic authorities. "boodicrs" In the
state Legislature, even dishonest Gov
ernors. provide occupation for Cow
perwood. when he is not engaged in
his f2vorite pursuit With minute de-
tail, tho author goes into tho .ranipu-
lation OF public utility stocks, Into the
private and financial reuds between
Cowperwood and his contemporary
utans and into the political side of his
endeavors
All these-methnds. measures and
men-aro described with such wealth
of over-e elaboration as quite to irnpov-
crish tho story itself. For rarely is II
more than a mere narration; such an
account as might have been gathered
from many long newspaper stories
For this only is Tho Titan" 10 be
coInrnended-that In SO far as Il treats
of the methods all too frequently en-
ployed, certainly in that day, in the
building UP Of huge fortunes, In the
the construction OF well-nigh unas-
sailable trusts. 1t is almost photo
graphic But many OF those portions
of the book tina; smack OF mere dry
news would not be passed by a good
oopy-reader. for Mr.. Dreiser's English
is singularly careless, TO say the least:
such blunders as. whom he knew was
coming" with others quito glarins.
abound ir his writing
And. in no case, does he present "A
living character, "A personality that
makes Itself felt; his characters are
all described. never vitalized, 30 that
one cannot bring himself 10 like or
dislike, approve of or condemn any
one of the persons introduced into the
story.
The Titan" Is titanic only asanan-
Hesitation or the authors industry and
cnort--there are 500 pages. many OF
which arc good, solid reportorial
workout, at best, il Is a sordid un-
clean account of sordid. unclean
life.
"Chtl6reH OF the Dead tcDd.r