New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-16

Are we returning to the thrce-voIume
novel of Victorian days. mHo'tay OF
Nudes circulating library, most gen
crous filler Of his weekly book h'N'
for country houses? It begins to look
like it. when we gaze abroad not only
to the England Of to-day, bat TO the Con-
tincnt as well. Only we are 70 hav~ the
three volumes NOT an at once. rs OF y're'
but in succession. ia The form Of 'tri'-
ocics." There is the Danish "PeiIe' the
Conoueror." for one; we have forgotten
how many volumes there are IN the orig
iral French of Roman Rolland's Jean
Cbristophe." hat in the American trans.a-
ton II fills three stable books. Then
there are the young Erglishmcn-l. j.
Beresford. with his Jacob Stahi' tniogy'
lust completed; Oliver Onions's history OF
murder case told from three different
points Of view in three successive volumes;
Arnold BENEFITS "Clayhangcr' trlIogy
whose final volume is still 10 come; Hugh
Walpole's duchess of Wreyc' series
which is rot to be a trlogJ, but sequence
Of stories: and, looking at home, which
we should have done first, instead Of last
there is our own Theodore Dreiser's story
Of a fnancier, which, too, is still TO be
concluded IN a third novel.
The revival Of the three-decker in this
modified, perhaps we should say disguised
form Is not so sudden as might appear at
first glance. The first approach 10 its re-
Mobilization was made almost Immediately
after its suppres sion in England some fif-
teen wears ago with an attempt to publish
one Of the stories Of the most popular nov
ellis, of the day, Mrs. Humphrey Ward IN
two-volume form. It was not n success.
Some wears later n similar venture was
made by Edith Wharton's publishers with
The Valley Of Decision But, even as
the three-decker has been changed into
trilogy. 50 has the two-volume novel been
transformed into story ard its sequel
published at an interval Of q year or 50, as
in the case Of Compton iackenzie's "Sin-
lister Street"
Is anv conclusion TO be drawn from this
revival as yet? The venture seems TO he
for the present still in lis experimental
stage so far as the reading public IS con-
cerned. It is traceable. first Of all, to the
importance we have come to attach TO the
child as the father of the man-and the
mother Of the woman-to our present pre-
occupation with heredity and environment
This accounts for the first volume. The
second volume may be accounted for by The
fact that a new generation Of authors IS
coming to the fore in England, which takes
youth. especially its own, with portentous
seriousness. It is knocking at the door,
and it does not purpose to do the knocking
in a mere Introductory chapter or two
Thus. after another year or so, we reach
,he third volume. BY that time we have
forgotten as much about the hero's child
hood and youth as he has himself, so that
he and the reader start anew on even
terms. After all. the three-decker in its
new trilogy form has its advantages.
There are few young women who find 4
mans looks Of admiration so distastciul that
they cause his arrest, as did Pittsburgh
miss now visiting this city.
The hearts Of depositors in Henry Siegel3
smashed bank viii bleed over the hardshipe
TO which he Will be put in living on $4,000
year.
To 10 AHDof fo- tou4 n