The sun., 1915-05-22

n takes three pretty long volumes
for ]. d. BeresfC'i to work out the
psyohology OF q not particularly at
tractive young man until he becomes
q fairly successful writer Of novels.
He 10 selfish and destitute Of ordinary
affection, In spite OF his various ANA
tory ventures, and never from begin
ming TO end does he feel or give way to
q generous impulse. The workings Of
his mind and OF those Of the people
concerned with him are described with
great influences. which 10 the
authors idea Of realism. These dis
sections Of ideas and motives, often
immaterial but always ingenious,
serve less to show the development Of
the hero's character than to discuss
and deride the conventions OF daily
life. In the first volume. THE Early
History OF Jacob Stahr' CLittle. Brown
and Company. George II. Doran Com
pany) there Is most action. for the
hero is carried along from birth to the
end of an unfortunate marriage. An
through the agency Of devoted aunt
to whom he Is afterward painfully un-
grateful he IL restored to nearly
normal condition by tho time he at
tains manhood. His long period OF
invalidism sufiices to account for his
dreaminess. his vanity. his lack OF
STAYING power, his indec!sion and per-
haps for the singular appeal he makes
to women. His moral sense Is by no
means keen. whether in his extraor-
dinary first love affair. In his subse-
ouent adventures Mn London or in the
marriage he is drawn into. The COM
plicated breeding the author contrives
for him, part Irish. part German, part
Jew, is wholly irrelevant. for at no
time does he exhibit any race charac-
teristics; his shiftlessness comes from
none OF them. He makes a mess of
his profession and OF his marriage
his wife leaves him and he Is left
alone and pennlless.
In the second volume. "A Candidate
for Truth" ULittle, Brown and Com
pany George ii. Doran Company. he
begins to brace up. He is taken up
by a stunning parson, against whom
and his methods the author seems 10
have a spite. and goes into the atver-
tising business. He resists the tempta-
ton Of taking up with an unattractive
but wealthy woman. He begins to In
dulge in his craving TO write and hnds
O chance TO write reviews. He falls
In love with a boarding house keeper
who Is sorry for him. and spends much
time in proving to her that she should
60 and live with him, as his wife re-
fuses to divorce him. He is acquiring
the courage to do as he pleases.
The last volume, The Invisible
Event" George II. Doran Company
proves that he is right. The 2ir
yields, because she Is self ficinG
and the partnership is successful. She
In practical and makes him stick tc
his work; he lives by writing reviews
but also writes a novel. She encour'
ages him when he Is disheartened ant
makes him stick to his literary ideals
The struggle between her earlier idea:
Of right and those tho hero sets before
her takes up much OF the book; nj:
opinions about literature also occup,
much room. They enable the author
to say what he thinks Of these thre,
volumes. At the END the wife dies. bu
ths giri refuses to marry the hero
whose arguments have convinced her
till he pleads that the children the,
may have would prefer to have th'
oOnven&ions observedS It Is . clos
study Of an unattractive character
Ouoh - several young English au
thoeO have made in recent years. I
Oeudy Of externals rather than Of tn,
SOai person; we'll written. in spite O
oocASional slipshod phrases. and show
in6 much cleverness in presenting sew
eeAl sides OF each question. When tn,
reader gets through he may be puz
Eiod a. to what the author has beel
driving at: the hero he can hardl!
sympathize with. even II he succeed
at last In drifting into something tina
he regards as principles.
Tho day dream of q romanti
Otenographer has been elaborated
beautifully by Marie Van Worst il
"Mary Moreland" Hittle. Brown an
Company. She is lovely and ex
Quisitely dressed and when her EN-
ployer bids her elope with him sh
IS ready TO comply. An interview wit
his extravagant and nagg!ng wife
however, makes her change her mind
she goes to the man and makes hin
see his duty. The wife gives him n
peace; the stenographer In spite o
her virtuous resolves and her bushes
experience manages to get herself an
her employer into a succession of com
promising situations She is dr!ve
wild by the extravaganza Of an I'M
scrupu'ous and voluble mother, sh
Is humanized by looking after a gil
who has gone to the bad, she IL edu
Gated by working for a literary In
valid, she brings husband and VIII
definitely together and on the dennis
of lhe lady happily marries her frs
employer. This incursion OF Miss Va