The sun., 1916-10-29
ON REREADNC WILLIAM HURREL
MALLOCK.
After Ihirty-ave Years, Says Mr.. Huneker, This Authors Philosophy II
Life Il Still Worth Studying.

ittII vi "
not thlrty.five years g he was the
most discussed author of his day. The
old conundrum: rs Life Worth Liv-
ing?" he revived. and newly orches-
trated with particular reference to the
spiritual needs Of the hour. And "A
Romance of the Nineteenth Century
was denounced as an abomination,
more immoral than "Mademoiselle de
Maupin." Gautier was read then and
Swinburne's lifting raganism quite
filled the lyric sky. MIR. Mallock's role
was that of a philosophical novelist
and essayist who reproved the golden
materialism Of his age, not with fuligi-
nous menace, as did Carlyle. nor with
melodious Indignation like Ruskin, but
with a more subtle instrument OF
castigation, even irony. He laughed at
the gods OF the new scientific dispen-
sation, Darwin. Spencer, Huxley, Tyn-
dali. Clifford, and he put them in the
pages OF his New Republic" for the
delectation of the world. and most APP
pealing foolery II was; this and the
sheer burlesque Of "The New Paul and
Virginia" Mr.. Mallock was an indi-
| NlludlhSls Nv Va ooiiii 'iuot I
Mill had not yet waned in the even
ties-he occupied then a place mid
way between Bentham and Spencer.
His birth. breeding and temperament
made Mallock a foe 10 socialism. to the
promlscuous in politics, religion, So
ciety, therefore an apostle Of culture
not missing its precious side; witness
Mr.. Rose in The New Republic" and
one who abhorred the Grass and the
trreverent in the New Learning. He
had a vogue. His ideas were badly
seized and transformed by the men Of
the nineties, yet.to-day 1t is difficult to
get a book OF his. They are mostly
out Of prlnt-which is equivalent to
saying out of mind.
With what personal charm he in
vested his romances, lie Is the liter
airy progenitor of u long linc of young
men. artistic In taste, a trine sccptical
as to final causes. wealthy. worldly,
widely cultured and aristocratic. The
staler art Of oscar Wilde gives the
individual of Mallock petriiicd into a
rather unpleasant type. Walter pater's
fear that the word "hedonist' would
be suspected a. immoral came true IN
Wilde's books. The heroes Of "a Ro-
nance of the Nineteenth Century
"Tristram Lacy and The New Re-
public hav u strong family rcsem-
biance. They were supermen before
Nictzschc was discovered. They are
prcpossessed 10y theological problems
they love the seven arts and are 4
t,ile dccadent; though when action is
demanded they do not fail - respond
As stories go "A Romlncc' Is the best
of Ma!lock's; the canyas OF "Tristram
Lacy" is larger, the intrigue less in
tense and the characterization NOR,
human. The unhappy girl, Cynthia
Walters, who SO shocked our mothers
is not duplicated in "Tristram." Mr.
MIllock wrote a preface To III" seconC
edition If "a Romance a superfuous
one. for the book needs no apologies
Il never did. II is As moral as
Madame Rovary." though not SO
pleasant. The Triangle Is a reveroC
convention in French fiction, but thos,
naturallstic photographs in "a Ro'
nance" are not agreeable. anC
Cynthia's cpitaph: blessed are tn
pure in heart. for they shall see God
leaves q bitter taste in the mouth. !
~ III ~ il'A' i'lAa'fi l''I''NN' W VI
key of cynicism. No doubt the leis
urely gait of these f~lctions would l.,
:. old fashioned TO the present genera
ton, with its preference for s~tacCat,
English, morbid s~cnsationalism an,
lack of grace and scholarship. MI
Mallock is Il scholar and a gentleman
who writes a prose OF distinction. an,
, he is also "A thinker, reaCt!onary. TO n
, sure, but a litter AT sham philosophie
and sham religions. Last. but no
least, he has abundant humor and
most engaging wit. Possibly all thes
qualities would make him unpopula
in the early years Of our century.
What a gathering of choice spirit
In The New Republic: Matthew Ar
> mold, Professor .Jowett-a fine charac
ter etching-HuXley, Tyndall. Carlyle
pater-rather cruelty ~treated-Rus
8 kin, DR.. Pussy, Mrs. Mark Pattisor
n W. X. Clifford. Violet Fane-how III
' author ~jugrles with their personals
e ties. with their ideas! It's the clever
$ est parody of its kind. Otho I.aurenc
3 and Robert Leslie are closely relate
y in aspirations to Ralph Vernon. All
n Campbell and the priest Stanley of ".
S Romance" AS portraits. those of tn
Premier Lord Runcorn in "Tristra,
Lacy" and the faded dandy, poet an
man about town, Lord Surhiton, {
"a Romance" are difficult to mate
outside Of Disraelis. Epigrams dro
like snowtlakcs. The decor is alway
n gorgcous-Monte Carlo, Provence, Ca
de Juan. or countries flowing wit
milk and honey, marble ruins, the lie.
cypress and palm. Palaces there ar,
and inhabited by l%anguid. fascinatin
~ young men who anXiously examine /
the glass their expressive counts
, nances, asking the Lord whether II
" Is i'll pleased with them, And lovel
girls, charming, and in Cynthia Wa
" Then there are the priCc-Bousefielt
. and tho inimitable Mrs. Norman
. celebrated authoress and upholder
the people" one of the notable blacl
guards in fiction is Colonel StapletoI
:. and the Poodle and the ncw-rich He
bcCksteins-a complete picture ga
lery may be found in these interestin
~ novels. Romance rules; poetry. tel
derness In the appreciation of Il
r eternal feminine. and a pity for livir
things. Poor Cynthia Walters. II
n dear, dead woman" fingers in u
o. memory. as modern as yesterday, az
as effaced as a daguerreotype.
" But il his heroes Cow their OF
. t.n,aINF Nv Al111npI 90 nm n Mt nnni