New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-30
VIEWS AND REVIEWS
OF CURRENT FICTION
A. Weiss Greatest Achievement-Niss Harraden $
Woman on the Broad Highway-The Soul Of France
A Romance of the Dangerous Age

land. France and Russia. and. no doubt.
Germany and the Dual Monarchy as well.
will produce The search will surely
yield many worthy aspirant for the
honor. but in the final weighing Of
awards Mr.. Wells's claim will surely
always stand first Not in England
and this country alone. nor only in
the countries of the Triple Alliance.
but wherever men feel and think and
work for better things For through
incredibly. stupefaction. Indignation.
hatred. blood lust, through personal
loss on the battlefield and in a Yep
pelin-scarred village. Mr.. Drifting
gains TO a renewed vision. a reborn
faith In the future of civilization and
humanity.
The conclusion that this novel IL 20
"a large extent photographed. sub
jective. is unacceptable. Mr. Drifting
is Mr.. Wells in the large outlines Of
the book. He has for years preached
the federation of the world, the rule
Of sanity and justice. the coming Of
world peace. He has waged unceasing
battle upon the casualness OF the
British way Of doing things the Brit
ish muddle-and IL, unlike Mr.. Wells
himself. he has not advocated German
organization and its efficiency. he has
come very near 70 it. He IS worrying
over the Irish situation in June, 1914,
when there comes to him Mr. Direck,
the secretary of the Massachusetts,
Society for the Study Of Contemporary
Thought, bearing an invitation to de-
liver a series OF lectures before that
serious instrument OF culture. And.
incidentally, Mr. Direck comes 70
look up" his English ancestry. There
in lies an additional sting for Mr..
Britling's indignation later on. when
he realizes that America has resolved
upon the maintenance Of neutrality.
With the double murder at Sarajevo
the real story begins. Mr.. Drifting
pooh-po0hs anticipations OF the out
break of the great war, so long fore
seen, so long prepared for Can all
Europe suddenly 60 mad? he asks. It
is impossible, But the impossible oc-
ours. "The war TO end war this IL
his first conclusion-the war 20 end
militarism, 20 swing Germany into
line with the democratic nations, 10
rid her Of Hohenzollerns and Junker-
dom. The German people viii rise
and welcome its deliverers. Then
comes the real cation that the Ger
man people is m this war heart and
soul Mr.. Britling believes as i'm
plcitly IN the existence Of the Bel
rian child with the cutoff hands as
fifteen years ago he believed in the
Boer women who mutiiated the Brit
ish wounded, a. pro-Boers believed IN
the fshhook points packed in the food
Tor the concentration camps IN Brit
ish canneries. Being philosopher
and psychologist. he even comes 20
understand the systematic German
frightfulness. These people are driven
20 a frenzy by the fact that they must
force their sensible organization Of
life upon the Stacking nations, which
have refused 70 accept II voluntarily
for their own greater well-being. Mr..
Britling able 20 see for a moment
through German eyes. 10 make allow
ance for the restrictions OF German
vision. comes near 20 unGers landing
the Superman Of popular conception.
And then a Zeppelin bomb initiates
a distant relation OF his. a cantanker-
Gus old woman. and ultimately kills
her Mr.. Drifting sees red. He has
waking dream OF killing a Zeppelin