The sun., 1916-04-29

about the value Of war for stimulating !
the nobler qualities Of human character
Il Ia interesting to note an opposing
motive touched on by Gertrude Atherton
In her acrinoniously discussed mover
Mrs Balfame," which is the frst BOOK !
to show the psychological reactions OF
the war In this country
Mrs. Balfame. highly respectabie
leader OF small town society, fashion-
able according to its standards. secretly
hating her husband. sat at the Friday
club listening to a lecture on The Eu-
ropean war versus Woman" And as
the result Of much provocatton ana
subconscious drifting she began TO argue
to herself: What does mans civil'za-
ton amount to anyway? Compared win
the stupendous slaughter In Europe.
slaughter that would seem to be one OF
the period cities OF the world. since IT
Is the composite expression or the ihdi-
yiduai males desire to fight somebody
lust so often--what in comparison win
this monstrous crime would be the OF
fence Of making way with one obnoxious
husband?'
Then, as indicated by the opening line
OF the book, Mrs Balfame decided to
murder her husband.
Does Mrs Atherton mean that women
! nd men too. instead OF being stirred TO
! a strengthening OF virtue, react TO the
war with a lowering OF moral stand
! ards" The question was put to her ana
J she asserted that there was some truth
4 in the inference.
THE hrst lesson that war teaches
/ she said. "is that there is nothing 30
cheap as human life. However horr'-
| fed one may be at the outbreak OF war.
! the reading OF It's brutalities. its stupen.
: dous losses, its foul sights and smells,
day after day. month after month. IN
ducee an inevitable callougnees. Also.
tremendous event OF that sort neces-
sarilv stimulates writer's OF Imagination
IN one way or another. II stimulated me
to write Mrs. Balfame. II would nave
been quite impossible for me at that
time to have sat down and written any
, other sort OF novel
The war may have Quickened our
svmpathies and moved us TO high ad-
mirations but for a time, at least, stand
ards are subject to abrupt alterations.
Mrs Balfame. shallow woman, whose
excessive conventionality and iron Will
had been her strong points. sat there in
her club listening TO a reiteration OF the
wholesale killings in Europe men up 10
their knees in blood killing. killing, KILL
ing. A day lost which could not count It's
dead IN thousands. Millions OF men en-
gagged daily in this obscene game. joking
when not grimly picking out their man
or loading up big guns In the hope or
wiping out a trench at time. so why
shouldn't she kill one highly Offensive
husband. as another might kill a rattle
snake or a mad dog or villa IL one could
ee, him" In short. this woman of forty
two almost painfully respectable years
had her anti-social moment.
Certainly one effect OF this war has
. been TO make women more critical o'
men what were the best brains or Eu
rope about: All Europe had talked foi
years-yer since the Russo-Japanes'
war--of Germany's manifest intentions
, We, when Germany. m!scalculating tina
: he, moment had come and that swif
success was assured. abruptly plunge'
, Europe into war. every other State wa
. unprepared Britain stumbled along ex
, sc,ly as she did into the Boer war. un
needing all signs. A French woman toi'
> me that her butler. being reserNlst. wal
called Immediately to the colors. but wa
sent back hecaus. they had no rifle 70
4 him Frances excuse was that socialism
4 and syndicalsm had tied her hands. bu
, what OF that These same socialists an
, syndicalists have fought since like IN
Y best Of Frenchmen and they never wer
4 accused OF lack OF brains.
. Club women are growing more aler
and broadly Intelligent every day. The
g not only read. but have themselves In
s,ructed on current events No doub
Y they have reflected that although the
= might have done no better than thes
: men OF Europe they could not well hav
: done worse
I DO YOU truly mean that the war In
= .pired you to write Mrs. Balfame ,
2 Mrs Atherton was asked.
n Il might have written I; X there ha'
z been no war. but doubt II. she replied
q .t,.l. 10,
a nurderous frame OF mind, There wa
e no one ! wanted TO murder personally
and besides murder 10 90 unsafe. but
Z have always found the imagination al
\ excellent substitute for life. So ! wrot
q Mrs. Balfame' Then I wrote quite
terrible story. which Ia to come out II
: Harper's Magazine.
while | was lowering the New Yor
World out OF a clear sky asked m. TO re
port the Carman case. | was too de
lighted at the opportunity to cal, the!
, attention to the fact that knew a
much about reporting anything as ! di
:, about writing a symphony for not onl
should undoubtedly receive the !mpetu
| was waiting for. but l should get III
technique OF "A trial At hrst hand. as wei
= as much incidental psychology. Fror
: the people In the foreground | should Sc
the life behind them, the details OF tn, /
small town life,
= MANY years ago ! wrote a novel /
which a murder happened. But fatienc
Sparhawk' was differently set. ] wa
\ glad Of the opportunity to he among IN
people figuring In the local drama. I
, remain among them for week. Tn
| brain Of any experienced writer. thnE
| becomes sort OF magnet which attract
| to it all the Information needed whe
| in "A highly specialized state. one ca
| almost see and hear sights and sound
| In the atmosphere OF place ident!fe
| with a story. That Is why ! have ofte
| taken long Journeys. involving man
| DAYS. to remain perhaps few hours.
| "Reh!nd the principals and witnesss
| in the Carman trial | learned what
| Long Island community was like. ] x
| its atmosphere. The newspaper me
| and women were quite as interes'in
| and suggestive. II not more SO, live
| IN that trial FOR a week, | thought
| nothing elise. forgot the war, q
| rourse wrote my articles for the World
| Then ! went home and wrote the hoo
| ahou, half its present length. Almo
| Immediately came down with ~erlol
| illness and when / recovered d'
| cided to rewrite the book. But first
, wanted 20 see town more like the OF
| had In mind for the story than Nil
| nicola. My doctor would not trust II
| to go alone, as I had not even bee
| downtown. 40 he took me over himre
to n town that shall he nameless, b
| which I felt would answer my pupos
We walked about for a time, then hir