The sun., 1916-08-31
MR.. HUNEKER, s OPINION OF GEORGE
MOORE;S LATEST BOOK.
In 1.-THE Brook KerMh" the Irish Author Employs His Finest Art in an
Audacious Way.

cross. George Moore tnlnkS otnerWlSc,
at least he gives a novel version Of
the narrative in the synoptic gospels.
His new book, "Tho Brook kerith,"
is a fiction dealing with the life
Of Christ. 1t is a book that will
offend the faithful. and one that will
not convince the heterodox. In It
George Moore sets forth his ideas con-
corning the Christ myth" evoking.
as does Flaubert in "Salammbo." a
vanished land, a vanished civilization,
and in a style that Is artistically
beautiful. Never has he written with
such sustained power. intensity n
nobility Of phrasing, such finely tem-
pcred. modulating prose. 1t 10 a
rhythmed prose which first peeped
forth in some pages Of Mr.. Moore's
Evelyn Innes'' when the theme bor-
dered on the mystical. Yet l. Is OF an
essentially Celtic character. Mysti-
cism and Moore do not seem bedfel-
lows. Nevertheless Mr.. Moore has
been haunted from his first elaborate
novel. "A Drama in Muslin" by mys-
tic and theological questions. A pagan
by temperament, his soul Is the soui
OF an Irish Roman Catholic. lie can
no more escape the fascinating ideas
OF faith and salvation than did Hugs
mans. \ realLst at the beginning. he
has leaned of late years heavily on the
side III the spirit. But like Baudelatre,
barley d'Aurevilly. Nilliers de L1sle
Adam. Paul Nerlaine and Huysmans,
Mr.. Moore is one OF those sons OF
Mother church who give anxious
pauA. TO his former corelig.onists.
THE Brook kcrith'' will prove a for
midable rock of offence. and 1t may be
said that IL was on the Index before
il was written. And yet We find In 1t
George Moore among the prophets.
There are many books in which Jesus
Christ figures. Ernest Remains Life.
written in his silky and sophisticated
STYLE, is no more admired by Christians
than the rather harsh. crude study by
Strauss. After these the deluge. end
Ing with the bitter parody 10y the late
Rcmv de Gou,mont. "tne Mutt an
IuycmbourC." And there Is tho brilliant
and poetic study of Edgar Status in his
Mary Magdalen." Anatole France
has distilled into his The Revolt Of
the Angels" some If his acid hatred Of
all religion. with hlasphemous and OBJ
scene notes not missing. II may he
! remembered that VI, France also wrote
that little masterpiece of irony 'Ine
| proCurainr Of Judea." in which Hontlls
Plate il shown To us in his old age,
rich. cnnu!ed, sick. lie has quite for
. gotten, when asked. about the Jewish
aCItator who fancied himself the son
ot God and VA given over to the TEN
! pie authorities IN Jerusalem and cruel
, fed. Rising from the tomb on tho
! third dav he became the Christ of the
CHRISTIAN dispensation. aided by tho
religious genius OF one Paul, formerly
known a. Saul the Tcntinaker Of Tar
! sus. Now Mr.. Moore does in a larger
mould and in the grand manner
what Anatole France accomplished III
his miniature. The ironic method.
tragic irony. suffuses every page ol
1.-THE Brook keri,h," and the story o'
the four Gospels - twisted into some
thing perverse. and for Christians
3 something altogether shocking. II vii
he called "hlaspEcmpus tut we must
remember that our rational tonstitu'
ton makes no allowance for so-Cilleo
"hlasphemcrs", that the m~ythol"e.c'
Of the Greeks and Romans, lews and
Christians, Mohammed3ns and Nor
mons may hc criticised. Yet me Cri'!'
iCisIn is not inherently "hlasphemous,
America j. no more a christian tllai
"a jewish nation ~ a nation OF IRE,
thinkers. l. " free - all races am
religions. and thus ON" mans >pirltud
Neat may tr anuthor's poison. Thri
THE Brook Kcrith." eve If not pleas
ing To the orthodox, is not "hlasphe
nous" despite all tAo mouldy, obsolete
puritanical blue laws of various state,
and cities.
To think otherwise is Itself a bias
phcmy against freedom Of thought an,
speech. HAVING cleared oar mind q
cant let ms investigate "Thc iiruul
Kerlth." The titlc is applied Ia II tiny
community uc jewish mystirS, Ia" H.
scenes. who lived near THIS stream
perhaps the Scr!ptural kedrnn, Thi
brotherhood had separated from TN
materialist!C Ph2risecs and Sadiucecs
NOT approves Of burnt sacrifices -
Temple worship. furthermore, the,
pract.Sed ccl.na,y I'll q schism within
their ranks drove the minority ava,
from the parent body 10 Sh.f; Ton il'm
selves. \ Young shepherd, Jesus q
Nazareth. son of Joseph. u ctrpentt
in Gaiilre. and of Miriam. his mother
they have other souS-!S "A member q