The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-29

ing life bit, perccises in spite Of his
professors teachings that nineteen men
out Of every twenty neither consciously
nor unconsciously are "passionately cage
but continually thwarted," but instead are
as comfortable in nature and society as
the foot in an old slipper-and thun-
dering good job, too; the other tenth being
people more or less like NJ. Barbusse him
self and the characters ip L'Enfer by
whom he, or possibly Mr.. OBrien for him,
attempts to prove his case. That is to say,
unadjustable people suffering from neu-
rosis.
"Under Fire" and Barbusse.
lie Fea-or Under Fire-by which Bar
busse is known in America, makes so
poignant the agonies Of war that some
of our Georgencohan editors denounced
it, thinking the effect must be aid and
comfort to the enemy. In this denuneia-
ton your reporter did not join; however,
he took exception TO lie Fen, technically
a piece of realism, because practically it
is anything but real. 1t renders war not
as the sound man Of fit constitution for
soldering senses war, but as the Barbusse
senses it-and the Barbusse is over
sensitized, NJ. Barbusse himself being evil
IDENTIFY of that type which is peculiarly
susceptible TO the cruelties of the world.
The rightful claims of lie Fen are the
claims of q poem, but the number of
readers who took it as a poem must have
been comparatively small, and this war
while it lasts is strictly prose business.
Their human sources allowed for, the
Cohanesque editors conception of the war
as kind of Puritan religion, unsym-
pathetic examination of which is bias
phemy, may be less honest than the
Barbussian conception. But human
sources apart, for the duration of the
war, the journalist view is UNNECESSARILY
the saner, the soundcr, the nobler-and
the more accurate, II seems 10 be The one
held by the men and women whose lives
are staked, and theirs is the faith VIC must
an VIC Will VI Ii We dIt.
as concerns this struggle, 10 be saved.
Under Another Fire.
Now The Inferno is a sort of Under
Fire Of human mating, considered rs hfe's
battle-ground for nature vs.. nature, plus
civilization, and desire VS.. denial, with
even its victories Illustrations. AN that
to NJ. Barbusse is tragedy unutte Fable, TO
which he proceeds to give utte-ance with
exquisite literary beauty. That man
should ever yearn vainly for uncharted
submits, that sex should exaIt him tlitber
for dazzling instants Immediately where
after it should sink him to the humdrum,
Swallowed valleys, is more than Barbusse
can bear.
The greater tragedy that attainment
would be and the possibility of anything
worth the souls while in the valleys seem
never to have occurred to him.
Admitting, solely for discussions sake,
that his "war of the sexes"-he doesn't
say just that, but little folk do for him
exists, and is going on, then 10 your re-
porter'staste the same objections apply to
The Inferno for the duration Of this never
to be ended warfare that apply to lie F'es
for the duration of the wzr with Ger
many. But the Inferno view Of things is
a sick view, getting US nowhere, except to
futile kicking and screaming in a hell on
earth. There is plenty of inferno in The
Inferno, but its actual location is not In
life but in Barbusse's psyrhoneurosis.
First, the Antidotes.
The amiable pessimism of Plantin, in
that sonnet which every tourist used TO lug
home framed from Paris, beginning
"Avoir une maison eonmode, propre ct
belle" and ending, "Cest attendre chez
sol bien doueement Ia mort" is miles
above this maudlin Inferno business; the
most pialing he and she drivel Gourerneur
Morris ever wrote, with Johnny winning
Jenny and all for the best in the best of
oil pncsihlo ,rorldc is vaallv tn no NM