Arizona republican., 1919-04-13


 Ibanez. might almost be the Les Mis- say that Ibanez is the Victor Hugo of modern literature, however. carries more distinction than his writings to date would ustify. Somehow, as I read this thrilling spectacle of the battle of the Marne, brought so close to the front door of my consciousness, seem to feel the same sense of breeding dis aster that I recollect when reading 1 Ninety Three" This Spaniards tale carries the same spirit of tragedy, the same invitation to tears, the same ac- 1 companying heart throbs as Hugo's great story. And, although of a neu- | tral nationality. Ibanez cannot be of neutral inclination. AS most writers find their works, whether of fiction or otherwise, convenient vehicles for pro- mitigating their own ideas, we are fair in assuming, judge, Ibanez is as wor- thy a F'renchman as a Spaniard well could be. No mightier condemnation of Germany'S colossal mistake has come out of the .illimitable contribu- buttons to war literature than this truly splendid book.
 William Dean Howells, in his i'm troduction to ''The Shadow of the Ca thedral," a later Ibanez novel, gives not the place to Ibanez that, in my opinion, his one book, "The Four Horsemen," fully warrants. Howells leans, apparently, to the theory that d long succession of successful novels only justifies an authors high rating. It was not so in Samuel Buffers case, whose "Way of All Flesh" ranks him among the producers of near-classics. Far, rather, give me the verdict of the great world of readers than the culti- vated opinion of a great literary critic, in finding niche for any writer or his works. To have reached it's eighty first edition within seven months of it's first printing is sufficient justification to rate any author great and his work a masterpiece.
 Ibanez uses the world for his stage LIis backgrounds are tremendous. His presentations are enormous SpectacleS He deals with big numbers, great areas and long distances. Yet, coupled with the magnitude of his pictures, he never neglects the homely little things of everyday life, the pretty touches of local color and quaint scintillations that altogether, make up big charac- ters. His menfolks overtop his women They are great, powerful, dominating His characterization of Madariaga, the centaur, is stalwart that will endure His picture of the Spanish cattle baron in Argentina is splendid, robust, col orful and picturesque. He is the prin- cipal member ofa gigantic cast
 From the unpeopled reaches of Ar gentina, where the story opens, you ar, taken, much against your wish, to the the streets of Paris. You really hate to follow your little personnel across the Atlantic to war-devastated France Yet. as you go, the memory of those great cattle ranges. Madariaga, and the great fortune builded there, remain with you to the end of the tale.
 The elder Desnoyers, to escape mili. tary duty in France in the 70s. journey. to Argentina, and, after many ups ant downs, becomes manager for Madar. iaga He grows in favor. Comes ther an underling, Karl von Hartrott, |; German, to work as aclerk. Karl fall. in love with the younger daughter 0 Madariaga and marries her, agains her fathers wish. Later, Desnoyel weds the other girl, much to the ol' mans liking. To Karl are born fou boys; to Desnoyer, one boy and on | 6Hl. Wltu tHc ucbtu oA thC opdAia- the huge estate is divided, the vo Hartrotts returning to Germany an, l Desnoyers removing to Buenos Aires . the younger Desnoyers to whom ha l been left large part of his grand fathers estate, frivols away all of hi time and much of his wealth. On tn ground that he is an Argentinian, h avoids military service.
 The von Hartrotts soon become iden l tified with German war activities an, enter enthusiastically into the kaiser plan for world domination. Youn; DesnoyerS wins a wife from her hus