New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-09

distinguish between competent work and
botchery the style of an adroit writer is
apt to become increasing annoyance, as
he proceeds with such miraculous and con-
scious nicely, until at last you are fretted
into active irritation that the fellow does
not ever stumble and founder into some
more humanity inadequate way of expressing
himself. And for the rest, how many per-
sons really care, even notice, whether a
book be conscientously written?
80 1T is in physical life that romance
when things go hopelessy wrong, without
fail affords to mortals some makeshift
whereby to preserve their self-esteem
"a novel, indeed any work of art is
not intended to be transcript from nature
pace all that cherries reading matter which
our 'realists' concoct for the agents of the
Society fG< the Suppression of Vice Truth
once holsted from her we'll in primal naked
ness, must like any other human failing be
judiciously dressed in order to make an
acceptable appearance in the library
"Realists gravely contend that their books
are true to what they see in life 1t is
consoling to deduce, from the comparative
infrequency of suicide that the majority of
mankind view life otherwise And vet in
such novels a naive veracitv is sometimes.
beyond doubt, confusedy to be discerned
among a multitude of other aesthetic Of
fences.
"The characters of Mr.. Theodore Dresser,
say, are more true to life (in one of the
many fields wherein candor is ruinous
virtue), and indeed can never be suppressed
into actual popularity. For few of US find
living of such uniform excellence and no.
bility as to endear a rehearsal thereof in
the library; and the more honest are willing
to confess that average associates, to
whom business and consequently link US
willy-nilly, sufficiently depressing in the
flesh to induce whole hearted avoidance Of
their counterparts in fiction.
"'No, l don't care for Dickens; I prefer
Thackeray.' To the philosophc mind it would
seem equally sensible to decline to partici-
pate in game of billiards on the ground
that one was fond of herring
meanwhile the general public patronizes
Winston Churchill, and Mrs. Florence Bar
clay and Sydnor Harrison, and Harold Bell
Wright, through just that sober enjoyment
of being told over and over again what
nobody thinks Of denying, which weekly
draws it churchward. 1t regales itself with
Sir Conan Doyle, and r. w. Chambers and
Phillips Oppenheim, and Sir Hall Game on
much the principle that it eats popcorn and
peanuts less from any special delight in
the diet than from impulse to get to the
bottom of the bag.
"No less, the fact remains that out of
forty-nine years Of living Mr.. Harrington
has thus given us only Seventeen Nor
would this matter were Mr.. Harrington
Barclay or Harrison, or even the mental
and artistic equal of the trio's far more
popular rival. Harold Bell Wright But
Mr.. Harrington had genius That is even
more tragic than the pleasant ending of
The Magnificent Ambersons
Thus approach the master of them
all And it is not without-upon the whole
-exhilarating significance that by long
odds the most popular author typewriting
to-day is Harold Bell Wright. For
in this matter Of killing time he stands
prominent, like a David among these Chi
geographic Sauls, and to their thousands he
has slain his ten thousands of unoccu-
pied half hours.
$50 when all is done, Now that's what I
call pretty good story says the general
reader, intrepidly apprasng his own
reading matter He thereby proves as in
disputably that Mr. Wright is really an
artist as that he himself 10 a competent
art critic. For in most cases this unarro-
CANT verdict records the fact that yet
another book has momentarily evoked be-
lief that-by and large-the recording
angel is writing a pretty good story.
"And to create this assurance is the
purpose of all art. And in life, Of
course, the demiurgic spirit of romance in
duces this dynamic illusion in every mo-
ment Of life, since without it men to-day
would not consent to live. need hardly
say that in promoting any and all illusions
romance has no more potent ally any
where than dulness"