The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-31

| IN CHANCERY. BY John Galsworthy.
Charles Scribner's Sons. New York.
1920.
| At the instant OF the appearance Of
his rev novel of high life by M. Gals
worthy 1t seems proper to say that
1t should always stand to a writer's
credit to think so much of his people
that he likes to SEQ how they turn
out" In lator life, and oven In later
generation. We have no sympathy
with the fussy British parson who Is
said to have broken up Anthony Troll
lope's agreeable habit of carrying
them along" by saying-within earshot
Of the novelist-that he thought If a
man cannot invent new characters he
ought not to expect the public to buy
what they had right to think was a
new book. BY this peevish complaint
was Mrs. Proudie's magnificent prog
ress brought to an untimely end; who
knows what she might not have said
and done if the dyspeptic parson had
not choked off her creator?
This story carries on the fortunes
(and fortune) of the distinguished For
syte family, whom we first had the
privilege of knowing in THE Man of
| Property" one Of the best examples of
Mr.. Galsworthy's earlier manner"
| With the sensitiveness of a writer in
terpreting contemporary life Mr.. Gals
| worthy-quite automatically, we sup
pose-made it his business to reflect
| in some of his stories much of the
economic perplexity and discomfort
among the uninfluential classes in
| England which colored the years just
previous to the blowup In 1914. Except
for that romantic excursion into pure
| fiction as distinguished from any
| transcript of actual experience, "The
Dark Flower" Mr.. Galsworthy's last
survey of polite life in England was
made in "The Patrician," which was,
| indeed, bullseye in his general score.
Then he took to adventures in parlor
socialism Ga favorite game. but often
| i'll advised and dangerously habit-form
| ing) in his novels and particularly in
his plays. The fact that the plays had
more than success destime may have
| justified them to his artistic con-
| science; but all the same, he has done
| well-that is. he has kept step with
| the public interest-to turn back to
the upper classes and tell us more
about the people we used to know best
and hear about oftenest.
Having thus INDUCED in that "pre-
liminary canter which never hurts the
race" in anticipating a review of Mr..
Galsworthy's new story, it suddenly
occurs to mind that it would be a poor
return for the patience shown by the
reader in going with us so far, If we
gave away" the story to him in adj
vance of his own reading. He may I'M
derstand that Mr.. Galsworthy has set
one of his earlier scenes in the human
comedy again, with a little different
lighting" and a proper variation of
| his cast of characters. Yet the drama
is of the same general content and the
| lines are as finely cut and beautifully
| colored as one expects from this ac-
complished artist. A later generation
Of Forsytes are seen in it's pages, yet
| Solmes Forsyte, Irene, young Jolyon,
old James and other familiar spirits
reappear; the novelist's consummate
skill in description and his unfailing
perception of points" are as evident
as ever. 1t is especially interesting to
observe the recall from behind the
fog of polemic and economic disserta-
ton which has enshrouded the old
Galsworthy of late-the recall of the
former spirit Of place and time in
which these persons of property are
bound to live and move. They are
always interesting; perhaps if they
were all always virtuous their story
might be dull. AS it is. no Gals
WORKMAN will need to be told it is
worth reading.