Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-17
CABELL'S, HANDLING
OF ANCIENT MYTHS
In "Jrgen" He Has Produced
a Prose Romance of
Great Beauty


Not to ovcrstatc the matter it may
safely be said that James Branch
Cabcll's "Jurgcn" is one of the most
remarkable books that has been written
IN the English language within twenty
hve years. II one chose to yield to a
natural impulse after reading the book
one might make it fifty or n hundred
years, but it is always better to restrain
one $ enthusiasm within the bounds of
moderation.
'Jurgeu' Is poetic romance in
prose, prose so vital, so limpid, 50
beautiful that it makes much that passes
tor poetry seem stale and Improbable
II is the story of Il poet who had spent
his youth in the worship of beauty
but ir his maturer years had married
the daughter or rich pawnbroker and
carried on the family business. His wife
turned into n shrcw and Jurgen en-
dured his lot as philosophically as be
came Il poet who knew that romance
docs not grow on every woman's lips.
\ monk passed his shop one day, stub
bed his toe on a stone in the street and
cursed the devil for putting it there.
Jurgen protested and suggested that the
devils had enough to bear as it was
without being cursed by mortals. The
monk bandies words with him, but Jur-
gen persists in saying kindly things Of
the devils. who are doing only that which
has been ordained for them. Later in
the day Jurgen. when passing the Cis-
tercian Abbey. met gentleman dressed
all in black who stopped him and
thanked him for his good word. They
talked together and Jurgen confided to
the man that his wife did not under
stand him. As they parted the gentle
man in black was wondering how he
could reward the man who had spoken
well of him. When Jurgen reached home
that right his wife was gone. and shc
did not return the next day. Some one
told him that it would be the manly
thing for him to search for her.
He acts on the suggestion and begins
search which takes him to a cave.
where he finds centaur and the shirt
of Ncssus. The centaur. to whom he
confesses that he is seeking justice. has
him don the shirt and tells him that
IL their search they must pass over the
grave of a dream and through the malice
of time. They first visit the garden that
lies between dawn and sunrise. where
young men and maidcus in the glamour
of their first love walk arm III arm con =
tinually. Jurgen finds there his own
| first love all alone apparently waiting
for some one. Later he discovers that
size - IL lIle lUIlU .Ol IlPlpn Ol Troy .
that woman whom no man could see
and afterward desire any other. Then
/ he sleeps and when he wakes he finds
/ that the centaur has been changed into
an ordinary horse. He mounts thC
horse and enters on series of adveu =
lures that takes him to the HEAVIER OF
/ he'll of the old mythologieS and brings
him in contact with the moon myths and
the sun myths. Indeed, Jurgen himself
: at this time is sort of sun myth
the personiication of the provocative
energy of nature. As a natural result
he has most cnticing affairs with tho
tabled women of great beauty and even
with a vampire in hell and with the wife
Of the devil himself. But he finds jus
tice nowhere not even in the Christian
heaven. In explaining himself .Iurgcr
says to one of the archangelS, Il did
but search for justice. and | could not
find it in the eyes of your God. but
only love and such forgiveness as trOu
bled me-" Tho archurGcl replied. "Bc.
cause of that you should rejoice, and st
should all that lives rejoice; and more
particularly should we rejoice that dwell
in heaven and hourly praise our Lore
Gods negligence of justice whereby w
are permitted to enter into this place.
At the end of what seems to him 6
his wife sitting quietly by the fire al
work with her needle as he would have
found her if he had returned to his
house on the evening of the day wher
the monk stubbcd his toe on stone il
/ the street in front of his shop.
/ With all its beauties the book is moi
/ for the unsophisticated or the nrudiSI
or the narrow minded. To the educated
man and woman with broad tolerance
for the great natural forces and thcil
methods of operation and with ar an.
| probation for romantic philosophy
which finds the only realism in the thing,
of the imagination "Iurgen' will be &
/ Joy and delight. There is humor il
/ it and satire and deep tenderness ant
/ an all embracing sympathy ard ii pro
/ found faith in something really fine il
| human nature that ought to insure tc
/ it Il long life and may possibly give il
/ q permanent place in the literature o
| the language. We should be proud thai
an American has produced so great 1
work of constructive and Informed imag
| ination.
| JURGEN. A comedy OF justice. BY Iame'
/ Branch C0bell. New York: Robert NJ. Nc
Bride & Co. 80.