New-York tribune., 1920-12-27
Books u.yv,s5 By p,,..

Painted Wells, q novel, first one, we
think, by James Huneker, is of uneven
merit. Some Of it seems to us first
rate, but then again it strays into
soggy chapters Of fiamboyant ard cheap
material used in an effort to amaze and
to dazzle rather than convince. Curl
ously enough, Huneker at his worst is
decidedly sophomore. He seems often
sort of eternal T. Scott Fitzgerald.
The value Of the fiappcr as a continuous
subject of interest and Of study
throughout a long and busy life seems
to have been underestimated. In some
measure the effectiveness of Mr. Hume
ker's literary method has lessened with
in the last twenty years. There was a
time when an American writer had
and can rattle off for you the names
Of French streets and French dishes"
to capture the enraptured attention Of
all readers from New Rochelle to
Gopher Prairie. That works with less
effect to-day, for all too many Of us
know that after all an euf is only an
egg. We are even able to hear cocotte
calmly.
Since Painted Wells is a story about
an opera singer, it naturally contains
the obligatory chapter in which we
find the heroine in her tub. We have
always admired the supreme conf
dence and assurance with which veteran
novelists approach this particular por-
ton of their story. If we ever have
to write it we know that we will be un-
able to conceal our timidity. In fact,
our chapter will probably be headed
"Wonder What Young Girl Taking a
Bath Thinks About" There is no such
doubt in the minds of the veterans.
They write as if they knew.
But the most disturbing thing in
Painted Wells is the standard which
one Of Huneker's characters holds up
for newspaper dramatic critics. Past
II o'clock" he writes of Ulck Invern,
"and nowhere to go but home Why
not? Tomorrow was to be a busy day.
He had to write his Sunday screed."
Unless we are able to assume that
Ulick was disciple of the from one
and half to two hour day his prepa-
ration for writing Sunday dramatic
piece is enough to make US feel rather
shamefaced
We wish that Hunekcr was not quite
so given to writing about "virile men"
1t gives us the feeling that we are
reading q press notice of some forth
coming Alaskan picture with Dustin
Farnum to be called where Blood
Runs Red"
But perhaps the best clue which we
can give TO the nature of Painted
Wells is to note the fact that Mr.. Hume
! ker regards Edgar Saltus as a great
stElist Perhaps he simply wants to
stand behind the President elect.
~ so a long way with you when you
write about Max Deerbohm," writes Gil
bert Seldes, "but one thing cannot and
Will not stand, which is that there is
anything in common between 0. Henry
and Max in the use Of the trick. If
there is anything that distinguishes
| Max from 0. Henry, and there are sew
eral million things, it is that Max does
not use the trick. Exhibit A is, as It
should be, The Happy Hypocrite' Up
to the time when Lord George He'll puts
on his mask you think it is going to
be Il trick story; thereafter you pray
to the good God that it will not be-
And 1t isn't. 1t is fairy tale of the
purest. And skipping to more recent
adventures, the remark Meanwhile,
what of the duke y toward tho end of
zulsikA pobson is not a trick, unless