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

II " the wake of every intellectual move
ment come the followers who learn the
first principles and then in turn dissem-
mate their knowledge to the rest of the world.
IN whatever branch OF science or art or
literature The development takes place. If
the new thing is fundamental enough it
does create q following. The precious knowl-
edge IL absorbed, translated and INTERPRETED
for tho lay mind And it is upon the keenest
and most sensitive minds Of artists that the
task Of translation usually falls
For example, there are many people who
would gel little nothing from reading
Sigmund Freud's "a General Introduce on
to Psychoanaiysis" VINO can appreciate May
Sinclairs novel, THE Romantic" Ana this
Is not written TO belittle Miss Sineiair's
book or to make her out an interpreter of
any other creators work. Her art and her
place are secure whatever movements come
and go.
However, It is interesting to see the re-
action Of mind like Miss Snclair's to the
ultramodern method of soul vivisection for
in the pages of THE Romantic" the writer
shows herself to be more pitilessly analytic
even than she has ever been before Far
beyond the subjective writer's OF the CONT
nent, who portray their characters every
conscious thought and emotion does she go
From the dark and murky depths of sub
consciousness she brings to the light of day
desires and thwarted tendencies that the
character himself was unaware of cherish
ing
The Romantic Is a man with an outside
and upper layer of consciousness of sheer
beauty and with inside and lower layer
OF consciousness of covai dice and brutality
The story of these two conflicting forces,
working their way together housed in the
body OF one man and being worked upon
by the people about him, is told with all
the keenness of perception and vividness that
the consummate artistry of Miss Sinclair
makes possible. Her delineaton of the
bringing to light of the substrata of weak
ness in the Romantic is mastery The
gradual awakening Of the little world around
the Romantic to the quality of yellow In
him, that is more than streak is an
achievement In subtlety and infinite skill
and finesse that even Miss Sinclair has not
surpassed.
Charlotte Redhead a white and black
girl with hali dubbed like fifteen century
page" IA dauntiess creature, not yet a. who,
at the opening Of the story, Is cutting her.
self off from Gibson Herbert, the married
man In whose office she worked There are
two things with which "Sharle" cannot
make terms In her life. Those two things are
lying and cowardlce. u In her misfortune to
find these two characteristics In tho two
men who play tn, most important part In
her life. In one man, Gibson Herbert they
are superficial characteristics like
htm"-whlle la John RUden Conway they
prove ~ he fundamental
tiipson has lied by saying his wife didn't
care and that there was another man lie
has been afraid. When Effie, she of the
unhappy eyes and small sharp pointed
race, shrinking Into her furs," is III Gibson
feels snivelllng. craven remorse for what
he and Charlotte have done, not purgng,
cleansing regret
To her their relationship has been a thing
OF Joy, beauty. truth reality. while To him?
Charlotte realizes that he has never under
stood when he DOES the unforgivable thing
after they have ended everything ITO come
crawling back three months after wanting
TO begin again. Thinking Il possible"
Across the pathway of ner life comes tho
Romantic, John RIDDEN Conway. She cares
for him perhaps because there was nothing
about John that was like Gibson Not a
look, MOI gesture. not the least thought I'm
his mind. His mind was like his body. clean
and cold and beautiful Set on fire only by
dreams; loving you In q dream that burned
him up and lsft him osad b you Cold ana
clean.-
In tn suist oountryxAAs q the nrst mart
Of The book when the gfst and ths Romantic
are worfing on farm together only the
upper layers Of his consciousness are visible
though vague hints of the low~x Asvals a~s
apparent now and again.