Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-12-09
HORSEBACK HALL.

Ii "Heartbreak House" Shaw lets one
Of his characters explain his title and
supplement II with the equally pungent
phrase Horseback Hall. The former is
the middle class home Of modern Eng
land 0ne might have wished that Shaw
had written a companion piece under the
second title. but Margot Asquith has
SAVED him the bother. In her autObio-
sraphy-judging at least BY its serialIzed
publications she has all unconsciously
and with the native Of an nnbelieyably
self satisfied woman. drawn a fnll-length
portrait ot a conspicuous and typical IN
habitant of Horseback Hall.
.Ss sHrh 4 document il would be easy
to justify the soiemnity with Whlch Lon
don has receiY I'd this extraordinary pub
licatiou But the weeklies just arrived
from the dignified Spectator down. give
it the space and consideration due
great erpiece-instead Of self
sevelatory document. To an American
this can seem only silly. ! witty and
conceited woman who feels none ot the
ordinary obligations Of friendship 70
hold intimacy sacred can always write
such shocker. II She has associated
with conspicuous people she can always
make her shncker Of enough general in
terest TO earn a wide reading and much
money But to call such vain glory and
gossip literature or suggest that intimate
love affairs rather duly stated have somc
artistic value because the lover and his
desired are real folk seems an eXtraord
mary blindness.
Typical Of the absurd argument with
which these English critics are defend
inc the volume is the explanation given
by the critic of The New Statesman as
to why Mrs. Asquith. while present
ing all the appearances Of 4 vain woman,
Il not really vain. II is because she
really believes in the doctrine Of the
poet:
To thine own Splf be true;
\ And IL must follow ~ the night the day.
| Thou canst lot then be false - any man
THAT il TO say. applies this critic
untrue in auy serious sense: though the
\ result may be wounded feelings and pain
\ to many This is not vanity in the
\ ordinary sense" tine argument continues
v because while admiration pfeaScs her
\ her self-respect is deeper and based
| upon "a peculiar detachment which fun
i damentalIy takes herself for granted
\ Margot Asqnlth wrote: when any one
I leaves the room [ 10 not ask myself if
/ they liked me. but if ! liked them, and
/ this the critic regards as proving his
! point. TO the casual reader at this
It distance the ftHaFk-~aHH especially Tue
! publication Of twill only confirm what
the rest Of the book constantly demon
strates. that here was vanity not So
much grandly egotistifal as childish and
ridiculous The echo reused in one \
mind is the voice not Of Napoleon but OF
the Duchess the one who wrote such
admirable novels for servant girls. we
] mean.
These English critics speak giowingly
Of the ''lovable cAudor" Of the writer,
ard we would not contest their verdict il
favor Of the truthtIiness Of the book.
! But the UNCONSCIOUS revelation Of the
character If the writer seems Of far
more value than any amount If cphem-
eral gossip. however accurate. The
picture Of Horseback Hall IS Of d life
not only fast. furious and fashionable, :
but hard. selfish and shallow-whercin
a woman Of education and family can
live without purpose or plan, for tie
pursuit Of sensation after sensation
and at the end sell her sensations for
cash. Perhaps Horseback Hall IS only
Shaw nightman. Perhaps Ma; got
| Asquith is typical Of nothing save the
tribe of enfants terribles that belongs to
no one era or nation. But these seem
the important points to discuss rather
than the quality Of gossip which would
bring blush to the cheek OF George
Moore himself.--New York Tribune.
lRep.)