New-York tribune., 1921-11-27
British Life in Two Arenas
Pictured In New Novels
Walpole Carries on Trenchard Tradition and
Oppenheim Plays Politics in
London Stories
BY Samuel Abbott

4 y -
- YOUNG ENCHANTED. Ry Hugh
aTa;pcls. Puolssheo " George H. Dcran
4 .s.onYe MAN BY q, Phillips oppen-
Asssn published by Little Brown 4 Co.
~ HUGH wALPoLE'S novels of
british life one always realizes
the continuity of men, families
> and .nanimste things. The back
,,sund Of inheritance. if not expressed
: vcrds, Is evident through subtle sug-
..xsion. Take any one of his books in
AL may be called the Trenchard Sc
IN and you will and, behind the
,erent Of Incidents and talk, the i'm
,.lpsble spirit Of days and years that
.s.edste the time that gives period to
,sapsers. This ability to project
,xsde, more or less. in the existence
4, few picked people, against larger
,ssticn Of century. imbucs Walpole's
s,vsls with q certain stability of con
.,t.jcn with the fact of actual history.
rhe novels OF the men who elect to
;,sl with an isolated incident puffed
!, into plot through a lingering on
psychological or physical affairs of
;sdy or mind seem cheap when COM
xsed with novels that grope into the
uurns Of the past and guess at the
rnlit ways Of the future. 1.-THE Young
Erehsnsed," Walpoie's latest novel, a
,re Of the Trenchard tree, draws sus-
tnanee from an immemorial trunk and
aspiration from the atmosphere of a
luye, iife-loving present.
This novel, as good as we expected
Il to be, and that is saying much, re-
h.,s the young lives of Henry and
ailieent Trenchard, brother and sis
kr Each, striking out alone in Lon
ias, becomes private secretary, and
sth meets love in singular and en-
tking way Henry, dreamer and STUN
Asr, wins through to possession only
stter journey IN which he is clean
iridst sordidness. Millicent, disillu-
Iloned in her Bunny" Baxter. finds
sse reality of true human affection
liter. Evidences of Walpole's fine
rifsse and keen comradeship with
yuth abound in the pages that concern
hny and Millicent.
There are two or three graceful
ssstrres OF recognition of the men of
sss older order, in The Young En-
saanted." tn ret and fume of this
present day in letters, with it's AFRO
esrt boastings of new forms and
'sarsr visions, are rebuked in SEN
aH:es that ring with the truth of the
ssrral essentials of ali Art. Here is
stat one Campbell. a novelist. has to
ng in. "The Young Enchanted" in
Esnent of frank statement: What you
isape are doing is not separating the
saeap from the goats, as you think you
tn-none you is decided as to who
tie sheep really are-but you are SIM
ply separating Life from Art. Field
rs could tell you what the inside OF
tsstars' prison is like, and Scott could
pant trees, and Thackeray was no
nsan judge of shady crowd at n for
agn watering place, and Hardy knew
sl about milking cow. What do you
Nople know about anything save lit
enfy values, and over them you squab-
Aall the while. There aren't any lit
ssry values until Time has spoken"
But the heart of the Walpolian
philosophy, in its reference to the COM
anity OF Beauty, lies in this noble
Msage, we'll worth quoting. The old
hronet, Charles Duncombe, on the eve
a his death, is speaking: Even
aaugh I shall lose this place l shall
able to continue in it in way, per-
hps II can make you feel that the
pit is not dead, that it must go on
VIII its beauty and pathos influencing,