The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-05-26
author of his books ought to have

vU8 "6GN1V vtMSU.HeCOSp0 VI
author Of his books ought to hav
BEEN"
: De Morgan was pacifist and hi
love for Italy did not blind him to tn,
wickedness of war but in 1914 his pa
cifist principles failed to survive. HI
write II am sorry to say that / an
barbarous by nature and catch my
self gloating over slaughter-slaugh
ter of Germans of course-half oil
them men I should have liked, tenth
of them men should have loved. II
is sickening, but"
A few comments by the author him.
self in response to a copy of a prize
| essay on three of his works, written
for Yale contest in 1909: II an,
a successful imposter about music,
\ know nothing Of it but am "a good
listener" Concerning rlalism and
idealism,' "I'm blessed if I know which
is which"
His only method ''to sit before a
piece of paper, pen in hand, in sum-
mer in Chelsea and in winter in Flor
ence and wait for the words to come. f"
He had very definite general idea
before him but many of the details
surprised him as much as they sur
prised the reader.
II make no scenario l just go on
finding one as one often does such in
spiration as is necessary from my pen.
find that the mere holding Of pen
makes me think the pen even seems
to have some consciousness of it's own.
It certainly can begin the work. Then
l forget all about it and 60 whitherso-
ever thought and the characters lead
me-" AT
The beginning of the story of JOS
eph Vance was too dry for him to be
interested in it but after Lossie ap-
peared he was ''eager to follow to the
end and allowed the story to go as it
willed and once feared that it had got
into a muddle from which there could
be no extrication."
One critic said, "the years took no
toll of him, they gave him their gifts.
"To keep ones ideals after the loss
of the illusions to keep ones imagina-
ton pacing evenly with the growth of
the mind, to see life in the long per-
spective, not in the vertical, shawow-
less brilliance of noon but in the level
revealing rays of declining day in the
last decade of life as long as De
Morgan's is to die beloved and young
and at the same time blessed and wise.
VIM. De Morgan died in London JAM
Is, 1917, aged 81.
"Although," Phelps says, "De Nor
gan belongs like Dickens to the great
he is mainly psychologist"
and that all the characters that he
loves show soul development, the few
characters that are unlovely have
souls that do not advance. It#
Phelps calls Joseph Vance "an en-
cyclopoedia of life" "We meet real
people, we hear delightful converse
ton and the tremendously interesting
personality of the author is every
where apparent. ''The opinion of
many authors concerning Immortality
is not worth attention, but should
like very must to know Mr.. De Nor
gan's views on this absorbing subject.
And so I turn to the fortieth chapter
If Joseph Vance with great expecta-
lions. The reader is advised to skip
his chapter, sure indication of its
Importance. For like all humorists
Mr.. De Morgan is bit shamefaced
when he talks about the deepest
;hings, the things that interest him
most.
Mr.. De Morgan like Browning would
doubtless deny that DR.. Thorpe spoke
,nly the authors thoughts but just
Is you cam hear.
Browning's voice through all those
utterances of SO many imaginary per-
IONS, not mine," so l feel confident
hat amid all the light banter of this
harming talk in the fortieth chapter.
he following remark of DR.. Thorpe
expresses the philosophy of William
)e Morgan, and at the same time the
,asaI moral principle underlying this
,ntire novel: "The highest good is
he growth of the soul, and the great
st man is he who rejoices most III
great fulilments of the will of Cod"
We cannot have too many books from
UGH a kindly humorist and humorist {
whose pen transmutes life into 1itera- {
ure, literature that will lige because it s
lwells upon the things that are "pure
md lovely and of good report"
"Such books are worth reading and
reasuring not only because they con- t
inue the noblest traditions of Eng I
ish fiction but also because they show
heir authors embracing love for
lis fellow man and more than all be-
ause they add zest to life" II