The New York herald., 1922-09-24

hensive in outline. without being shadowy.
and although there is also a certain loss
of sharpness and poignancy of individual
emotion in such a method there are COM
pensations.
The reader feels, too, that in so draw
ing them Sir Gilbert knows his Canada,
past and present, and is very hopeful
of the future. He makes his younger
folk finer fibered and yet really stronger
than their ancestors, yet he does ample
justice to that which is passing away.
1t is not in disparagement of the older
generation that the new one will build.
or is building, but it is made plain that
the new building is to be better. He ac-
cords to each generation a generous sup
ply of faults and weaknesses. Thus his
strong young man, Luke Tarboe, is not
above trickery. and there is an undis-
cplined streak in Carnac Grier (though.
possibly, Sir Gilbert is himself imper-
fectly aware of IT'D at the end. The young
woman. Junia, must pose-if we are to
allegorize completely-as a glorified fig
ure of young Canada herself. And In
the climax she accepts both these young
Canadian giants each in his way.
"oh, you two good men," she said joy
ously and held out her hand to each.
1t is a striking tableau. 1t makes the
effect of dignified, even grandiose mural
decoration, whether Sir Gilbert actually
intended an esoteric meaning to be so
prominent or not.
But it is not necessary to insist upon
this symbolism to make the book vividly
attractive If we take the people simply
| for themselves, without regard to their
| broader typical meaning, they show Sir
| Gilbert's power of insight into the deeper
moods and emotions of humanity. and the
| tale also has charm in its manner. The
central figure Carnac Grier. is supposed
| to be the son of an old and very wealthy
lumber man and financial magnate. John
| Grier Carnac is artistic and very capable;
he makes his own way by his art with
out trouble There has always been a
singular, deeprooted antipathy between
him and his supposed father. old John. But
at one time Carnac comes into his fathers
big business and helps him through
crisis, staying just long enough to show
| that he can do it, if he wants to. and then
drops out again, to old Johns disgust
| Grier then takes up the young Tarboe
and ultimately makes him heir to the
great property. Grier is the typical man
| of big business and efficiency. Il tell you,"
| he assures Carnac, "the only thing worth
doing is making the things that matter
| in the commerce and politics of the world.
| . What's commerce without politics?
| It's politics that makes the commerce pos
| sible." He is naturally contemptuous of
| Carnac's art. Pointing to a statue he re-
marks: II won't say it amt good. It's
| live man from the river But what do ]
want with that when I can have the
original man himself? My boy, the great
| game of life is to fight hard and never
give in"
| Parallel with John Grier is the more ro-
| mantically interesting. figure of Barode
Barouche. the Quebec politician or states
| man. potent minister and puller of wires,
| the diplomat of the old school. And it de-
velops that in fact Carnac is really the
illegitimate son of this Barode Barouche,
though no one but Barouche and Carnac's
mother. Mrs. Grier. know this. In the
course of Carnac's finding himself he too
goes into politics and eventually is pitted
against Barouche in Parliamentary cleo
tion, and wins. Barouche is the most
subtly done character I'm the book, and
shows a more marked individuality than
the others At the climax of his election
eering contest with Carnac, whom he
knows to be his own son, he is tempted
to use the knowledge he also has of Car
macs foolish, even tragic marriage. to start