Evening star., 1922-11-30
NEW BOOKS
AT. RANDOM
SOME IMPRESSIONS OF MY ELD-
ERS. St. John Eryfne. MAC

SOME IMPRESSIONS OF MY ELD-
ERS. st. John Ervine. (Mac-
millan.)
hearth-fire shedding that warmth
and twilight under which speech
opens out into intimacy and mere
listening becomes an eager and SYM
pathetic partaking.
This is simply ones homemade
setting for st. John Ervine's Some
Impressions of My Elders" When. in
its effect upon the reader, a book re-
fuses to remain a book, but turns
into a personal experience instead,
then tangible place must be sup
piled for the pursuit Of the adventure.
And. so, from this definite corner of
ones own providing. Mr.. Ervine, In
! most companionable mood, talks
about some of the older members of
his craft-about Arnold Bennett and
George Moore. about Gilbert Chester
worthy and Wells and Yeats and
"A. e.
4 r *
Now, If this were a proper book
which it Is not-instead Of a live
company-which 1t is-then, each
man here would be put into a partic-
ular place-into a cell, so to speak,
guarded by the jealous keepers Of the
sacred claptrap of literary compost
ton. And, indeed, Mr. Ervine does
make a gesture toward this business
Of individual quarantine and isola-
ton. Almost at once, however, he
gives 1t up. knowing-none better
| that live things invariably refuse to
stay put. Therefore, these men step
out from their own set places, at will,
! lrresistibly drawn together by the
disagreements as well. The result is
| that, while each separate group of
impressions" centers about a single
hgure-say, Galsworthy, or Shaw, or
| another-ft takes about all Of the re-
naming seven to light him up ade-
quately through both the likenesses
and the differences that these others
| shed upon him. This plan projects a
continuous coming and going on the
part of all No, there Is no confusion
from the use Of this method~this no
method. the strict constructionists
will have it-no more confusion than
exists when number of people meet
| In actually. The book stands as a
study in life. rather than as an ex-
| cursion into literature. One of its
admirable points.
The author behind his book excites
a keener general curiosity than does
! the exponent of any other profession
or craft. Especially is this true of
the authors OF fiction. Let Mary Rob
| ington. or Irwin Cobb occupy box
| at the ball game. OF Rupert Hughes
walk along F street, and. immediate
ly. each Of these occasions becomes
| Tor the moment, a matter OF special
stir and comment. There is reason
Tor our personal interest in them. The
! material Of the story teller is a part
of our material Everybody has a
share In the universal gift of imagi-
nation, though but a chosen few are
able to weave into a seeming reality
the feeting fabric Of our dreams. We
marvel at these maglcianS. and ad-
miro them. and envy them little. and
| want to know every manner of thing
about them. In these Impressions
Mr.. Ervine gives innumerable init
mate and revealing touches, rounding
measure.
Curious groups form here. and sep
! arate. and form again. For instance,
the pairing OF of Arnold Bennett and
George Moore is. upon its face. a most
unlikely thing. But. as it turns out,
there Is the bond Of debtor and credi-
! tor here. Years ago-so the story
runs-when Arnold Bennett was a
journalist producing. meanwhile, an
occasional novel Of sorts, he came
one day, upon a story whose setting
was the barren Five Towns" in one
! OF which he himself was born. An
arid spot. this. its soil hostile to ro-
nance. or SO this native would have
thought. had he thought about it at
all Yet. here in his hand was George
| Moore's "a Mummer's Wife" product
| Of the five towns. piece Of real life
wrought to the form OF an admirable
art. This novel reused Bennett-so
] it is said-to the drama of the com
things. subsequently The Old
! Wives Tale" and its famous success
Sors gave splendid support to this
discovery. By the way. Mr.. Bennett
must have hlched "A Mummers Wife"
reading It by stealth as well. since
| estant equivalent, had declared
! against It. following up the edict by
| sw weeping all the library shelves clean
\ of this offensa against good morals
| and good taste. Today "A Mummers s
! Wife" reads like a story of COMPARE
| tive restraint and circumspection
| Times have changed. With the rise
| of the tribe of Ben Hecht new stand
| ards have lifted George Moore's bar
barism into a polite and innocuous
| modern classic.
One likes to stay around in the
company Of Arnold Bennett. He is
so incorrigibly young. Mr.. Ervine
himself seems like a grandfather by
! the side of this gallant youngster
who is. in reality, one of the elders
There is not anything, made by God
or man. which does not interest Mr
Bennett. Familiarity breeds contemp,
in the most of US. but it does no,
breed contempt in him. He never gets
used to things" This is why the sur
stands still in the heavens for Arnold
Bennett. He has the zest to play with
the young folks. gathering. Incl.
dentaliy. that intuitive hold upor
the outlook. the feelings, the be.
| haviors of youth. especially Of the
young women. as these figure SO life.
| likely in his novels. Mr.. Bennett
paints pictures. He loves music. He