New-York tribune., 1922-04-30

The Enoch Arden law, which va, .
passed at Albany, and which has broupb, :.
many queries that the first edition le, 49,.
e&hausted-to the qualification u tho .,,.1.-
10 doubt~-r1akes five years abserca 'o'' o,
ground for divorce in this gtate rbo,.r-1' -o''
OF wives whose husbands hav.
and many husbands whose wives b,,,a
want to find out the details Of the ]ary o.. p~.
their curiosity Is purely personal No,nSs
seems to consider the feelings og Tenr-u.1'
who, If he is stll In communication rr,4h s,.'
planet. must feel that it Is discourayng ,rnr,'
to build up great poem merely n s.~
bunch Of legislators rob the uterarv ,sor, -
all it's effect VI
Tennyson's poem coDcsrr.4
Tho prstusst Ettlo aar.zsi IN N, nn.
hno Rhiiip Ray ths unilisrs enly son
Ana Enoeh Arden, rough sailor l.s
"nen Iennyson speaks of Enoch 49,.
as rough" he does not mean It in . rnn...
oNeill sense, In fact, the Tennvson.a, s1s
cNelll Ideas Of roughnesg, as applied n ...I.-
men, seem to have miles Of territory betwesn
them. IN reality Enoch vas mild .o,4 y.
individual, with g good set of intention, sns
10 vocabulary Of profanlty-at less. Wv.
that is exhibited IN typa. In short b. r..
Just about as close - the cave-msn tv,. >,
early Victorian literature permitted.
Enoch married pretty Annie, who v,. -.
loved by Philip Ray, the miller's on,v -,
Probably Philip would have loved her ms. ~.
same II he had several brothers, but the uo,,r.
mad to bs put in to make line scan. no donss
lhe plot, as far as carried here, sound, )ik.
the beginning of a triangle short story for
ono Of the ferv{d magazines, with picture, ~
Christy aid continued lines leading the r.s5e,
along the edges Of the advertising on n.oo,
81, o3. I02, 104, los and s0s.
But not SO. Philip Ray vas not that sor+
He would have 70 be iazzod up lot BY ii.
mlldest 0? the Hollywood scenario writers. y
Just waited around and never let on by vo-9
or s'gn that he loved Annie, who vas now
Mrs. Arden All did rot 20 happily with Ii.
Ardens. Fnoch's line Of business was A m,
one. lie Gid rot lapse into iutemperaacs. NJ.
family and brutality. Sailors Of that s,rs
came IN on the literary wave that bro,gh-
Mr.. O'Neili. But It is tndisputsble that Annie
might have done better. Children cana 70
the Ardens, ard at last waking ID to the
necessity of improving his condition financial.
~, Lnoch gave Up his improbable little fish.
Ing craft and took a position as boatswain On
long cruise. It is not known what boatswains
were paid in those days, but the impression
g gained by the reader that, = the voyage
Had gone on according to schedule, Enoch
would have come home with plenty TO revtv.
tho dropping Arden bank account,
Unfortunately, wreck happened and Enoch
was cast ashore OF az island, where re stayed
for years. Philip proved himself to Re res
friend. He sent the Arden children to school
and finally, VIXEN he proposed marriage, On
the natural assumption that Enoch was dead.
Annie accepted him. When Enoch Arden re,
turned and saw his wife happily installed Is
Philips home, with the children provided With
everything that the simple life Of the Vic.
rorian child called for, his action is thus
described by the poet
Hs therefore, turning softly nks th!sf
I'est tbs harsh shingls should g~s,4 unt.-.osi
Ahd' feeling all along the garden wall
Iese no should swoon and tunbls and ns .eund
Nseps 20 ths gaze ana opened Il ana closed
IS lightly as s!cx mans chamber door
Behind him ana came out upon tho wasta
inoch does not let his wife and Philip
know Of his return, but dies, presumably owing
to grief. Says the poet;
IS pssssd th!s neols soui away
And when thsy buried him tbs little poa
Had seldom a oostl!er runera.
But Albany legislators have looked With
cold and unsympathetio eyes upon this mas
ferpiece by Tennyson. They have shortened
The legal limit Of husbands world wander
ngs to fivs years. Perhaps they have figured
hat any modern boatswsin ought to ',nsk
MS pile" IN that time. Also the desert island
excuse Will not suffice, for in these days
Robinson Crusoe can rig up hone-nad' F.
soio outfit ard can not only make his presence
<ncwn, but. while rescue parties are on the
Tav, he can "fsten In" on programs given
rom any lcng-meter broadcasting station and
an put IN his time very comfortably with
azs dance selections, weather predictions
srand opera numbers and crop reports
There IS little chance for an exhibition
sif-saclitice in any Enoch Arden drama pre-
iuced according to Albany rules Suppossts
Missing husband returns or the first day astE
he 1ive-year limit. He is interrupted in the
process OF hanging up his hat and is aa
nat divorce proceedings have been staFaa
nd that this particular roof tree is his
onger-sonething that may bring ssrdms
aushter from him when he tries to picture
roof tree in modern apartment.
tie may try to take refuge in a technicaliu