New-York tribune., 1922-09-17

THE LAST NILE BY Frank 4. McAiis-
ter. Doubleday. Page e. Co.
THE MOUNTAIN SCHOOL TEACHER. BY
Melville Davisson Post. Appleton ~ Co.
THE CAPTIVE HERD. By G. Murray
Atkin. Thomas Y. Crowell
A MINISTER or GRACE. BY Margaret
Widdemer. Haroourt. Brace & Go.
AWAKENING. BY Maud Diver Dodd,
Mead & Co.
-vA v0 MORE than two or three
~ American authors equal
& Julian Street for sheer dex-
terity in the presentation of
tale. He writes with such apparent
ease that he must certainly labor and
polish his work to the last degree. for
the effort of the reader is in inverse
ratio to that of the writer, if the lat
ter has in him the capacity for i'm
provement. Talent is natural, but
technique is acquired; Mr.. Street dis
plays both And his skill in gliding
over thin ice is superlative. The heavy
minded may object that his material
isn't worth the care expended on it,
but surely anything that is we'll done
thereby proves itself worth the doing.
Rita Coventry is a perfectly finished
bit of fiction. The intention is fully
realized.
1t contains theme, an idea, as
we'll as story. 1t is the breaking of
a masculine butterfly on the wheel of
his own logic. Just is the law" as
Kim's lama remarked unfeelingly
Richard Parrish is type rather than
an indvidual; he is the ideal and
apotheosis of the bachelor and man
about town. He is thirtyfve, COM
fortably well-to-do, socially we'll con-
nected, good looking and heart free.
Actually. there amt no such anima
but great many men think they are
it. His leisure time is agreeably filed
with the unexacting devotion of Alice
Meldrum, q sweet and amiable girl, who
loves him too much to expect him to
marry her. He has taken care to make
1t plain that he is not marrying man.
Then he meets Rita Coventry Rita
is an opera singer, famous, beautiful,
imperi0us, a law unto herself. Par
rish is her fancy for a moment; she
uses him exactly as he used Alce-to
fill her spare moments, But she hadn't
many, and when he discovered his place
in her economy, his indignation is ter
rife. The limits of masculine sophis-
tication are cruelty defined in his final
marry her either, you understand; he
merely wanted to monopolize woman
who had all the world at her feet, and
give her in return-what?
1t isn't clear; it is not quite clear
whether Parrish's creator saw the
whole humor Of the situation The
gravity, for example, with which this
preuX chevalier condemned Rita's
newer fancy, young composer: "Pll
tell you one thing l have got against
him; he is not gentleman" Could
Sir Willoughby Pattcrne have done bec-
ter? But the most unkindest cut of
all was Rita's explanation Of why she
first took him up and then wearied Of
him-this Fifth Avenue Don Juan, this
pattern squire of danes. when Pm
in love | sing better But you
lack the light touch And there was
his career in ruins. Nothing to do
but go back to Alice, for her to kiss the
spot and make it we'll.
A happy ending? One is irresistibly
reminded of the devastating final conf
ment of Meredith on his "Egoist"
"But he had married the woman of
brains. j. He had, and he was to
learn what that means"
In Parrish's case it was the woman
ards in love. Alice had her Richard S
number. She might choose to forget it
for while, but in the end-heaven
help him, he would pay-and pay-and
pay! So might Rita, married to her
young composer; but then, Rita was a
good sport. Shameful how men give
each other away these days; they have
no sex loyalty.
'YoU might not expect to find much
likeness in the products of an Italian
novelist making a comedy OF manners
out of the search of prosperous Italian
NATURALIZATION suitable spouse to be
the mother of his children and yerv
serious American author Struggling
with the problems of an American ex.
soldier at outs with the postwar con-
dltlons In the United States. But, odd
as rs 1t may seem one discovers through
them that all men, to-day, of the so.
called civilized races, live in the same
world. Italy too, has her profteers
and slackers, her disillusioned heroes
radicals, reactlonaries. feminists. fu-
turlsts, conservatives, hustling busi.
ness men and scornful intellcctuals
The two books regard these difficulties
from different viewpoint. to be sure
but the difference is individual, moi
Idclal OF national. And In this case
the Italian gets deal more fun out oil
his way of looking at the passing show
He is, indeed, scandalously funny al
times, this Cavaliere Ginetto Sooner
- whose adventures Alfredo Panzini un
folds to us in "Wanted-A Wife ,
Thoroughly up to date-observe hi.
prospectus of himself: "Ruddy com
plexion, physiognomy diffusing intelli
gence and courage. sound throughout
=, etc. But not excitable
Achilles, an excitable person, dice
young" according to a booklet ISSUED
by his firm. (In America that bookle
would have appeared as syndicatet
editorial.) But to avoid excitemen
grew increasingly difficult since h
found himself increasingly perturbet
by feminine charms.
His doctor diagnosed this as symp
toa of the dangerous age, and recon-
mended that when he felt these peril
Gus thrills at sight of a lady he shoult
make believe to be looking at TIL,
under side of lizard" Cavalier
Sooner objected that it couldn't b.
done. very true" the doctor agreed
and on being asked further, "And a
your age, doctor, does it never hap
pen?' he replied. 1--WE needn't go int,
that" His prescription was matri
mony.
Thus urged, the Cavaliere drew III
q matrimonial list and went after
wife with a business mans efficiency
such as he had used in gathering for
tune during the war. His friend Lilo
nello, the novelist, gave him little en-
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