The New York herald., 1922-04-02

has learned that. at least to one of
his gifts, no form of literary COM
position is so difficult, no labor so
onerous and exacting, as the max
ing of a mystery that will not wabble
under the weight of every hard look.
Which is one reason why 1t affords
him so much delight to come across
such story from a new pen, and SO
much vicarious indignation when he
sees it dismissed (as ordinarily it is)
with an impatient flirt of the critical
quill, as just another of those things,
while at the same time the rankest
sprout in the pseudo-psycho-cdr
ndlyticdl hotbed and the most gduche
graduate Of the fldpperdoodle class
are recommended as noteworthy per-
formances in the field Of contem-
poraneous letters.
The author pauses here to cock an
ear attentive to the drone of his mo-
tor, fearing to detect the grumble of
personal grievance in its generator
and resumes reassured, hon
estly persuaded that he makes this
moan not on his singular account,
but rather as self-appointed cham
pion of class of writer's, Of whom
he is one. and whose work he be-
iieyes to be commonly undervalued,
for what it is, when it isn't through
indifference or downright bias mis-
represented.
Granted that most mystery stories
must fairly be reckoned trash, it will
hardly be claimed that any other
class of fiction, taking it by and
large. makes nobler showing. or
that better than Is per cent. (ad-
mittedly an optimist's guess) of any
years whole output of novels rises
above the level Of even tolerab,e
mediocrity. Wherefore this author
contends that. as with work of other
sorts. when a workmanlike mystery
story turns up it ought to be pro-
claimed as such. without regard to
the predictions of the reviewer ana
irrespective of the clamor of clear
treble voices which rings down the
aisles Of the literary jungle as the
neutrality-suspicious. of the day roll
from log to log. gleefully chasing one
anothers tales.
III.
The mystery story may not be
important" in the sense in which
that adjective may be applied to the
thoughtful study of life; but surely
to be entertaining for entertain
ment's sake alone is no unworthy
aim; surely there is nothing intrin-
sically contemplate in a medium
which Balzac employed upon occa-
sion, and Poe, too. and Conrad, Ste
venson. Henry James, Kipling,
Dickens, Mark Twain, Hudson, De
Morgan, Du Maurier-heaven knows
how many more honored pens,
Surely the mystery story of to-day
isn't necessarily to be held negligible
because in our day as in others
scores of ordinarily competent jour
neymen artisans have taken a fling
at 1t and returned to their lasts
sadder and wiser writer's. la Peau
de Chagrin.' a mystery story in
double sense, and "Une Tenebreuse
Affaire." among other essays of Bal
Zac's, unquestionably influenced Poe
to compose tales of mystery which
made his name, and incidentally
American letters. illustrious. "Tom
Sawyer" and "Pudd'nhead Wilson"
were rare mystery stories. De Nor
gan seemingly couldn't write without
mystery to lure on his pen. Con-
RAIDS Chance" for the best part of
its great length. is mystery story
superbly handled, and SO is "Ro-
nance" Dickens strung story after
story on threads Of mystery, ending
with that whose snarl can never be
unraveled, Edwin brood" "The
Turn of the Screw" If nothing else,
admits James to the goodly company
OF the great who weren't too great
to try-and who didn't fail. "The
Man Who Would Be King" is, of
course. by far the finest of Kiplings
many briefer mystery stories; in his
later manner there ia "1,ha RruSb