Evening star., 1922-12-12
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
THE CATHEDRAL. Hugh wa,pole


Walpole has created 4 distinct per-
sonality for the most persistently
confronting fact Of the world today.
That is. he has given q body and q
soul-feelinss, motives and action to
a single aspect Of the present world
revolution, q revolution whose stgp
Of success is change vital change
in human relations. This conflict is
an open one and as far-reaching as
the earth itself. 1t gathers. to either
one side Of the battle line Or the
other. all classes. occupations. be-
liefs. Struggle and change-this Is
the war cry which the revolution
promises to throw down the barriers
between the two contending sides Of
industry. between the upper and low
er crusts Of society. between the con-
servative and liberal in politics. be-
tween dogma and reality In religion.
A subject deep enough and wide
enough for a thousand authors and
ten thousand books
x + x !:
Holding fast to struggle and
change" as the heart Of the whole
matter. Mr.. Walpole, out from this
panorama Of modern revolution. has
chosen religion as the field of con-
fiict. Now: away back in human be-
ginnings. man. after he had secured
food and shelter and mate. would
have had fairly clear path had it
moi been for the ferocity of TIL. nat
ural world around him-the cold. the
food. the drought. the tornado. the
lightning. These were terrifying
things. This early man had TO have
god to save him. And SO. put Of
ligion. therefore. is one of the first.
one of the deepest sources, one Of
the most passionate Of human emo
tions. 1t provides great and poignant
theme for a drama Of life. But the
story of religion. even of one religion
among the many. is too long for any
single projection.
necessity OF limitation is to take his
theme to a little cathedral town in
the west Of England. Moreover. to
secure room outside the immediate
and shifting welter OF things. he
moves the drama back a quarter Of
a century, timing 1t with the Queens
jubilee year. an event that serves a
good minor purpose here. This move
backward sets an Illuminating per-
spective. also. for the revolutionary
drift that had, even then, made sig
nificant headway.
y 4 \ 4
Beside the river Pol there lifts a
giant rock. part of the solid earth it
Polchester cathedral-perfect symbol
Of permanence and power and beauty.
Down the hillside and along the val
ley straggles the town of Polchester.
a dull little place. filled with dull Nt-
tie people And upon these various
littlenesses-empty or mean or fool
ish or vicious-Mr. Walpole exercises
an infinite patience and fidelity of
portrayal. 1t is a stupe!ying crowd.
One, reading. Is. more than once.
tempted to cut and run, in search Of
livelier company. 1t is a good thing.
for him. that he does not. For this
arid stretch of literal local humanity
turns out to be, in effect. a measured
arena. q sanded ring. in which there
is to be. later. a great and heroic
struggle. fierce and imrlacabie.
But. for a long time in the story.
the arena is not apparent. Instead.
Polchester is simply a fit stage for
the fine and commanding figure of
Archdeacon Brandon. A splendid man
to look upon is the archdeacon-a
touch Of the Greek. shade Of the
Morse, in the full effect. Even the
dull folks of the town call him, in ad-
miring fealty. 1.-The king of Polches-
ter" A friendly man OF innumerable
genial condescensions from his high
and absorbing mission of holding fast
to those bligations-doctrine, cere-
monial. formalism-imposed by the
tradition OF the cathedral itself. And
above all does he set his face against
any approach of innovation.
-
Then Canon Ronder came. A tubby
little man, this, with a boys smile
a genial fellow who suggests moth
ing more serious than the desire to
get along all right with everybody.
Ronder's way. Not long after his
arrival in Polchester there arose be-
fore the cathedral board the ap-
preaching need to fill the living Of
Pybus st. Anthony-a slight matter
in itself. bu. one which, in the con-
fiict that it caused. lifts the action of
this romance into the full tide of