Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-12-17

| Guided. There. however. th.y AFRO nc
| cohpaniCd ky "a richness OF ,houpb,
an" hnent grace Of form that pre-
| 'thl 'hc Underlying. carefully cun-
! tf''eu pattern from obtrud!np Itself
! II. IN this connection, there b.. any
SuBSest!on o! adverse criticism at nlI
! conceivable. IL Is that til. corusc,.
!hs inc!siveness OF Mr.. cabelvs
| style tends a little TO diver, tho
| readers attention from the very
! thought It's aptncss serves so we'll
Yet one could not wish it dirrercn,
IN my way. for unchanged. il fur
h'shrs meyer failing source Of
/ pleasure. ever hllinG the reader with
/ tho peculiar sense of con,on,,ncn,
that. Ike divine aura. emana,es
/ from all perfect things
| IN ms long struggle not only for
I recognition. but for chance 10
/ write freely in accordance with his
natural bent. Mr.. Cah.n has had Ia
face numerous vic!ss!;udcs. Yet he
has never been able to deviat. from
| the chosen path except In vain at
tcmpts at complete denial o. it, one
| hears of strange and futile business
ventures. and there is an unusually
!ohg gap In the sequence Of his cr.-
ntive production between 1909 and
''-"' -h"'i 'iIil"T occurred 4 brief
period OF newspaper reporting on
tho New York Herald. whom hc mus,
nave been farther removed from his
proper element than any other ex-
ncricnce ever took him
Hy this time, Mr.. caben.s ,o,a,
I production hulks quit. large. ON
| hracinr-apart from several N r.
but far from unimportaut 4
| ciasscd as "scholla "-seveu ny. !.
/ four collections oc short stoficq. on.
volume Of verse. ana q long csthc.ic-
. rhiI"s"rhic dissertation. beyond
Lie" which serves both az an In
PRODUCTION TO and "a summary Of tho
r"st % hts work. lie has also com
oiled three volumes Of authentic
genealogv. bat with ',hesc We are
not concerned here
HIS novels and stories fall natural
~ into three groups that may be
designated. respectively. as contem-
rorary. historic and mythical. The
FIRST group Includes four novels. all
Of them laid in Lichncld-a name
that. without much ind!scrction. may
be translated Into Richmond VIZ
ginia. whore Mr. Cabcll was born.
where he has lived most OF his life.
and where several generations OF
his ancestors had their center Of
existence II not actual habitat!on.
Tn" second group IS made M o.
four volumes o: short stories. hut
ono OF these. "Gallautry." displays
such continuity Of cast and action
that Il may almos, bc counted n
novel. The action Of all but a very
few Of his four "dlzains" Of stories
Is placed in Franc" and England be-
single story. "'rhe Lady OF All our
Dreams" in The Certain Hour
takes the reader into our own Coun.
try during tho early ninctics /, IS.
~ far rs know. tho one shor;
story written ny MIR Cabcll around
Il theme that may be called contcm-
porary.
The mythical works consist OF
three novels. but one OF these
'bomnei." which was FIRST published
IN l3i3 under the title Of The Soul
OF Meliccnt." combines with two
short stories out OF The Line Of
Love" in forming semihis,orical
transition between the legendary
doings In the land Of Poictesme and
tho stories set on firm historic
ground. By tn" Lineage" the time
covered by Figures OF Earth"
''i'icA anu JHEecn may he cal
culatcd with minute accuracy as cx.
tending from the year 1898. when
| Dom Manuel encountered Miramon
Lluagor at the pool Of Haranton, to
the year 1877. when Jurrcn made his
unexamp!ed retrospective excursion
into sundry known, unknown and
otherwise !nd!sCoverahle regions. As
myth and history are mixed In Dom
nci." so past and present meet IN
The Cream Of the Jest" where the
central character of Felix Bulmer
kennaston lives his daily life quiet
Is and unobtrusivcly as becomes n