The New York herald., 1922-09-24

through his nose, or drops into the idioms
used by Wilton Sargent in irritating mo-
ments of "An Error in the Fourth Di-
mension." He has perhaps been little
cocky at times in his manner of rap
ping US over the knuckles, but the fact
is that he hits upon an occasional truth.
Even the criticisms conveyed in the
alleged interview, which he has denied,
furnish food for serious thought. The
professional patriot may foam at the
mouth but it is the professional patriot
and his brethren who are the real enemies
of the Republic; not Mr.. Kipling, who has
always fought in the open.
A LFRED A. KNOPF, INC. has just
"A brought out the first volume Of .
new edition in English of the works OF
Guy de Maupassant, the translations be-
ing made by Mr. Ernest Boyd. So far
Maupassant in English has not been a
conspicuous success. Taught to write BY
Flaubert, who was an exacting taskmas-
ter, he took the word he needed to ex-
press his meaning, and very often that
word was one that flustered the timid or
squeamish translator. There is in exist
ence paper covered translation Of BEL
Ami" in which not merely words but
entire episodes are missing, with the re-
suit that the story is utterly unintelligi-
BILE. There is an English edition of Maui
passant. sold by subscription, very elabo-
rate as to binding, but so distorted that
it is not Maupassant at all. To illustrate
take the story "Mouche." The philosophy
of that tale, all its mordant irony. is
summed up in five words. Translated
into highly proper English, the words
mean absolutely nothing.
A LSO, to put the matter bluntly, the
y average American who claims ac-
quaintance with the work of Guy de Maui
passant bases the claim first upon his
knowledge of H. C. Burners very clever
adaptations in made in France" in
which Bunner did not mutilate the origi-
called United States twist; secondly
upon his knowledge of La Parure" (The
Necklace), which is to be found in every
text book on the short story as the su-
preme example of the art of condensa-
tion. and, thirdly, on the familiar glib
comparisons of Maupassant's work with
the work of Edgar Allan Poe and O.
Henry. To turn to the cinder path for
figure of speech, the average American
reader knows Maupassant as highly ef-
ficient performer at the literary 100 yard
dash. But "Une Vie" and "Pierre ct
Jean," and Fort Comme la Mort" and
"Bel-Ami," and mont Oriol," and ''Notre
C9ur' attest his ability to run the mile.
while he was probably at his very best
at the 440, to which distance belong such
tales as Monsieur Parent" "L'Heritage"
and La Maison Teller"
LITERARY history is rich in intriguing
~ mysteries. Will any one ever write
the real story of what happened during
the last four or five days of Edgar Allan
Poe's life? Is the true reason of Thack-
eray's death ever likely to become com.
mon knowledge? In the case of GUY de
Maupassant, who was the lady in the
pearl gray dress, and what was the secret
Of the sinister influence she exercised
upon Maupassant's last tragic days Of
sanity? Maupassant died in 1893 at the
madhouse of DR.. Blanche in a suburb of
Paris. In 1911 there appeared a book
about him written by Francois Tassart.
who from 1883 till 1893 had been the