New-York tribune., 1922-11-19
Books Of Yesteryear
BY label Paterson

tion, he could only aIsintegrate. His
little earthen pot wac bound TO come
to grief among che shiny brass ones.
And after the three had unintentionsl-
ly smashed all his beliefs and ideals,
they threw the pieces out. Naturally,
they blamed his weakness instead Of
their own hardness. ,As fit climax to
his mental debauch, Theron then went
on q literal spree; and was very APP
propriately rescued by the wife Of a
revivalist OF his own connection, who
had conducted campaign at his
church. She scolded and petted him
back to sanity, administered ell ths
horse sense he could assimilate, and
handed him over to his wife. The last
the reader sees of Theron, he is out
Of the ministry and headed for the
West For Seattle, to be exact. He
did not just know what he would do
there, but thought Of politics. It Ia al
together likely he Is Congressman at
this moment. He might almoss be
William Bryan, II Bryan only hap
pened to hail from Seattle. For after
watching the pitiless exposure Of
Iheron's mind, one understands Bryan.9
One perceives that profound and (in
the circumstances) sane instinct
prompts Bryan to cling tooth and toe
nail TO his 1880 orthodoxy. Such type
Of mentality Is not strong enough for
change or growth. It cannot endure
the abrasion of ideas. To try TO alter
it is only to wreck It. Compassion
says: "Ephraim ia Joined to his Idols;
let him alone" They are all he has,
and very likely they will save him in
the end. They are the face which
truth presents TO him, and better. at
any rate, than nothing.
So Che central sneTis Of che book Is
q character completely depicted inside
and out. Behind that one perceives--
as in all good novels---a complete and
homogeneous social fabric. AS a study
Of an American small town it is far
more profound than "Main Street." and
it is never dull. Nor did Frederic need
TO resort to verbal tricks and pyro-
technics FOR color and interest. He
| wrote in q leisurely and unemphatic
fashion, taking all the space he need
eA but no more. He worked with COM
| plete detachment, by north light. No
| body in the book seemed to engage his
sympathy to any marked degree. And
while Theron, and Theron's wife, and
the reyivalist lady, are rendered COM
plete, he did not get below the surface
of the other characters. Perhaps in
| these two facts lies the reason the book
Just, fails Of being great. Perhaps
writing Of it. His career, and few
comments of his contemporaries, dis
coverable in cid magazines, indicate
the possibility. Harold Frederic was
APPARENTLY journalist all his life; and
in 1884 he went TO London as CORE
| spondent FOR "The New York Times"
He never came back, and Is reported
as saying that America was impossible
after the richer civilization of the Old
World. Evidently he had felt cramped
or cheated in his youth. Yet his two
novels Of London life are much inferior
to "Theron Ware" and even to his two
American historical novels. Perhaps
| he understood Theron 80 we'll because
he was himself dazzled by an exotic
culture. The assumption Is strength
ened by q glance at his thoroughly for
gotten volume on---of all things that
! uountebank Kaiser OF Germany now
fhsticat!ng in Holland. Frederic
| thought we'll Of Wilhelm. He could
/ not pierce the tin-plate "shining ar-
1 NOR" was bluffed by the staggering
mustache. It Is extraordinary, In view
of his almost cynical penetration OF
his own people. And Il is another In
stance Of the fact that good work In the
1 III 10 nsS lohB LootS, LauSk bbElh@ IUSO tEe
very soil from whence ths artist
springs, and be nodded Of his child
hood impressions and stored up mem
ories. The lads who are heading for
Europe now, in search Of proper at
mosphere, may learn that in time.
! There is another possible clew 60
Frederic's disgruntlement in the fact
that whils most OF his novels were is
sued by very we'll known New York
| firm Of publishers, "Theron Ware %
bears The imprint OF comparatively
obscure firm, now ous Of business. Per-
and was discouraged by difficulty in
getting IL before the public. Who
| known