The New York herald., 1922-12-03

TN the title story of this collection, and
Hank Signed the Pledge" we have
much of the quintessential Marquis. Most
of the nine other stories might possibly,
have been written by any one of half a
dozen expert makers of fiction. but no
one living but Marquis himself would ever
have handled the tragic theme of the RE
volt of the Oyster" in just the way it is
handled And the incident of Hanks in
voluntary immersion in the cistern and the
unfair advantage taken of it by his wife
and the Rev. Brother Cartwright (repro-
duced with some modification from the
chapter in "Dannys Own Story') is alto
gether Marquisian. So, too is the material
gathered together 10 explain why "The
Saddest Man" was entitled to that distinc-
ton.
"The Revolt of the Oyster" deals with
that great turning point in evolutionary
history when it was decided that civiliZa-
ton should progress upon land with Man
as its leader, instead of in the sea with
the Oyster as ruler. During the titanic
combat between the Giant oyster and
Probably Arboreal," we are told that
while they were stirred and held by the
sense of tremendous things impending,
neither men nor oysters could be expected
to understand definitely what almost in
finite things depended upon this battle
There were no Darwins then Evolution
had not yet evolved the individual able
10 catch her at it, But she was on her
way" 1t is obviously true that we can
only understand history in long retrospect.
Hence the value of such veracious chroni-
cles as this. 1t is also noteworthy that the
feminine influence is decisive even thus
early. as it was the red haired lady. Par
rot Feathers, who spurred our Probably
Arboreal ancestor on to victory. AS Goethe
has remarked: Dds Eioig Weibliche leads
us onward
The reproduction of an episode from
"Danny's own Story is happy idea, as
the novel itself is cut of print and hard
to procure. One may hope that some day
he will Tissue revision of the whole book
his first and a somewhat immature
product. but full of characterstically good
chapters like this.
The ironic study, If We Could Only
See exhibits Marquis the mature dra-
matte satirist and is the most carefully
finished story in the volume. Indeed. all
his more recent short stories reveal the
naturally dramatic bent of his creative inn
pulses which run rather in this direction
than in that of simpler narrative The five
boy and dog stories which conclude the
volume, inevitably suggest comparison tc
atom Sawyer and "Huck Finn'-not that
there is any slavish imitation, but rather
that Marquis and Mark Twain have a genu-
inc literary kinship. especially in their
sympathetic understanding of that strange
animal the human boy. The other stories
of this collection are somewhat slender
sketches; pleasantly entertaining. but OF
comparatively sIght Importance
THE NAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. By
Gilbert X. Chesterton. Harper & Brothers
TN THIS collection of short stories,
strung together upon central idea
so as to make a more or less con-
secutive whole. Mr. Chesterton appears
to have had a definite purpose. a sinister
moral to point out, which detracts some
what from the cleverhess of the total for.
as is most likely to happen in any heavily