The New York herald., 1922-04-02


his own; "The White Cat" and Find
the Women" by .Gelett Burgess: an
other Find the Woman" and "Un-
easy Street." by Arthur Somers
Roche; co in the Wireless House"
and others. by Arthur Train; Mrs.
Atherton's Mrs. Balfame," Tarking-
(though admittedly here the vein OF
mystery is slender) Monsieur Beau
caire"; many OF the short stories of
Irwin Cobb, Will Irwin's "The Red
Button" and 'The Thirteenth Chair"
any number of George Barr Nc
Cutcheon's worl1manlike romances;
Owen Johnson's "The Sixty-first
Second"
And from across the water. in tho
same period. in addition to the titles
already mentioned. series of splen-
did stories have come from A. Z. w.
Mason. with Running Water" lead
ing the list. as well as B. L. Putnam
Weale's "The Human Cobweb," Gym
thia Stockleys haunting Blue
Al1es," Rose Macauley'ss "Potterism,"
Katherine Cecil Thurston's The
Masquerader." :.
Contemplation of these scrambled
lists suggests yet another reason
why the mystery story deserves bet
ter of the booktaster than it is ac-
customed to get these days. Demon
strably it has done and is still doing
yeoman service in developing writers
of ability-and not infrequently in
suppressing the other sort. a service
as well worth generous recognition.
".
With the mystery story Balzac
emerged from his twilight years OF
toll and Illustration, with the mys-
terry story Poe and Stevenson came
into their own. Sir Arthur Quiller
Couch as 20" commenced author
with Dead Mans Rock" and THE
Splendid Spur" Peter Ibbetson"
and "Trilby" were mystery tales with
which Du Maurier developed his
genius. And like these. most
of the authors of to-day who are
mentioned in this paper began with
the mystery story and have been
working up from it to higher levels
several of them have already gained
considerable attitudes. Those last
the mystery story taught to build
with that solidity OF construction
which alone can insure permanence
in literature.
He who would build a well made
mystery tale must respect funda-
mental laws; must learn to dig and
plant a foundation firm enough to
support four walls and roof ex-
posed to- the most searching blasts
of incredulity and critical hostility.
After which 1t must be his part so
to embellish his building with be-
coming graces OF color and design
that he who runs will wish to pause
and rest in 1t a while. A method
whose observance has yet to hurt
the serious study of character and
modes and manners and which in
culcates as well a saving reverence
for economy, simplicity and precision
of expression-for. in the sound old
word whose right significance is fast
being forgotten, grammar-the gram
mar of our English tongue. wanting
which every effort to achieve
glamour must prove unavailing.
Nevertheless. there is to-day ap-
parent a studious and persistent
endeayor to deny the worth of such
honest workmanship and set up the
belief that true art in the architec-
ture of fiction builds ever willfully
at random: seeking first Git would
Seem) to establish an entrance, pref
erably a back door, then a scullery,
one or two more unsavory cub.cles.
with bedchambers ad lib. rarely an
apartment less disconcerting. and a
foundation. If any. by way of after
thought something as sketchy as a
pit child will dig in sand. 1t is
against the rules of this school TO
roof its makeshifts or hang shutters
at the windows.
Work such as this can stand only
n, tho cioht of tbnSa 20 xx.ho,.N saw-,.