, 1925-01-18
A Song of Earth,

Earth bears our insults lightly,
So ~anciently at ease
Old bricks must look contritely
Upon young poplar trees.
And spade and plough so gently
About Rome's foot, where a
Smiles never SO intently
AS when brick-mnsons pass.
And yet the briefest shadow
OF cloud she feels. to thrill
With laughter in the meadow
And fear behind the hill.
William Foster Elliot in
The Wanderer.
There is a peculiar pleasure in
reading anything which Joseph
Hergesheimer writes. 1t is the
pleasure that comes of seeing a
task done with consummate crafts,
manship. with a mastery of tech
nique that must inspire lesser dab
blers in the art of words with a
despairing reverence. To each Of his
IOhtAc IltA StoLtAliltA mas blCt6i s
the equipment and tho high sin
certify of tho true artist. There is
nothing skimped or jerry-built about
them. They r as ear perfection
as It is in Mr.. Hergesheimer's
power to make them.
"Balisand' adds one moro fine
characterization to that select gal
lery which includes Linda Condor.
Taou Yuen, and Jasper Penny.
with leisurely, inevitable touches
Mr.. Hergeshelmer has etched In the
portrait of Richard Bale, warrior
arlstocrat. until he stands out more
vivid and real than many a flesh
and-blood acquaintance OF everyday.
He has not only created n man
but has re-created IN age. The
world in which Richard Bale moves
the world which in turn moves on
and leaves him haughtily aloof and
self-sufficient its n 10 patchwork
Suggesting. 1t is post-revolution'
airy America. By rust what alchemy,
what cunning massing of detail Mr.
Hergcsheimer achieves this com
plete Identification with a past
epoch 1t is hard to say. But the
illusion is complete. For SO many
hours rs he may require to peruse
the chronicle OF Richard Bale the
reader Is transported to Virginia and
to the years which ended the 18th
century and ushered in the 18th
For the time the quarrels Of Fed
eralists and Democrat-Republican
are moro real than those OF Old
Guard and La Follettistas. He is a
century and n quarter distant.
watching the fumbling hands of an
infant commonwealth finger the
strange new toys OF independence
and democracy and popular rule.
There IS an ironic felicity in Mr..
H-rgeshelmer's conception Of Rich
ard Bale. stln-necked a%ristocrat.
standing firm in his allegiance TO
tho man Washington and TO the
ancient theory OF "noblesse oblige"
while the unruly populace storms
on TO new experiments which he
deems anarchic and disastrous He
Is ut once pathetic and admirable.
He has helped overthrow M order,
but he thinks the foundations OF
his world are crumbling because
others decline to view the resultant
order nH s~acrosanct and eternal. He
Is the type OF the eternal conser-
vative, tho moro memorable because
he Is limned against the fux and
chaos OF n nations birth struggles.
Parallel with the story OF Richard
Bales fealty TO an obsolete political
order is traced the story Of his un-
willing allegiance to n persisted TO.
nance. They are but two facets
OF the same crystal. The loyalty
that enshrines Lavinia's memory in
his heart Is essentially the same
that binds him TO the governmental
and moral code OF a dying nristo-
oracy. Again the note Of irony is
strong In the conflict between this
memory and tho duty no feels he
owes his wife and. tho real love
which he has for her. In the end
he pays the final toll TO this Joint
allegiance.
"Baiisand" Is a more powerful
and convincing novel in every way
than either THE Fright Shawl OF
'cytherea." 1t shows Mr. Hergs-