Evening star., 1925-05-10

~ History" etc.. New York: The
: Macmillan Company.
E~ N the desk before him lie the
proofs of collected edition
of his writings. Eight and
~ twenty fat volumes they will
make. I perceive tnat
have already lived long and INDUS
trious life,' H. G. Wells Is SAYING 70
himself as his eye holds and his mtno
counts off the novels and the serious
discussions and the fanctful tales
making up this collection. he fingers
longest, one thinks, over the SUIT
passing Outline" that has had SO
great an influence since Its appear
lance in organizing and protecting
other bodies of knowledge. What
does It all amount tos that mass or
written NATTER" Then he sets about
answering his own question. fne
gist of it is an extraordinarily susi
tained and elaborated adverse criti-
|'cism Of the world as It Is, persistent
refusal to believe that this Is the best
or even the most interesting of all
possible worlds. There Is develop
ling attempt eliminating In the out
line of History to show that the world
Fof, man is. only temporarily what IT
Is, and might be altered to an enor-
motiss extenf.S, ssfss /.
No One can question: the fairness OF
this summary of ;his own work on the
part Of; Mr.. Wells. For. without ex-
ceptiOIl, whatever the general charac-
ter Of any single effort OF his may
have been, it's deep intent has been
that Of an adverse criticism of things
as they are. Not a captious man; not
| a fault finder. No; deeply serious
lover wonderful vision.
| OF thep"eight and. twenty fat vol
nnees Pie one IN hand projects a
new adventure-tfat OF editorial
sense OF ITS form and placing and the
]"devastatirig periodicity'' of it's con.
tributions. In substance 1t. is of a
piece with all the rest-A critical com
ment on such passing events as alb
sorb the serious business OF the daily
press. The League OF Nations" fur
nishes the keynote upon which this
body of adverse comment Is pitched
For the league" this author has
lnothing but a censure. going back to
its false beginnings and following
lalong In the same mind to its futile
performances. Several times in this
Year of Prophesying" does Mr.
/ Wells, from one angle and another
make attack upon this institution. u
lam hostile to the present League OF
Nations because / desire the confed
feration of. mankind Then he con
traSt and compares the two to show
+ the promise OF the latter. the serious
obstacle which the league offers
against the confederation.
Every theme here is an interesting
one. 1t would be-. This is a highly
interesting man. whether he is talking
about the league or ''the extinction
of party government" or "ehe fan
tastes Of Mr.. Beiloc." or whether he
softens down. for. the moment. in q
most beautiful letter to Anatole
France on his eightieth birthday
Naturally, to us, that which Mr.
| Wells has TO say about America is
of special import. He may be wrong
as SO many visitors are. But righ,
or wrong. he is worth much consider
alton. What he has to say about edu
cation, and about education here ir
America. where there is SO wide ar
opportunity, so great an urgency. tc
get it right In a perfect fronting upor
the great; emancipation of all man
kind that is the law and gospel witt
II. G.. Wells-this is message whose
spirit is for America, whose eXhorta
ton is that we shall see our mission
and enter upon it without lingering
longer in the lap of stale authorit,
when before us is the special urge t,
COntTlDQlt LOWdIQ studt IACcAiS "
mankind from so much that serve:
only to delay the future that waits
for the world.
i "a Year OF Prophesying,' for it
irnfnediacy of contact and the liv'
quality of it's themes, is one of th'
important Wells books, since 1t serves
to place this really inspired man ant
his great vision before us in thu
terms of current interests and in th'
reach toward a possible future o
actual achievement.
**
ADVENTURES IN CRITICISM. B.
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. author o
Studies in Literature" etc. New
York: @. p. Putnam's Sons.
lTT is a thing for readers to be glat
about, that one day Sir Arthur
Ontller Couch drew out from his file:
certain reminders of the time when
a young journalist, he wrote hi!
weekly. column or two on books new
land old. Those files provided "Ad
ventures in Criticism" Here in tn
tfraendly and easy way Of all hi'
writings the young reviewer dis
cusses Scott and Burns, Goldsmith
and ,sterne, Stevenson. Zola, Pee
Gynt' and "Trilby," Mr.. Stockton
IMr. Anthony Hope and many another
HE talks about George Moore. Ant
since George Moore is decidedly sc
important in letters. let u.s. listen II
to Arthur Quiller-Couch in respec
to ESTHER Waters" just off the press
That was in 1884. 'Quiller Couch was
not "Sir" then, but he knew as mucf
about books as if he had been. Fol
Esther Waters" is of AN Hndlmln
| fef r
WEAR and tear of critical. :. opinion
"It ia good. after yalf'-Quiller-C Coucf
ItaIkiii,g-'to' come across move
written by. a man who can write &
novel. we have been much in tht
company of the amateur OF late.
i am weary of him. 1 am weary of his
writings because he cannot write
lneither has he the humility to 81
down and :. learn" Then he talk.
about the patience and conscience O
George Moore.s. art. confirplng It D!
E"Estiaer Waters itself. the most. I'M;
portant tlovei published In England
at that time, according to this critic
+ Naturally, then. because the two
lnoyels are 30 similar in theme, Quill
ler-Couch places Moore's new move
EbeSide Hardy's Tess" tremendous
ly poignant story. Both girls suffel
at the outset---tlfe shaping event so
the subsequent career OF each. Moore
let's the child Of his heroine live. Mr.
tHardys kills Tess child. The formel
tprovfdes the motive for a mother
highest effort: The latter takes thi'
away. A better philosophy of life lie!
in Moore's story. Gloom there, to b.
sure, but q chance for man ant
woman to improve, their lot. Will
Hardy ideAp and unhroken gloom
Hopeless. Finally, with Tess destan,
is; not felt to be inevitable. but freak
ishs In the other Esther Waters II
Il n I0WAd fo ezra nlaln sysrifla- hAr dAAfinY