Evening star., 1926-05-04
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM

THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE.

I1E hED bA DSE Of CoOhAch'
Stephen Crane. ID. Appleton & Co.
Knowing the town but casually, l
was unfamiliar with all but the most
obvious features of Newark. n. j. SO,
one day passing the public library
Of that city, wondered in whose hon
or might have been placed the bronze
tablet decorating the front wall Of
that building. A memorial to the
memory of the author of 1.-The Red
Badge of Courage" 1t turned out to
be. placed there by group OF Stephen
Cranes friands and admirers banded
together thus to do honor to q fellow
artist. The legend OF the tablet runs
to the effect that Newark Is Cranes
native city-a bit of news, this, to me
and that the memorial had been
dedicated on the fftieth anniversary
OF this authors birth. The latter item
gave me jar of surprise, for, no
matter now many years stephen
Crane might have lived, he could
never to his readers have passed the
bright boundary of youth itself Al
ways in the ina e ns ton Of his read
ers he will be the stripping who, at the
age OF %, wrote the Red Badge"
novel that Immediately brought
from other writer's and critical read.
ers everywhere the recognition OF q
new kind Of novel and new kind of
war story.
Thirty-two years ago, when the
"Hed Badge" appeared that which Is
now so familiar as the realistic novel
had not yet gotten upon its feet, was
generally still within the creeping
stage. William Dean Howens was
writing then, pioneer in the theory
that the best purpose OF the Ameri
can fiction is TO reflect American life
that the highest dramatic art of the
novelist may be achieved within such
purpose and pursuit. HowelIs was
greatly pleased with young Cranes
contribution to the slowly advancing
cause of literary realism And In this
neid Crane stands today triumpha mt
among multitude, where 81 wears
ago ne was one among only a hand
ful OF unwelcome innovators.
Not only generation ago was this
ne" kind OF war story. It is such
today. except, possibly. for What
Price Glory" and Three Soldiers" by
laurence staliinss and John Dos
fassos respectively THE Red Badge
OF Courage" Is a war drama radically
dinerent from the familiar panorama
or huge contending forces. different
from the preliminary pageant OF ma.
heuVerlng hosts. from the whoIesal lie
slaughter. the quick recovery, and
again the banked onset of hostile
armies. That is the common pattern
OF the war novel
Here in place OF panorama and
pageant and wholesale slaughter is
the personal story Of boy in the
ClNll war. Just one boy around
Whom are grouped other individua
like himself-in their feelings not a
mechanical mass to be moved like
puppets when some one higher up
pulls the strings that send them for
ward TO victory that may mean in
diV1dual death or to a defeat that
NAV still mean individual death. So.
10 these victory and defeat look much
ankle. Here Is one boy with his i'm
mediate compa MONS, instead of a sol.
dier mass. Each is bewildered
human being. frightened. unaccus-
toned to the war routine. Here is the
boy only vaguely conscious of n
Union to be preserved OF enslaved
black men TO be set free. Acutely
conscious. however, OF his own bodily
discomfort. of his long distance
from the home folks each minute
growing dearer, OF fare that he hates,
OF a bivouac under the stars that
brings new fears in lieu of rest. II
Is with the feelings of this boy. and
other boys. with their deep-down Sc.
cret honesties. with the terrors thai
assault them out Of the darkness.
with the creeping enemy that stirring
bird or restless beast implies-with h
these that this war story so largely
deals. II deals humorously too, with
the natural hluffings of the scared
man. with the boosting Of vanished
courage. In a word. this is the pitiful
secret self of youth brought out
under the buster and bravado that
war imposes upon all.
Wonderfully dramatic moments come
into the open here. Read Jim's story
along toward the middle Of the book
The story of laxative, gossipine,
know-i all, long Jim. When the hour
struck for Jim a different man met II.
AT last they saw him stop and stand
motionless. fastening up. they per-
ceived that his face wore an expires.
sion telling that he had at last found
the place for which he had struggled.
His spare figure was erect: his bloody
hands were quiet at his side. He was
waiting with patience for something
the rendezvous. Later az he lay. the
blue jacket open, inns side looked "as
il 1t had been chewed by wolves. -
The youth turned with sudden rage
toward the battlefield. He shook his
fist. He seemed about TO deliver a.
philippe" 'HeIl-" And the red
sun was pasted in the sky like a
wafer"
A curious fact is that this dramatic
and realistic story of war was written
by lad who then had never seen q
scrap of war itself
Years afterward, out of personal ex-
perience in the Spanish American n
story of combat whose fidelity to fact
is no greater, however. than that 80
dramatically expressed in this older
novel.
This new issue of ''rhe Red Badge
of Courage" comports beautifully
with the content of the great story
itself. A book to have and to hold.
In a foreword here Max ]. HerzberS.
president of the Stephen Crane Asso.
citation. has given an interesting study
Of Crane that covers the main exter.
nal facts in the authors life and dips
down as well into many OF the sources
of this gifted youths inspiration and
achievement. This study touches the
family of Crane. Methodist ministers
and bishop on the fathers side, un.
usual character in the mother. School
days and an unfinished university
career are sketched here. He was
at that time in years about 10 and in
worldly experience about ST." univer.
sity mate says of him. All agree to
a fascinating and versa tile personality
Of the Robert Louis Stevenson type.
Then came newspaper days and hard
shedding and little writing and. final