Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-19
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES &. TRACEWELL.

The detective tale has come into
prominence in the United States in the
last 10 years not so much because any
thing new has been done with 1t, as be-
cause of the large quantities IN which
1t has been published.
The writing Of detective stories has
become q fashion, so that the book
stores are loaded with them. The as
toniShing thing is that most of them
are very we'll done. But they are not
anything new in the realm of fiction.
If any one, in the pride of modern
ity, believes that they are, we take
pleasure in referring them to "L'Afaire
Lerouge," generally translated 1.-THE Le-
rouge Affair" written by Frenchman
Emile Gaboriau, and first published In
Partisan newspaper in 1866.
That was a long time ago. Devout
readers of this type of fiction will re-
call that Poe in this country had al
ready written his few but famous de-
tective tales, notably the Murders in
the Rue Morgue." Conan Doyle was not
to begin to write until 20 years later.
We promise any one who has moi
read "The Lerouge Affair." a real treat
not only in respect to a good example
of the typical "detective-story" style, but
also as a French novel. In reading
this book recently, it was this latter
which struck us most. Just what there
Is so distinctive about the way the
French write we have never been able
to unrayel to our complete satisfaction
although we have attempted to do II
several times and have read many So
lutions by other hands.
When all is said and done, may moi
the real charm Of French fiction rest
on the fact that the French novel Is
not written ION the level of the 13-
year-old," but is written by adults fol
adults?
There was q long period in this
country and in England when it was
tacitly agreed by all readers that moth
ing should be printed which would
bring a blush of shame" as it was
phrased, to the cheek of childhood. II
was commonly overlooked that there
were many facts in life which would
indeed, bring this blush to the cheeks
of the inexperienced, whether child OF
not, but which had no such effect upon
the more hardended epidermis of those
adults who were willing to "see life
whole"-and see 1t clean. To such
people life Is life, and knowledge 4
not vile.
1t is to the glory Of the French
writer's that they have written In this
belief, with the result that men and
women Of discretion, in their Later
years, turn with relief to an honest, 9
fair and an interesting depletion of life
as they know 1t themselves. No, it Il
not for children. It Is too frank fol
them, as a family discussion behinc
closed doors Is too frank. But that the
peak of it is vile, smutty or indiscreet
only the person with the mentality OF
a typical 13-year-old could believe Oh
assert French fiction, Of course, has
not been free from its abuses. Abuses
occur In the best regulated families anC
nations, which from our standpoint may
be considered as families of writers
But the grand names of French litera-
ture stand out as beacons of honesty
and truth. This is the way men and
women are, we say to ourselves. If you
don't like them this way, then you don't
like men and women.
X X X
1.-THE Lerouge Affair" is so written
that the reader has time, in addition
to enjoying good mystery, to detect
for himself certain graces which he
would look for in vain in any of the
scores Of detective stories being written
today. Modern writers are so intent
on being clever, in many instances
that they forget to be human. Having
in their minds eye the whole range OF
this type Of fiction, they are so de-
tern1ined TO do something different
that they forget that the basic COM
modify they are serving up, humanity
is as old as the hills.
Our Gaboriau, being pioneer, did
not feel it incumbent on him to strain
to be clever. He simply wrote, and In
so doing did not forget that he was
writing about real men and women fol
real man and woman readers. The re-
suit is that THE Lerouge Affair" gives
US not only mystery, but one Of the
first Of the unusual detectives" M