W. T. BISSELL.
Book Reviews
The Cathedral. By Hugh Walpole. (The Macmillan Company, 1922.)
There are two classes of men who attain a piercing perception of the fundamental truths beneath the mantle of social usage which is loosely termed culture, a mantle which only serves to detract the senses from the real goal of human activities. One of these types is the stoic mentalist, to whom everything is mind and reason. The other is the emotional, uncontrolled realist, who lives for pleasure and dreams of ideals. Both of these divergent types are able to see clearly the foibles which permeate the life of mankind; the first because he realizes human weaknesses and thereby refrains from falling into indulging in them, while the second delves into the experiences and pleasures of the senses and comes to a realization of the futility of it all.
Mr. Walpole has taken this antithesis as the principal theme in his latest work, and the result is Canon Ronder and Davary. The power of these two characters, however, is suggested rather than described, and Mr. Walpole’s genius of omission is as commendable as his power of description. The perpetual controversy of the Church—between that which was once new and that which is ever rising to become the newer—is treated dramatically by attaching the teachings of both to human characters and having them live lives according to their interpretation of such teachings; the relative superiority of the opposing doctrines is thus put to the test. The splendor of the Church is seen by eyes from under different points of view, and discord arises between the officers of the Church. Worldly ambitions and thwarted passions are well depicted by Mr. Walpole, while an intensely dramatic strain is refreshed by the youthful love affair between the Bishop’s daughter and her sweetheart. “The Cathedral” is a work of fiction which deserves to be ranked among the best—because it is so unlike fiction.
H. H. S.
The Hill of Dreams. By Arthur Machen. (Alfred Knopf Company.)
This book is new only to the American public. Since its first appearance in England a number of years ago, its popularity and power has grown phenomenally; Knopf could scarcely have left it out of his collection of best modern books. It is sure to make a lasting impression here upon all those who are able to love and appreciate the remarkable beauties of a real prose style.