of Simon de Gex go of her own ee the animal-tamer, and come ounce him, convinced that the was the nobler woman? Which, she was not. But then, as we ng experience of Mr. Locke, he is head with circus-people about; s incense to him. Let Mr. Locke foibles by all means; but even ould not have made the spoiled ety marry the animal-tamer (one e having been nearly clawed off) ith her into city missionary work. believe it is really Mr. Locke's blic at present loves as a sister h a past; and loves city missionɔssible, more. I that with all our imitation of d every one who is not imitating tating Meredith-he has failed e have taken all his prescriptions t one. We have emancipated our asculated our men; we have cast ty from their seats and exalted [ 108 ] the three Br was exceedingly sentimentality. with Meredith present novelist mental to be er trouble. We thi being sentiment does it better 1 stead, over th Land? Amelia nicer person, if have snivelled a of loving some Of course, I -those that ha mind. But let a mentally a grou see if the substi pretty generally given way to class-consciousn code of manner and honor in t the three Brontës that Charlotte Br was exceedingly modern in her detestation sentimentality. Modern she may have bee with Meredith; but not modern with present novelists, for they are almost too s mental to be endured. And there is the w trouble. We think Thackeray an old fool being sentimental over Amelia Sedley; but I does it better the case to be sentimental, stead, over the heroine of The Prom Land? Amelia Sedley was all in all a m nicer person, if not half so clever. She have snivelled a good deal, but she was cap of loving some one else better than hersel Of course, I have cited only a few insta -those that happened to come most easily mind. But let any reader of fiction run mentally a group of contemporary heroes, see if the substitutions I have named have pretty generally taken place. Has not p given way to humility, reticence to glibr class-consciousness to a wild democracy, code of manners to an uncouth unworldlin and honor in the old sense to a burning pposed, therefore, to be on his e law. Now, the hero does not, to legal difficulties himself, but assionately on the side of the aws were devised to protect the pm. The scientific tendency to aristocracy consists merely in certain physical taints has per"Is not one man as good as ed the demagogue. "Of course great deal better!" replied the in in the crowd. We are in the ular mania for thinking all the good deal better." The modern y mind, in intention, if not in dmirable figure; and though one him any day to give his whole gross of green spectacles, one hat, find him any less likable. will rediscover the Dantesque ouls implicit in humanity. And he will get back his charm. s probably bursting to observe school of realists at hand; and an accuse Mr. Wells and Mr. [110] Mr. Theodore and Miss Elle he is sentiment than people. (I think, is simply that Thomas 1 gaping and em ter a little. "S difficult catchw you can get a quarrelling ove purposes, it wi sentimentalist i disloyal to fact a straight acco things is more He has come wave, and the strewn thick w phrase, the Go Be (according perversion may moral, or socio nizable by his Now, Mr. and Miss Ellen Glasgow are sentimenta he is sentimental at all, it is rather over than people. (Mr. Masefield, I am incline think, is simply catering to the special aud that Thomas Hardy, by his silence, has gaping and empty.) Let us look into the ter a little. "Sentimental" is one of the difficult catchwords in the world to define: you can get a roomful of intelligent p quarrelling over it any time. Perhaps, for purposes, it will serve merely to say that sentimentalist is always, in one way or ano disloyal to facts. He cannot be trusted to a straight account, because his own sens things is more valuable to him than the t He has come in on the top of the pragn wave, and the sands of Anglo-Saxondom strewn thick with him. He serves, in Kipl phrase, the God of Things as They Ough Be (according to his private feeling). His perversion may be æsthetic, or intellectua moral, or sociological, but he is always re nizable by his tampering with truth. Now, Mr. Wells does tamper with t You cannot have your cake and he sentimentalist blindly refuses Accordingly, we get the uncone that Mr. Wells wanted to - Mr. Wells's heroes may not ut my argument so well as Mr. To be sure, Mr. Wells is not so Mr. Galsworthy, and he has author of The Man of Propternity, and Justice, one—just 1. Mr. Galsworthy always deals ho is in love with some other nd his world is thereby narlls is interested in a good many s politics are not purely philmost of our novelists' politics Wells's heroes, even when they mate, are pre-occupied with their f sociological duty, even more re-occupied with passion, though is "special" enough when it any one except a Wells hero India and come away having [112] goddesses," say frankness. Ther the life. And M spiritual gutters unimaginable go The point is his turn in fictio not guttersnipes grace to be su snipes. In one snipe must hav course, there a few heroes get than a passionat municipal sanita go through Ern that poor people but in every wa and few of th belief, as Ernest anything else, m men. For gentle benevolent; but the paradox tha |