Ο Edited by EDMUND PEARSON Paine's "Joan of Arc” A Review by ETHEL PARTON NLY a short time ago in his "Saint Joan" George Bernard Shaw introduced the newly sainted, ever-saintly Maid of France to the reading and play-going public of England, America, Germany, and her own country as his keen intellect apprehended her character and his able creative art could set it forth. In no imaginative work of approximate distinction has Joan been portrayed as sympathetically or as brilliantly. To say this is not to forget the three great names of Shakespeare, Voltaire, and Schiller; but Shakespeare maligned, Voltaire burlesqued, and Schiller sentimentalized his Joan out of all semblance to reality. It is no more than a fair tribute to Shaw that when within a year of the appearance of his play a new Life of Joan of Arc is published, the instinctive thing to do is less to compare the Joan of the biographer with the Joan of forgotten biographies than with the recent and memorable Joan of the dramatist. Nor is this in any way derogatory of the solid achievement of Mr. Albert Bigelow Paine. Such a comparison must not, of course, be pushed too far; but it is fair, and certainly interesting, in the one thing for which both men have equally striven: the portrait of their heroine herself. Does the vigorous, vital, and compelling Joan of Shaw, after a study of her actual career as Mr. Paine presents it, seem no less essentially true? Does the Joan of Mr. Paine, who may neither alter, augment, nor ignore the facts, emerge from his presentment of them not only an authentic figure, but one no less alive than Shaw's? There is also, it happens, an amusing secondary reason for comparing the two. Mr. Paine, the biographer of Mark Twain, acknowledges in his preface that it was Mark Twain's romantic rendering of her story in "The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc," written from the standpoint of her devoted page, Louis Le Conte, which so aroused his interest in the Maid that he was prompted to follow her footsteps in France and later to set down "the veritable historic sequence upon which that luminous and 1 Joan of Arc, Maid of France. By Albert Bigelow Paine. The Macmillan Company, New York. $10.50. tender romance had been constructed." That is to say that he approached his task, though with every intention to be fair in judgment and depiction, as an ardent admirer of Mark Twain and Mark Twain's Joan, and naturally inclined to view her in the same romantic light. But Shaw, who is more addicted to prefaces than any living author, has also a word upon the subject in his preface to "Saint Joan:" "Mark Twain's Joan, skirted to the ground with as many petticoats as Noah's wife in a toy ark, he observes irreverently, "is an attempt to combine Bayard with Esther Summerson from 'Bleak House' into an unimpeachable American school-teacher in armor. Like Esther Summerson, she makes her creator ridiculous, and yet, being the work of a man of genius, she is a credible human goody-goody in spite of her creator's infatuation." Dramatist and biographer, it is obvious, approach their subject from widely divergent angles: the man who is confined to fact imbued with the romantic spirit, he who is free to romanticize set firmly against romance. But Mr. Paine's veritable Joan retains no trace of the school-teacher in armor. Less breezy and buoyant than Shaw's heroine during the successful earlier stages of her career, her rustic shrewdness, capability, and humor less emphasized, it is in these scenes that the contrast is most marked. It is there especially that the dramatist, from indications sufficient fairly to suggest his version but not to prove it right, has evolved a Joan, a delightful and not incredible Joan, who is very much his own. The Joan of the same period whom Mr. Paine portrays in a patiently pieced mosaic, each scrap authenticated, appears less the hardy, able peasant lass with a native yearning for things masculine and martial to reinforce the summons of her saints to war, than the maid with a mission; fearless before authority, yet never consciously without respect for it; safe and respected among her soldiers rather as a particularly holy nun might be than as a halfboyish comrade and officer, yet readily companionable, too. Later, as tragedy closes in, the dusty documents of the past become more careful and minute, and the historic Joan speaks for herself, the difference becomes less; for so too, as far as the requirements of drama permit, Shaw allows her to do in the play, understanding well that speech more significant, more noble, more pathetic, more dramatic, no writer of fiction could put into her mouth. So, in the end, the two Joans become one: Joan the peasant, Joan the warrior, Joan the Deliverer, Joan, martyred at nineteen-the most wonderful of girls. 30 That Mr. Paine remains no less loyal in his allegiance after long and minutely careful research than he was when the Maid first shone upon him as a figure of pure romance may reassure those who nowadays open new biographies of historic characters with an uncomfortable fear of finding that in the modern determination certainly good in itself-to tell the whole truth at any cost both the feeble virtues of cherished villains and the faults and weaknesses of beloved heroes and heroines have been stressed or exaggerated that the original saint or sinner is hardly to be recognized. Warmly human, mystic though she was, and only the more lovable for the imperfections it requires an effort to call faults, the character of Joan emerges triumphant from all tests. That it does so is no news to students; but it is good to have it shown once more and so admirably in a book which may and ought to reach many hundred readers, old and young, studious and otherwise. Especially satisfying is Mr. Paine's use of the mass of material concerning Joan's examinations and trial. Eliminating prolixity, obscurity, repetition, and trivialities, retaining in full Joan's marvelous defense, everything important spoken by her accusers, questioners, and judges, and impressive in the setting of the scene, he has enabled his readers to feel almost personally present at this great trial than which, outside the Bible, there is perhaps none more moving and memorable in recorded history. In the course of his biography Mr. Paine has included every known utterance of Joan of Arc and all the testimony of importance concerning her. This is excellently arranged and proportioned, and merges naturally into a flowing narrative. The book is the result of a four years' labor of love; the author visited every place Joan is known to have visited, and the illustrations comprise many views of towns, castles, and ancient ruins associated with her presence. All are interesting, but it may be ques tioned if it would not have been better to reduce their number and avoid the frequent inartistic crowding of several pictures upon one page. The chapters, too, which describe such localities and landmarks as may still be identified, though brief, could well have been spared by the general reader, and the space gained devoted to a fuller portraiture of some of Joan's contemporaries and associates only lightly sketched. But these are not great matters. The thing which Mr. Paine set out to do he has clearly achieved: he has written a true, excellent, and absorbing biography of Joan of Arc, Maid of France. KATE DOUGLAS Biography WIGGIN AS HER SISTER KNEW HER. By Nora Archibald Smith. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. $4. Kate Douglas Wiggin-Mrs. Riggswas one of those writers whose literary work is permeated and reinforced by their personality. Not only were her books enormously popular, and some of them promise to retain their popularity for many years to come, but their readers felt instinctively assured that they knew the kind of person the author must be. Smiling or teary or tender or mocking, they felt her always present along with her Carol or Timothy or Penelope or Rebecca, and at the close of the tale. seemed to know the creator scarcely less well than her creations. By scores and hundreds they wrote to tell her so; to thank her, to beg photographs, autographs, any slightest personal response; to tell her of babies named for her or one of her characters; to ask for counsel or assistance in their own problems and difficulties. It was a sound instinct, too, for her eager and friendly spirit readily responded to any sincere appeal not too unreasonable. She frankly enjoyed-as it was right and natural she shouldboth her literary success (she never had a manuscript rejected nor a published one fall flat) and this immense resultant popularity, of so warm and human and exhilarating a kind. "My Garden of Memories," her autobiography, still recent, related in full and interesting detail the story of her fortunate and useful career from her days of kindergarten teaching in California to those of her most brilliant literary and personal triumphs. Borne as she was from first to last on a never-receding wave of success, it has been unavoidable that her position in literature should assume a contemporary importance which, despite the true excellence of her best achievement, time and soberer judgment are scarcely likely to ratify. Wisely and modestly, Nora Archibald Smith, in ABINGDON Widening Horizons THE great multitude of zealous men and women who are ever seeking to widen their horizons and keep abreast of the development of religious thought will find a wealth of material in the new books offered by The Abingdon Press. These books contain the best thought of the outstanding religious writers and thinkers of today and contribute largely to the individual's store of knowledge and power to do good. THE ETHICAL TEACHING OF By Ernest W. Burch Throughout the volume "Jesus is thought of primarily as the Teacher of man certain Jewish men whom he trained and sent out to carry His ringing message to others." Net, $1.25; by mail, $1.35. ADVERTISING THE CHURCH Suggestions by Church Advertisers Compiled and arranged by Francis H. Case The materials contained in this volume are based upon addresses and papers delivered at recent conventions of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World. Illustrated. Net, $1.25, postpaid. The volume is designed to meet the needs of the senior high school group. It is packed with accurate information, and is entirely free from denominational bias. Net, $1.40; by mail, $1.50. In writing to the above advertisers, please mention The Outlook her volume of reminiscences, "Kate Douglas Wiggin as Her Sister Knew Her," attempts neither a critical estimation, a literary appreciation, nor even a sequel to the autobiography, but merely to "fill in the chinks" that book had left unfilled. In doing so it must be admitted she has used some material too trivial to be worth while-especially the ephemeral verse but more which, while not important, will have real interest for hundreds of admirers of the merry, sympathetic, and large-hearted woman who created the gay Penelope and the captivating Rebecca. Travel and Description THE ROYAL ROAD TO ROMANCE. By Richard Halliburton. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis. $5. Ten years ago there was held in New York a Bad Taste Exhibition in which atrocities of taste in household decoration were displayed, to compete for prizes. Absolute eminence was seen to belong to a statue of the Venus of Melos in plaster; in the abdomen of the figure was placed a small clock! The frontispiece of this book recalls that prize winner. It is a photograph of the Taj Mahal somewhat dwarfed behind a portrait of the author of the book, engaged in looking especially self-assertive. The jacket describes him as a "gay young romanticist," "laughing, beating, and fighting his vagabond way" around the world. He never "reports" his adventures; he "sings" them; he never "travels," he "dances." In short, it is a book of travel by a freshman, whose impudence is not attractive, as he and the publishers seem to imagine. It simply makes the reader wish that some one had applied a paddle vigorously. MY LIFE AS AN EXPLORER. By Sven Hedin. Boni & Liveright, New York. $5. In a volume of over 500 pages, profusely illustrated by the author with drawings, pen-and-ink sketches, and aquarelles, the celebrated Swedish explorer gives an account of his adventures in remotest Asia. Bokhara, Turkestan, the plateau of the Himalayas, and ever mysterious Tibet were his huntingground of choice, his quest buried cities in the desert, the source of a great river system, and geographical knowledge of vast areas of unexplored territory. Although no archæologist, his desire to contribute to archæological and ethnological science induced him to spend much time in excavations and the gathering of data of inestimable value to Orientalists. Careful mapping of sites facilitated later scientific expeditions. One of the gallant company of pathfinders, Hedin deserves the title of the Frémont of Central Asia. Pursuing his Going to Travel? Then by all means refer to the travel section of Harper's Magazine-Every month you will find many alluring suggestions and vivid pictures of America and faraway places including the announcements of a large number of Tourist Agencies, Railroads, Steamship Lines, Resorts and Hotels. Sailing Dates in Every Issue For the convenience of our readers we will publish each HARPER'S MAGAZINE In writing to the above advertisers, please mention The Outlook search of the unknown, he risked death by avalanche, starvation, and the caprice of fanatical natives and robber bands. The narrative tends at times to prolixity, but one is rewarded by episodes of dramatic intensity, such as the description of crossing a desert, the camels and men dying of thirst, a tragic adventure recounted in the stark realistic vein natural to the writer. The book is intended for the general reader and contains a minimum of technical information. Fiction VOLONOR. By Glenn B. Winship. Thomas Seltzer, New York. $2. "Volonor" is a tale even more dizzy than is indicated by its yellow and purple paper jacket. It rises to thrilling heights of battle, murder, and sudden death, and drops sheerly to depths of abysmally dull intrigue, like nothing in the world so much as a scenic railway, and, like the scenic railway, the first height is the best one. John Wentworth is endowed with too many millions and that dreadful yearning to better humanity. The human race, headed by his own wife, is. as quick as ever to bite at the noble hand that wants to feed it. There is a map of the island of Volonor on the inside of the book jacket, and, if life there is all that the author claims, with free wine and women, doubtless the island is already too small to accommodate the crowds. Politics and Government THE RETURN OF THE KINGS. By X. 7. Dodd, Mead & Co., New York. $2.50. The publishers score heavily in the cover blurb by the announcement that "they are in a position to state that the writer is one whose name appears in the Almanach de Gotha." It might be predicted that sales of the book will go into the millions in this country, where the slightest scrap from the pen of a "nob" is featured and syndicated and greedily .devoured. Whether or no the publishers' statement is a "bam," the book is very amusing. The tale is told in the first person. The narrator (real or imaginary) describes his experiences as agent of the German Intelligence Service, which organization is shown to be again in full flourish with all the old gang back, and intriguing furiously for restoration of the deposed monarchs of Central Europe. To this end they are fomenting Bolshevism, hoping thus to create a "panic in the breasties" of the British, French, and Italian Governments, which shall impel them to reinstate the monarchies as the only trustworthy bulwarks against the Red Terror. Our agent is sent to sound out opinion in several countries, and in In writing to the above advertisers, please mention The Outlook TH On the Other Side HE cruise season is starting, with more varied tours offered than ever before. Without a doubt, there is one that will suit you to the least detail. The simplest way to find out about it is to write the Travel Bureau that you want to go to (insert the name of the place you want most to see, anywhere from New York to New Zealand). Tell about how long you can be away, how many people will go with you, what you can spend-and in return you will be given a wealth of valuable information, advice, and suggestions. At your service without charge HOTEL AND TRAVEL BUREAU particular to interview several aforetime "Elohims of the Earth" who are intriguing toward the same grand end as that of the Secret Service, but whose intrigues run thwart those of the Secret Service; in particular, the ex-Crown Princess of Prussia, the ex-Crown Princess of Bavaria, and the ex-Empress Zita. These estimable persons regard with horror the risk to civilization involved in the use of Bolshevism as bogy, and in sympathetic disgust our agent throws up his job and in this book exposes the foul conspiracy. Religion CREDO. By Stewart Edward White. Doubleday, Page & Co., New York. $2. "A stretching exercise" (mentally speaking) is one of the named objects of this book. The reviewer stretched himself mentally and metaphysically accordingly until he reached the demonstration that stones may have consciousness, and therefore (presumably) emotions and immortality. We agree with the author that "every man must at some time establish his own basic relations with the universe. He must ask himself what it means and he must make a serious effort to answer." Mr. White aids this effort with full scientific and philosophical equipment. Notes on New Books PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OR SOCIALISM. By Scoville Hamlin. Dorrance & Co., Philadelphia. $2. THE CHRIST OF THE INDIAN ROAD. By E. Stanley Jones. The Abingdon Press, New India's attitude toward Christianity. MY TOWER IN DESMOND. By S. R. Lysaght. The Macmillan Company, New York. $2.50. Life in Ireland together with experiences in war and rebellion. THE NEW PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. By Sydney T. Skidmore. Dorrance & Co., Philadelphia. $2. A modern adaptation of Bunyan's allegory. PROGRESS AND THE CONSTITUTION. By New- AN OLD-FASHIONED SENATOR. By Harris A short biography of John Sharp Williams, Senator from Mississippi, a man with both courage and humor. His speech in reply to Senator La Follette's pro-German arguments by itself entitles him to everlasting gratitude. PIONEER WOMEN. By Margaret E. Tabor. The Sheldon Press. About Elizabeth Fry, Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Mary Slessor. PROMETHEUS. By H. S. Jennings. E. P. Dutton & Co., New York. $1. Biology and the advancement of man. MODERN IMMIGRATION. By Annie Marion MacLean. The J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. One of the Lippincott sociological series. THE LOST GOSPEL. By Arthur Train. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. $1.50. An imaginary account of the discovery of a fifth Gospel. In writing to the above advertisers, please mention The Outlook |