G. K. C. WARNED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 663, 13 November 1909, Page 9

G. K. C. WARNED.

■A-fewstupid,people rtiU affect .to ttink -Mr.. 6., ■■ fa bore. -Many >of us are growing a little weary of ;his refusal: to;aim at sobriety- Knd dulness, even/.while je cherish the gold that;he,'throws t ?j us .mftout .cessation: ;But only.a'fool'-would.dony.the golden--, nous ■■'■ ■•*>' : ihe .eaine time,' thei truest -lovers of V the Lonaon: - Vim.-.;- ; -TheMc£llowing:;::<Httracts ■ the- ■: , Timcß J s" , -.bnlliant::: review his;latest nwhen .the S ; .last; -Monday, h^i'eft'tqn'doh-piU ; find ■ an ; -echo;, in the i heart/ -::r;--ia vmerelyX,to leVe^inydoubtvwhich ,'is the;! more ; or'hi s estimate'.Of his;readcr i; : j So.far-,as,tiie latier :i9-f-conce"med,-'- Mr'.v' :Chestertqn , : assiires him that'not.only,':wpuldvit'.be,a vam l aspira-, tion On-his.-part :toVwrite>'an,..essay-.on.a/.bed-post 6r' ! he does not even 'knom'what' either'means.-: *■•'■.-,, _ ■". • . ■'. _ ■■■ "'Let .us'exercise the "eye'-pe:.adjures him); 'until'-it;learns to , see the.■startling facts that :rnn-a'crdss , vthe;lttndscai)o.as.:Flain-as..a,,painted : fenced'-Let ;be ; athletes^v Let ;us; : learn(,ft6 stray::cat ; ;-.or:ia' colonred- cfaiidis^l 'have: attempted :, some, such: 'thing .'in'- what-ioUows;\but; any l :ono;else; may ■ do it-better,Mf;ahy ; one-else wiilionly-try.. \- ..< "It: i^extremelyiidoubtfal'if ' any: one.yelse. ;eould db-lit>itettci;r ; andfwsincerely, :'hope' not: all 1 Jlr.S Chesterton's aadmirers ; yenture ; to. tryi'i%' ; - complete -circle; if, iktellectnal Blondins: and-'Snque>;aUis^"cq.uldvpnly-'- , fl6uTish' : in the '. intense' .Chea-, tertbn.-himself tcan than'av.pago' Dr .'being '.caught ■ napping-.orlvaßuely: hinting'-'at: a,'nightmare., At.his worst he. sacrifices Everything to a rather .fljmsy finish; and may occasionally tie soon flying-for.'- sanctuary : down , : a .blind alley ;'■' and: even at-ihisi.best-'he in danger of': enunciating: profound. truths r in , the' banner, of-V a'. platitudn : (turned; inside out). ffe thinks,- or', at-'.any , -rate^.ho.rwrites,' in...im-. pntsive■ gushes,' withpufc^apparently,'/valuing brie idea above/: another;' : and : - so '.'grows k;'enthiisiastib'.'Over:,the,'genuine:.revolation i , : that , proves us : : I duE;:pr.;-hideb , pund -.hypocrites, ■jr':. , snobs,' as?he 'is "over:"the''fjuip or ".fantasy : »r! : - verbal or -logical '■■ somersault ..thatjproves aim"little;:elso 'than : .an>.'oc«lar : -athlete.' iThe i-irholp.-.bobk./reads ,ljke /an; s astonishingly?'vivid . lid stimulatingV improvisation cut "arbitrarily, /into lengths.'lts. 'parts/": might be : ilmosl;) ! .indefiriitely'■ wi'ihout :detectip:n/;'''tiSiSstb' : have , w^ved,farewell;,to. a thought;on;one'/page. ,is 3 only -top '.Often ';a.; preliminary ' to'stumbling: bve't/its:/:battered:-.and:,breathless: remains on anojßer.;':-';It? ; ;humotir .carries'.the. author.',-so-far., as /to enable/him , , to "'recall the number, of ;'tho /Apostles'rjwith- a -parenthetical,- 'If, I remember .right.',-And. he can. solemnly 1 nar-rate-the fact that, on Shearing by, chance.that" the'trainVin ;.which /one- rainy-/twilight '■■ he was travelling 'up, to: town wasr burdened; also with a corpse he threw.vaway his/cigar. Something that ls'as old astrnah'land , ' , has/Wido''with , all; mourning andcceremonial-itold. :me,-;to..do.it.' / ■■:.' "Little,; ani-humour)" like.;:these. /were- endearing', trifles ' once , ; but" '.now; that ■Mr.Z'.ChestcrtqnVis.fa real'and,, .we ' hope,? , enduring 'power.•inSthe:' land such',amateurish- and-haphafcard'/work'as has gono, into the "making/of somelopf ; these", little essays' can li?'/ot;'small. servicevand-7detract a . goo"d deal from;their.enter,taininghes3j-No one, of course, will for a moment question what:Mr.-Chester-tori ihimsolf. so"-bitterly bril-' iian'ce; or attempt to.escape from the fascination of -his:. 'eftsoonsi't*and:'gllttering :eye.-: : It .'?.' the,.ti)tal,effect of his ./'trifles' -that is so 6ligh| and : traiisitory, far from being ,'trem'endous.' ,-. Individually their; kaleidoscopic fecunditj-, high"spirits, iand jovial egotismi are ;jften, as provocative ■■ as • tliey are' charming.' But after,, any 'sustained attention to his' talk -/or. viewed;/asiliterature,;these : ;essays have little , stylo,^-or. ■ proportion," /or-."atmosphere—'• :his repetitions,.contradictions,;arid"circumlbcu...tions.. become more-.evident ;than. :his ... : sound /»ihcerity,'and r excellent>spirit;-:and 'we -are in ,Uanger..of-heginning-to -.fancy,'at : - last .that .this captain of; : tho• soulvis garrulous■;■ only in /order;.; to, ■ distract'//the .questioning.- passenger from course; ; i iind the question .-.arises'as .-/to' whether, -after all/ the .Ocean !on which; hie vessel as, so gallantly "toss-' - ln .?,; s TT not somewhere'in that/'goldon,' : remoto .wild .-West;where,';the ; .seV%without;shore is,'> and sailing, towards.only. a mlifago of the Islands of.-the Blest.' , : :■:■,;:,. , '