The Valley of Vision
(Scribner's, 1919)
In certain writers-- not many, mind you-- a deal of honey may be found. It was once said by a learned critic that a literature of vicarious experience gives more insight into human nature than any amount of lectures. One learns more from Shakespeare than from Hume or Hegel. Even Gil Blas, despite his rampant cynicism, has something important to tell us, of more value than all the logicians and philosophists we've encountered. We suppose that this human experience forms the real essence of the honey we're talking about. Some writers, such as Harold MacGrath and Richard Harding Davis, require us to draw the honey out ourselves. In other words, the nourishment is there, but we must do a little work to get it. But in other writers, the honey is offered pure and refined from the comb. Henry Van Dyke is one of these.
To say that the following collection contains Van Dyke's best fiction would be a misstatement. I doubt anything in the volume surpasses tales such as "The First Christmas Tree" and "The Other Wise Man." What the book contains, however, are eighteen stories of a certain cultural significance-- most of them dealing with the First World War. Not all the tales in this collection are lengthy. Some are only a few pages in length. All, however, showcase the author's ability to weave the genuine stuff of real life into the fabric of twentieth century romance. The general theme is expressed in the preface. Van Dyke writes: "The mountain-top is the outlook over land and sea. But it is in the valley of suffering, endurance, and self-sacrifice that the deepest visions of the meaning of life come to us." Let us keep this in mind as we go along.
The first story, "A Remembered Dream" is just what its title suggests. It is an eerie vision which Van Dyke received, prophesying apparently the outbreak of WWI-- a time when, 'man and God would part.' This sets the tone for some of the stories that follow. "Antwerp Road" is a grim portrait of the Belgian evacuation. "A City of Refuge" takes place in a Belgian refugee camp, where a woman, after losing her children in the flight, finds them once more. "A Sanctuary of Trees" describes what happens when two German aristocrats are billeted in the chateau of Baron D'Azan of Belgium. Tragedy, destruction, and death ensue. Here a strong anti-Prussian sentiment becomes manifest.
"The King's Highway" treats with the departing Belgian king. He is not leaving in cowardice, but is planning to return to liberate his people. Following this are four of Van Dyke's 'Half told Tales.' "The Traitor in the House" illustrates what may happen when we let enemy sympathizers into our homes. "The Justice of the Elements" is a wonderful little peace, in which Kaiser Wilhelm II seeks a refuge after the war, but is rejected by the four elements. It is written in Biblical imagery, and places the Kaiser before the Great White Throne to await judgment. This reminds us of a fact that cannot now be found in history books-- namely, that many Americans, as well as Allies, considered the WWI the battle of Armageddon. To anyone acquainted with Biblical literature, Van Dyke's symbolism of the Kaiser as antichrist is not at all out of place.
"The Broken Soldier and the Maid of France" is one of the finest tales in the volume. It deals with a fleeing French soldier afflicted with shellshock, who finds courage once more after receiving a vision of Joan of Arc. "The Hearing Ear" takes place behind the trenches, involving a German plot to dig under ground to the Allied fortifications. "Sketches of Quebec" disarms the concerns of those who thought the French-Canadians a bunch of 'slackers.' Van Dyke, who lived among them for some time, describes them as fine-bred and heroic, but isolated from the world, and lied to by petty politicians and ignorant clergymen. "A Classic Instance" shows us what ensues when a classical education is despised. It results in a culture of brutal tastes and prideful inclinations similar to that of, well, the Prussians.
"The New Era and Carry On" is another tale in which a Biblical theme is handled. As most Americans considered WWI the "war to end all wars" -- Armageddon, in fact-- it was only reasonable that many would look to the aftermath of war as the 'new era' -- that is, the New Heavens and Earth. But, lest any should be called away from his duty into the realms of fairy-tale speculation, Van Dyke commends us back to reality. New era or not, we mustn't neglect our duty. "The Hero and His Tin Soldiers" shows readers how men must quit playing with human lives. A returned officer throws his child's tin-soldiers in the fire, saying "My son must learn that this is no longer possible." Once again, WWI was considered the end of all warfare.
"Salvage Point" and "The Boy of Nazareth Dreams" are non-WWI stories. The former takes place at a cottage by the sea in Maine, where its owners help restore an abandoned boat to its owner. "The Boy Of Nazareth" is Van Dyke's fictional commentary on Christ's boyhood, when he slipped away from his parents to dispute with the doctors and lawyers in the temple. It is a fine religious tale, equal in worth to "The Other Wise Men," "The Sad Shepherd," "The Lost Word," and other of Van Dyke's Biblical romances. All-in-all, the whole collection is well put together, and ends with a note of peace and good will to all.
The Scribner's edition of Valley of Vision is still easy to find, and shouldn't cost more than $15-$20 for a good copy. It is illustrated by several plates, some of which are quite unusual for their age-- leaning back toward the school of Gustave Dore. The collected edition of Van Dyke's works contains an additional illustration as frontispiece. This was the fourth collection of the author's short stories issued between 1900 and 1920. Of all his collections, I think this is my favorite-- although, once again, I do not feel that it contains Van Dyke's very best fiction. Notwithstanding, the reader is always the best judge. Ergo, get yourself a copy of Valley of Vision.
--B.A.S.
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