The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-08-17
Literary Review.

1 LIE OfFEk LEN THOUSAND. by ". ASCOr Brl3tcQ.
| New York; Stringer s. Townsend. 1852.
| Mr.. c. Astor Bristed is a fortunate man. Born
to wealth, he endowed with rational tastes, and
was doing no violence to his natural disposition,
when. after successful collegiate career in this
country, he preferred spending four five years in
classic study, on the banks of the Cam, to sharing
the profigate dissipation, and disgraceful idleness
in which the early manhood of SO many of our pro-
missing youths is squandered. He made himself,
what it was his highest ambition to become, q
scholar; and is, besides, we believe, gentleman
To many enviabe titles to distinction, he is now
DESTROYS Of adding still more honorable one-that
of successful author. A dangerous experiment
''When you are wel, says the proverb, seek not to
better your condition, "else you may, hereafter
vet what you now despise." A man who writes
book, stakes his whole reputation on its success.
The stigma Of unsuccessful authorship follows man
through life
Mr.. Bristed has written two books. The first
was long, learned, prosy description of the five
years he spent at Cambridge, bristling with Greek,
and interlarded with all the slang terms of that fast
University. 1t gave minute descriptions of &C little
goes" and "great goes" and coaches" and
"trpoaes;" was adorned with biographies of Dons
and Proctors, whose names then first sounded out
side their hallsand interminable accounts Of sup.
pers with noblemen, authorisng the suspicion that
Mr. Bristed took short hand notes while his friends
"caroused rotations deep "-contained half play
Of Sophocles, hashed up in short bits-and aimed
at establishing one plain truth, viz: that he the
writer was no less superior to the majority Of his
rivals at the studies usually pursued at college, than
at riding vicious horse, or seeing the end of
hard night In fact, it was just such book as any
dull student might have written, before intercourse
with the world had rubbed off the dust of his class
room, and safe in asserting that outside the
college walls, it has not been read through by a
dozen persons.
The work before us is one of different cha
racter. Some time ago, Fra-e's Maga-inc was
in dropping condition. Maginn and Fraser were
dead; Carlyle was lazy, and moderately ''used up;'
Kingsley was resting his i'll gotten laurels, and
disseminating cheap irreligion among the lowe
classes Broderip was stingy of his amusing sketch
The editer began to tremble for his subscription
list Contributors must be had at any price yo
lunary manuscripts were no longer consigned to the
drawer, facetiously termed "the tomb because
papers buried therein, their resurrection to day.
light was only expected by men of strong faith
young engineer officers, and other army men of idle
lively tales expresses sent off to the seats of
learning, to beat up the least ponderous of the Fell
lows and Masters, and the most talented among the
under graduates Shortly afterwards, paper en-
titled 'sketches of American Society,"" appeared,
and was followed, in due course, by nine others.
They were much read in England, ard have been
republished, than once we believe, on this side
the Atlantic.
The unsophisticated reader cannot readily account
for this popularity. The work, as it lies before us,
is neither novel; sketch Of travel, nor in the
strict acceptation of the term essay on the man
ners and customs of American society. There is no
plot, no interest the style is excessively careless
slang terms and vulgar expressions Astounding in
every page. Thus, in the preface, Up 81 we have
ladies who "well up in dancing meaning, pro-
badly, ladies who are good dancers. little further
on, Up. 81 g 1t is nice position altogether, that
OF Henry Masters, by which extraordinary sentence
we are to understand that the social position of |
Henry Masters was enviable. Again, (p. 45) 'sYou
could not do much to Henry Masters for he is
got up to KILL which, after study, we have
interpreted to mean that no improvement could
be made in that gentlemans toilet. Further
on, Up. lT9) Masters appeared to have very |
little himself at that time,'' for Masters was be-
side himself; and other similar barbarisms, which |
we have not time or space to parcularize. In |
cheap novel, these things might be passed |
over without notice but in a work which |
has little to recommend it but its style, writ |
ten by man who writes and spouts Greek, we are
entitled to deman6 the pure Anglo. Saxon. To usa |
of Mr. Bristeds own elegant doms, lit is next
door to impossible to admit work couched ia |
such language to any higher station than the |
pantry.
Passons-Taking Mr.. Braisteds preface, and his
letter to Mr. N. F. Willis, true statements Of his
design, End be intended to sketch the customs Of
the Upper Ten thousand in New York We open tine |
lnO fuHfb a snta-a
acter, Mrs Masters, who is supposed TO occupy d |
high position in the best Gothamte society when IN
troduced 20 Mr. Ashbuyner, an Engshmaa, begin. |
ming ssto abuse England and the English to him. |
and to retail the old grievance Of her husband being
plundered by Eusien Lawless, and the ungeuteman-
ly behavior Of Lawless Pe,c that occasion, aud
the vclumnous correspondence that took place be.
tween him and Harry, which the Bivpder and Bus
ten afterwards published in full under the heading of
American Hospitality and English Reputation"
We can only say, that if this is Mr.. Bristeas idea OF
the behavior OF lady to her guest foreigner, our
conception of the term is widely different from bis
If this be true picture Of the refinement and polite
ness OF The ladies Of the Upper Ten VIC thank COD
we are none OF them. As we proceed tho characters
1.-THE unfortunate set, whose chronicler Mr. Brais-
ted has continued himself are admirably developed.
The men spend their day in driving fast horses and
drinking sherry cobblefs The iadies-the married
ladies, be it understood-in Irritation The nights
are spent by both sexes in danoing. Polkas and CO.
tillons, we gravey told are the most absorbing
| topics Of conversation and subjects Of thought
| among this class. talent for dancing ia q <rue
passport into society The dancing master being thus
stamped Us the ''mode man. minor pecuIiaTitiss.
such as tho independence Of the married ladies from
all marital straint, the utter reputation Of the
parental yoke by the young, and the cool indier
ence Of the injured husbands and desplsed fathers,
are mentioned by our author, rather as sma-
Bile eeeentricities, than as fragrant symptoms
Of corrupt state of morals. Marriages, says
Mr.. Bristed, are always made FOR money, in
our set, and he tacitly approves tho custom,
All married ladies, who can get lover OF two,
hirt openly with them, and no clothes tue hideous
vice IN most enchanting garb. Children treas
tier parents with cOntempt; and Mr. Bfsted, %
the mouth Of his hero, Mr Masters, deems y proof
u Independence and spirit 3he 1ecal0gue tbua
sumnery got rid Of, il matters lttlo what ru'o o
cSnducs ropiacss ~. DAnV4DK M>y W VA, Y 49,