New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-12-24
following paragraphs show the mssterly sense
and insight with which the subject is haud ed

and insight with which the subject is habd ed
In The deneatiou ~ ch lraoter Cooper may claim
great, but not unqualified praise. Til IL cue
-tatcnent and 20 draw sharp or line # d~'ruiur-
uon, we should say that he is generally succes-fni
sometimes admiralty so--in drawing lers0nages m
whom strong primitive tIaiis have moi been e!acrdby
the atiriliOus Cf artificial li- and generally uusac-
cesful when he deals with those in whom O orlg-
insl characteristics are LEES marked, or who uaye
been sm0Oihod By education ard p"ilshed by socleiy
IL Is but putting this criticism IN onOfher fora % say
tuat bis bee. characters resons of humble socii
position. lie weid- bis bIrPl with vigorous hand
hut he brush Itself Lac not fine point. OF all lbr
children oi lis brain, Navy Buuppo The most uni
vertal ayout.-and herein The popular judgment u
assIiedy right. He Is IN original oopct pioL-and
uOt more happily conceived thar skiiuly executed
IL hazardous undertaking to present tie char
backwards, ana let the closing scenes OF
lis lite irrt like hebrew Bible, Oh witch TIE be-
i, ming at the enn; bat the authors geuios has
rIum he'd over tue IeIIs Of The task, and given ~
dei'e cation CONSISTENT and synmrtrc i las 1t j.
striking and yigoF0us Ignorant Of books, ample and
creduOus, guiioles lnslf and eGsl ecIny no evii I"
oiheir with moderate intellectual pJwefs, lie c )il-
malts our admiration ana re-leU ~ bis coinage,
is I've OF nature, his sai in woodlnf lore, bic uu'
rrrEg mOrnl sense, his stroog affections, ana iie
SeIhs Of poetry that run through hi rugged La'ure
Ike sean OF gold IN quartz. Long Tom Collin may
he d.t,riteI ns IcGtirfsOt hing suffered tr-,haule
with barpOon instead OF "a ME, and pra-Iackct
'ntehd of huujiug.sirt. In both the same piini-
i've elements may bc discerrei the zane limited la
elirciuHl range, combined with pr orflonhl or tech.
uicai Kill; tie same generous nitcIo and uneff-
lug moral instincts; tue rtme ret ioua feeling, shiuB
he form al uAeo Of igts.sm OrfuIcrsuilvh, iotb
Toms love Of the fea IL like Lelh.frio, hinge love
az the woods; the formers dislike Of The ud - Ike
he latter oiske Oi the clcIrnlr. Cooper iim-ti,
q, we tuid by h daughter, ~Hr les raufhc1, a.
i, last wears, vida Long Tom {, lir tlun moot ol
Of H.. tf.sr. M, "A
hat o. BoitrOpe tie better i,ce OF Workmanship.
~ 9 caulOl asscnt To this Ccn,ntalSe eshAtiui but
We admit Thai u lirOVe has not lad til Iuslcc dunt
70 tim IN popular Iudsweut. IL = ru- es1t ArItl
bntit j. extremely Wei done. lis deA'h l. uli Vi
maulN and -rIuue path0s; aud az his c"uvoiHA iJIn
with TIE chaF lia taego Is here ana ,Leie couch
4 true hauor which wo ytlUe tie noie htc.uso
huuor was itAuly net Oue ui u caution les. At
Antonio, the I'D fisherman, IN 80 The Bm'o, u
another very well drawn eiarlcier, IN Whl,h we
uaU trace something OF family Akluess o. 90,
hunter aUd slilJr above mentioned. 41c scrne ~
NLlCu be l. sltlVed " the Caunviiie mons, Ia Lh
boat, under the midui .ht moon ulou 10" sgD0iF -
one Oi the hnest VIZ klOw u m the whole raig e OF
ue literature Of lcuon, leaving u-Ou .nc uhDa q
lasting imp. ossion OF sOlutLu AID pttlcl- beauty
Ia The CLAnheaTer," TIE Yankee t4uaicI
!houriucacps, IL a ropulsNe hgore, but otawn
win IoWeIiul pencil Tie energy OF caari tsf
or ratEer of action which h tie rcsuil Of passion
ale 1--we OF money, is true To human nature. Ite
cIoaiuP sctles Of his rou IA AID l4we-s life m " l,E
biz lsteut affection for bis aitlfLl vile throws q
sunset CLEAN over biz baid and telh-n nature, snG
prevents II IRON being altogether hateful, are IL
pres,iyey told, and touched VIII genuine tragic
pOwee.
: On the other hand, Cooper generally fils wbsr
be undertake. 20 draw n cha actrr Vhi. frqullts
Tor H. sucCersigi execution nice Obtcryation ELo
delicate haad. His heroes and herOl.rs ne upt 10
allure tie Miyl.le which such Vestonages have en-
loved tine out OF mind, Of beng iu-ipd. Nor c..I
he catch led fvYgOcu.e the euy guce AID usrpn-
.eious dignity of higl-bred men and women. IN.
Gentlemen Whether oung or I'D, are app te be- SAL
prggish and common Aco and HE ihdle-, e.! ccluy
iis young ladirs are a. deficient ia inoI,l1auAty gel
the cures and aees oi d fashion prlDt ILeir ltr-
sonai md mental charms are sct form WITH al iA'
Of passport bat, hiier All, We.
cannot bat think that thete ine cTes'uier,
with hair, brow, eyer, AID lie Of tie
most orthodox and approved pattern, woulf
80 very iiitle toward hellIlg one through rtliy
day III country bouse. Judge Temple, Ia IT. e'
Piouee5s and Col Howard. Ia " Ire Pilot are
highly esiimAble and respectable gentlemen, bot, IN
looking round Tor the materials Of yi,asAnt GA
uer.paltv, We 40 not think they would ami very
tigh on tbe lst. They are fair specimens Of their
, lass--tbe educated gentleman ia Ge lining lie
nsny OF whom are found IA the sul segu-lt novel.
They are wanting in tho-e natural jiai Of nd
vdual ~ b. which, IN real life one human icing II
isliugusbed from another. they ale obnoxious To
bic one general criticism, tia. tie author u con-
stantly reminding us Of tie qualts Of mind AID
character on which he rests thcir claims 10 favor
without causing them 10 appear naturally and I'M
cons cously in TIE course Of the narrative Tie de-
feet we are adyerug TO may be illustrated by COM
caring such peTsOniRfs 81 thIs Cl's LB COOIer has
delineated with Col. Talbot in "Nayeiiey," Col. /
Maunering and Counselor Flsydel, IN "Guy Man /
u,ring." MonkbgrBs, in "lLe Antiquary, and old
Osbaldisione, in " Rob Roy" These are all old /
+ en- they are all Of education, aud in the
oial position Of pentemen but each ha8 cortsm
characteristics which lie Others have not; each has
the distinctive individual favor-IerceI tIDle, but
ind scrbable, like the SAVIOR Of "a fuit--wJlch D. /
wanting in Coolei's well-dressed AID well-bohsved
lay figures.
la Ito delinestion OF female oveliGess aud excel
lence Cooper is generally suppoeed 20 have iaed, ~
least comparatively so. Bat in his respect toll jus-
tce has hardly teen done hIm; ard tbs may be ex-
claimed by the fact that it from The hCfolue- u
his earlier novels that this uniayofable judgment
was drawn Certainly, such sticks OF baflcy-cardy
"a Frarces War on, Cecilia Howard, aud Ahce
5iuurO iu-iify the common impression Bat II wouio
be unsir 10 jndpe OF wtat be can 20 IN ms ce-
partment by his acknowledged failures as IT would
be To form an estmate oi the gent Of Michel Angelo
rom the ehsel-p Of the Virgin and Cbiid III
the Tribune at Florence. No man ever had luSer
appreciation of, and higher reverence Tor, TIE "ota
III woman than Cooper. Toward women his man
,ers were always marked by cbivhlrOus Difference,
blended "a 10 tho Of his own household with tie |
most afectioDate tenderness. His own nature was
robust sel-relsnt, and essentially masculine: SUCH
men always honor women, but they understand them
better as they grow older There is 30 much fouud-
,on for the saying that men are opt to love their
first wives best but TO treat their second wives best
Thus the reader who takes up his works in chrono
logical order will perceive that the LeIoines Of his
later novels bave more spirit AID character, are
drawn wi h more discriminating touch take ronger
hold upon the interest, than those OF bic earlier w
snla Malbone is "a finer gill tlan Cecilia Howard,
or even Elizabeth Temple. So when he bas
occasion ~ deliDeaie woman who, from her
80. z: nc. or tL. macmillan circumstances inf \ |