Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-02-11

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-s....9u ~ ~ ss.lEa elsleh. ~ qaHyll-'5s
Elsie Venner.
Wereceiyed n day or two ago from the
publishers, Messrs Ticknor and Fields,
Boston, Dr. Holmes romance, "Elsie Ven.
ner." This work appeared in chapters in
the 4aaHtIe Monthly under the head of
the Professors Story. Welcomed the work
to friend with request for an opinion
upon its merits, for publication. The fol-
lowing is tue opinion;
This work the Autoorat wrote after New
England had elected him her faTorite and
as the winner of the Derby he walks the
course unridden, to show the perfection of
has PAGES. You find no effort for success
in Elsie Yenner. The repose, insoneidnee
of one to whom footing, victory, and aud
dtence came long ago. 1t ought to,be,
therefore, a fair representative book of
the people who chose this man to be the
teller OF their story of life to the world
We give it especial notice because We think.
/ it is the most American romance Vet
offered as aniexpoueut of.our national life.
Not because it is as broad, or faithful n
picture ofour outside bearing or itiosyn-
cracIes as many others. Keenly obseryant
of language, foibles, traits as Holmes NAV
be, he never drew any character but his
owns 1t is the Autocrat's creed, doubts.
worldly brain, or feminine tempernmeut
that looks ut us ont of DR.. KittridSes ewes.
us well as Helen Darley' s or A bel Steb6ens.
as IN that series of Raphacl's cartoons
where tue same face peers at you from a
dozen disguises. You lay down the book
recognizing photographs of yous next door
neighbors peculiarities in Col. Sprowle or
Silas Peckham, but the only living person
you know, and carry away with YOU is DR.
Holmes. He is as narrow in his syn,pai
thies and wanting ia self-reticuce as wo-
man. After all, it is not from the introveFted
mind of Boston, we need look for our great
objective noyelist-yet to come, who will do
for us what Dickens has done for England.
IL Is In Huothet sense We called Elsie Ven
ner thoroughly indigenous romance
Cooper ond Irving sketched their country
men with English monochrome; English
phlegnl and taste. guided the crayons.-
Elsie Venner is a Yankee picture from con-
ceptton to varnish. The man that drew il
must bebornin America /; with his keen in
stincts, genial or cynical, that utter them
selves to the last syllable, headless of all
deeencies of custom his hnmour, his quick
tears, shallow research, his power, verse,
vim, the very spasmodic style. The very
good-breeding too consciously worn, all
belong to new people, yet flushed with
the success of being alive.
In even the choice of a theme, Holmes
has shown the American weakness Of ca
tering 10 the taste of the nine, instead of
the ouei sighting the every day tragedy
about him 10 manufacture moral mon
ster as his heroine, half serpent aud half
woman. How he has succeeded, we ad-
yiso our readers to judge for themselves.
Elsie Yenner, this Yankee Lamia, with her
feryid beauty and rattlesnake blood, her
pure Woman's love, struggling under the
death CT the lowest animal nature, lisa Gu
rious work of art, which nobody will for
get to criticize, from her cropping soul to
the mysterious mark about her neck
When DR.. Holmes skill in developing the
dual nature is satisfied, and poor Elsie has
leave TO lie down like any other tired girl,
hVg AeANAu AONGA OAASGf NV NGS W kuS=Guua
and turning her face 10 the wall, only asks
leave of the hard world TO .ttry to sleep
awhile" !" it ia something ono does not criti-
cize.
The book called ont structures from the
religions. press, because of the tangible
form DIR. Holmes gave in it TO his quarrel
with orthodoxy. We do not see why. II
Christianity is to oppose existing doubts,
the sooner they are made opposable, the
better. There is nothing in the "doetrine
of necessitiesn of blood or circumstance,
which is advanced here with force and sub
tility, that the religion of Christ does not
broadly underliei no facts advanced that
pure exposition of .Glirists teaching
would not league on his side. We confess
\ we like the book best'outside Of its dis.
cussions on Psychology or religion we re-
cognized Col. SproEle's party as some.
thing that might have happened in Wheel
ing, and thought We knew the stApo.linean
InStitootp once upon time. As for Helen
DArley or Lefty, they must be left TO Wo-
men to understand. No woman has dared
to write OF her own sex with as terribly
faithful psneilas this keen-sighted heart
anatOmist in Boston.
The Coming ColIaoae.,