The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-06-14

an,,n,, by J; W. DsForest author Of European Ic
| Co., Charleston. " 01"'o'
FROM tho title it will DO inferred that this is ono
tho war novels which for tho last two or tl,rot
years nave boon infostins tho book shops. Such
upon fohding, We found It TO bc; but ,yot not OF
tho.ordinary class heretofore printed in Hdrper'.
| weekly and Monthly Magazines. Mr. DEFonEsr'a
ID not stupid book. On the contrary It is mark.
cd with considerable ability. Tho plot Ia so very
simple that wo aro almost tompted to assert that
there is an ontro absence Of all plot It IL narra
tive, unbrokon almost from beginning to end, Of
| the adventures OF DR.. RAyESEL, q native Of South
carolina, but lonl; resident Of Now Orleans who.
III tho beginning o. tho war, acd to tho North bo-
| cause ho was an abolitionist aud Union man. His
daughter LILLE accompanied him. She is a se-
cessonst, socaliod but in faot cannot bo said TO
| have had any political principles, and but little
knowledge OF tho questions ut issue. sho Is gov
| orned by impulse, aud easily led by those around
her; and could have been converted TO Buddhism
or Islam perhaps quito easily aa to loyalty.
Tho oIics wont TO tho State OF Baratria, and ro-
sided ut Now Boston, the seat OF Winslow Uni
rcrsity Connecticut, Now Havon and Yale, will
bo readily recognized by tho render through thiH
thln disguise. Thoro tho RAyEaELs became
acquainted with two young men, Capt CARTER
T. Oo-SeA$N'ANs
good old family, graduate Of West Point, and
what DIR. RAyEsEL with holy horror ionomiuntcs
n MAN about town." meaning drinking, swearing,
gambling, not paying his tailor's bills, &C. hIr.
CoLDuRNE ia a model Of q Now Englandor Of tho
better class-we beg pardon-we scarcely know
now TO express ourselves in Wow OF tho intense
doctrines of equality porvnding t1at latitude
where evcry man is as good as ovory othor mnn, il
not better. Howoyor, CoLBUnEE was an oxcolIont
young man he is the truo hero Of tho story tho
pinlS OF perfection; model for oil striving and
aspiring youths; very much Of n milksop, however,
and right glad to be rewarded at lnst oven with a
secondhand wife. Both young mon wero in loyc
with Miss RAvENEI at tho samo timo sho chose
CARTER, tho gay and daahing Virginia,
West Point Colonel, who fought on. tho
loyal side, because; it is alleged he doomed
it TO his interest go to do. Tho Colonel mado
pasaable husband; for although no would some
times. got worry. drunk, our author mover charges
him with going to bod In his boots. But like
ULYSSES, ho went TO sea in q ship, and, like that
willy King OF Ithaca, he was onsnarcd by nnothor
Calypso, in tho charming form. OF Mrs. LARuE, o
most fascinating Now Orleans French Croole, tho
couhln Of Lille, and-PEHE1oPR was forgotten.
After their return to Louisiana from Washington,
whore ILLNESSES has boon seeking brigadlership,
but finding il not,' ono OF OALypso's loiters was
found by PENELorEs father and ultimately foil into
thohands OF tho virtuous neglected wifo herself.
Fnintng, indignation, &c.. separation, return to
Ncw Boston. .ULYssRs is conveniently killed in y
batto soon after; and then comes once moro on
thcI stage, our spoon9y :Baratrarian hero, Col
nu1iNE, behaving oil through in tho most ridicu-
lonSly absurd manner, and on tho lRst page OF tho
book marries tho converted" lady.
! sp much for tho plot and for the story. Now as
TO tho motive and tho execution. Although our
author makos large parade Of godliness, there is
total abscnco OF charity all through his volume.
Hia pen is dipped in venom, and il bad blood can
DO stirred up by q novel, he. may fairly lay
claim to tho honor Of having dono his best
20 bring about SUCH d result: Uiscle+ 1b,n,s
Cabin, in its day, was considered gross
libel upon the Bouth, but in this respect it.;
foil for short >the work before us. Mrs 8rowE's
novel Is work OF art, and with oil its bitterness.
prosonts hore and here many aredeomihg feature
of Southern life and character; while hero no have
more party pamphlet, writton in tho usual style
and violent inyectiye Of partizan literature. Tho
book, in ,fsct, Judged by tho seyerer cano,s OF
criticism cannot be considered work Of art at ALL
Art is prostituted when tits attempted TO press
herinto service Ms party hack. cotcmporary,
summing up a"notico'. OF this novel. remarks
eve will not do tho author OF this book tho inus-
siSS
to publish it at his own expense. We Infer thoro-
fore that it has been brought out under tho
auspices OF ono Of those enlightened and philnn-
thropical Tract Societies which abound in tho
NORTH" ....t,r -u
Dr. RAvENEL is made the mouthpiece Of oil tho
vitpperation against the South; anil had tho au-
thor really known what he was writing about, no
could not haye conceived snch % charactdr. In
fact, TO oil intents and purposes, This model loyal
ist exile ia ncther more nor less than cynical old
fool. We are criticised in our manners, our NOR
ais our language, in fact contrasted in everything
with New England, and such contrast, OF course,
always results, to our disadvantage. The author
himself is, however, not entirely faultess In tasto;
fat from it; deicacy is not one Of his weaknessos
TGko, for instance, the following sentences: "Tho
young lady listened to- tho Doctors story of his
self-imposed oxilo, and to his sarcasms upon the
people Of hor native city with certain pretty little
arts;and snifs Of disapprobation, which REMIND.
cd CoLBunNE OF the counterfeit spittings OF kit!
ton playing anger" DR.. RAvENEL constantly
speaks Of Louisiana Ashanteo, and styles thoir
language Ashantee Englsh.s Mr. DEFoREsr is
either physician or o professor, or both. 10
makes frequent use OF technical terms Of medi-
cino chemistry, etc., and tho ontiro book ie inter-
larded. with college campus and army phrases. An
old Indy is thus drawn; '"Thin-Ipped, hollow
checked, nnrrow-chested, with only one lung, aud
an intermittent digestion, &C." stEyen her smilo
was woful phenomenon, It seemed to bo rather q
symptom OF pain than an expression Of pleasure; it
was kind OF gripping Bmile like that Of IN Infant
with the collie" This lack Of good taste peryades
tho ontro volume. 30 on tho next page We have
this questionable metaphor: "He' could no more
talk nnd be morry than could that hormAphI odito
| soul, whose lean body and cadayerous countenance
fronted him on tho opposite side Of the table,"
IL the book IL o temperance tract, wo can UNDER
stand why SO much pains ia takon to describe
drunken orgies in all their disgusting details.
Dozons Of times all through tho novel, the author
onlargos upon this his fayorite theme. Ho tolls
| uB how many drinks OARrRB or YoN ZANDr took
from morning till night, and what those drinks
wero ; also, not unfroquonty, what they cost, or,
il stolen which rebels clnret or Otard IL was.
Ihen We have pre-RArHAEIITE description Of the
conversation, looks, &C., &o., Of thoao drunken
sots. All worry edifying, certainly in ono Of Mr.
douoHs temperance lectures, but altogether use
less and out Of taste in work OF art like tho one
under consideration. Then, ws arc told DR..
RAvENEL did not fancy the bacohsnann Now
Orleans typo uf gontilty, having observed that it
frequently brought ITSELF and It's wife and children
to grief"
Only being acquainted with "Ashantoe" Eng
lish, we nro frequently at Ipss to understand tho
Or,tnN sNtub IL. -