New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-03


case familiarity has not bred contempt. They VINO
have appreciated them singly will appreciate them
the more TINS finely produced and Handsomely pouhu
together Mr.. Lewes has done his part with eXceehO
Judgment The explanatory text, never covering
than three pages, Oftener occupying one gives
the information required to interpret the drawing
and suggest the points of interest He at once avoids
criticism on the artist and deprecates 1t. we must
not look on these drawings" he says In an introduce
ton, as if the artist pretended to set before us
what we have seen or fancy we have seen In Goethe
but what he. Kaulbach. has seen. Sometimes we
shall find him giving distinctness to what was
blurred and shape to what before had no shape, in
our minds. Sometimes we shall find sympathy be-
tween his conception and our own. and recognize our
own thoughts In his translation. Sometimes we
shall find ourselves IN alien strangeness unable to see
with his eyes, unable to recognize own thoughts;
and then we must remember that the artist comes to
give his thoughts, not repeat our own In anoth-
place, commenting the first picture of Gretchen
entering the church, he writes, People Will feel
that this picture if it nadequatey represents their
idea of Gretchen, yet since it is what Kaulbach In
tended, it is all they have right to ask lie under
took to represent GOethes female types he dld not
undertake 10 illustrate Goethes poem. whether TINS
Gretchen is, is not adequate representation OF
heiridea of Gretchen they can decide for themselves
strikes u.s. is no less unfair to Kaubach than it is to
the critics. They surely have perfect right to say
whether the artists conception is or is not poetic,
whether it is or is not true to the authors con-
cepton as it is understood by his students. whether
| il is profound or superficial whether it is ar
| tifcial or sincere. More will be good judges
| of these points than of the wOrknans tech
| meal skill 1t is here we must confess, IL we
must find fault that Kaulbach fails TO satisfy rs.
! The freedom and ease and strength Of his drawing
are at once apparent he sfu of separate thoughts;
| he teens with ideas there is no monotOny OF same
ness in his groups on the contrary the variety oi
form, figure, association, is surprisingly rich; no
| symbolizes the smallest accessories of his canvas,
puts meaning into the animals, the furniture, the
action of the cats and the children, makes every
thing play its part in the general effect; but in the
tenderer poetic feeling he is deficient. He is mag
nificent, stately, gorgeous his lines have superb
| sweep; the air of "a great master breathes through
all his works; they are intellectual in the highest
degree they are learned they are imaginative but
they are not glowing or warm The sunshine lies on
them as it lies on the snow of the Alpine peaks
flashing aud brilliant but not burning soft. Raul
| bach's wit Is exuberant but where hufnor is de-
handed wit is not sufficient. And it is humor 1t is
the quality of sympathy of human tenderness that
we miss in these splendid drawings. We miss 1t
with the first Gretchen in Clerchen, in Mignon, IN
! Lotte and Lili but more than all i'll Eugene. For
good while in fact, we wholly misnteTpreted this
picture We supposed Eugene to be aproud, naughty.
self-willed beauty. of sharp tongue and hard
heart whom her nurse mother severely reprov-
ing; whereas she is sweet tender girl trimming
over with JOY in the anticipation of happiness, whom
the nurse. knowing her fate is plying. 1t seems TO
be a scene of quarrel; 1t is scene of love- trusting
on the one side. cempassOnating on the other. The
plates representing Hermann and DorOthea among
the most fecltous in the SERIES but here too the
timent that is so delicious in the pastoral is wanting
the situation is admirably given, but the feminine
type is not portrayed If Kaulbach's heart were as
large his intellect is penetrating and his soul Is
lofty ne would stand almost peerless among modern
men, As it is, we must make this abatement from
his claims TO entire admiration gladly conceding to
him so many others. and thankful for the apprecia
ton that so grand master is receiving in an age Of
sentimentalism and afectatiOn.
FAIR HARVARD: STORY OF AMERICAN LIFE. 12mo.
, Geo. p. Putnam Son.
Who has not listened with wonder in some peace
full home to the great deeds Of college life as mar
T rated by some freshman to his female cousins In
that highly concentrated narrative, the mythical adj
ventures of half a century, long transmitted from
class to class all condensed into one brief human
experience and worn as personal laurels by one
modest IMAM" lie it was, and else, who
stopped the key-hOle Of the lecture-room and
blew up the pump in the college yard His single
college term united all intellectual and athletic feats
tam MART guam M1curiO-and problems and police
men were ioOred with equal ease by this Guy Liv
ingstone of academic life. What this hero does in
conversation the author of Fair Harvard achieves
in literature. The book is the product of hours
wrested from severe professional labor" So was the
comedy of Mr. Trinet in "P Peg Wofinpton - and the
perpetual banqueting of the two works may help out
the parallel. Muse. sparkling wine massive plate,
rose-watcr in the hsnd-gasses soup, fish. Shall /
have three sorts of fishY will; they are cheap in
this market" Thus poor Triplet, in the ecstacy of
dramatic composition with his starving family
around him. And thus the Harvard hero while I'M
dergOing short commons aud supporting himself
and a friend on five hundred dollars a wear,
gives a cOnyivia breakfast with deviled kidneys,
chicken-pcs, Hamburger grapes. sherry-cobbers, zad
i two bottles of Bordeaux. And throughout the Whole
book we revel and punch and oysters tothat
tent that undoubtedly Lucy Triplet, she stand
ing by would exclam once more, That's beauti-
! full book mother Is it a cookery book ?" But what
avail food and wine. for the training of hero
Thus Wentworth Salisbury, when first scholar IN
his class still pants for nobler aurels. Therefore he
cuts the college bellTOpes by night; he runs over
the tops of university buildings. and from roof to
roof leaps the live freshman. Yet the book is not
without its mOralites. and IL has its saint Not of
course, chosen from the college faeulty, who here
appear only in their proper light mean intruders
and oppressors OF youth-but in the person of the
penniless chum, who pays his board by moral coun-
sci, and of course dies young TO him succeeds
more absorbing influence in the heroine. She was
seated with her face haf-turned from him. Her rich
| Sart boir haoly in bar