New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-04-01


TO good society We are bound 70 say
that there is not much sin in the BOOK
except lies Nevertheless the flavor ~ hgn'
and The incidents come quite near enough the o'h-
eerous line Esther Craven, living III an opsc"io
village in Wales becomes engaged TO ROBERT bran-
don n long ungainly army captain, WIN "a ra'hei
tiresome mother and two purtanlcal maiden ss'eIs'
We cannot understand the engagement-ior hs'hei
does not return Roberts love-uness on the suPpo-
s;,ion tbat she said yesn to get rid of bim-dnner
being ready and the mutton growing cold. she goes
away ON a visit TO an English country house, and
there Of course she falls i'll love with the son of the
family. ST. John Gerard. She becomes engaged
to him too. She says nothing to Brandon,
and when st. John questions her about
that estimable warrior, she lies. st. John finds 1t
out and dscards her in a scene of unparalleled bru-
tality. Is his conduct such as the new school OF
women like The girl grovels in the dust at his
feet. begs TO he taken back" implores word Of
forgiveness before they part forever: he answers
with taunts, rawlings. outbursts of balf-smothered
love, and finally with cold insult She makes a
full confession to Brandon who. nevertheless treats
her with heroic generosity and at last goes away TO
die in the West Indies while Esther, left destitute
by the death of her brother, becomes a companion"
and reader in the family of an old English squire.
Here she once more meets Gerard, now affianced to
the niece of her employer. This is Constance Bles-
sngton a cold beauty, who has been trying to eaten
St. John nearly all her life. Esther falls sick and is
expected to die. When she believes her last hour TO
be near she asks st. John 10 come and kiss her.
After that she gets well and marries him. There is
not really estimabe character in the book except
poor Brandon. Esther's one charm is her physical
beauty; but that is quite enough to inspire the brute
passion which in novels of this low class is dlgnl-
fed by the name of love. st. John Gerard has
no redeeming qualities at all. lie is dissipated,
rude cynical untilial, incapable of tender emotion
or generous sentiment. He does no good thing he
dreams of no useful work. he is simply specimen oil
the utterly improbable fruit of an idle aStocracy
Constance Blessington has but two thoughts III the
world TO he well dressed and 20 marry the heir OF
the Gerards Considering the care and GOODNESS
with which for years she had planned this latter
achievement, the aacrity with which in moment
of jealousy she discharges St. John is pre-
posterous. Miss Blessington's principal bust
ness in the story is to surprise Gerard and
Esther in scandalOus situations. Once she catches
them together in the library at two o'clock in the
morning; again she finds them in the middle Of the
night (innOcenty of course, in Esthers bedroom
They are forever getting into queer positions and
doing equiyocal things, and after a while we learn
to listen for the rustic of Miss BlessngtOns dress at
the critical moment with as much confidence as we
listen for thunder after a fash of lightning. There
Is perhaps not quite much handling and kissing
as in the work noticed above, but what there is is
strong,
"Pnck" the latest production Of the salacIous
writer who is known by the pseudonym of "Ouida,'
is incomparably the worst of the three novels we
have before MS, and we shall waste but little time
d. - Ioy bo
hands of many owners, principally women of bad
character and fast men about town. In the
company Of this quadruped are are intro
duced TO the gTeen-room of theater where
hourishes the bare buTlesque, TO the suppers OF
courtesans the chambers Of gay bachelors,
and the vulgar splendors of women like Cora Pearl
The whole story, except few dull chapters passes
in an atmosphere reeking with the worst forms oil
corruption and can no more imagine person OF
refinement reading such things with pleasure than
| taking pleasure in seeing and making part OF them
How then shall we account for Ouidas popularity
Well there people who love TO read of the sins
| they have yet little too much conscience TO COM
nit; there are people who moved by curiosity to
look at a book which is understood to make free
with well known characters in London, family
Disgusting them with fictitious names; and
there are people who relish daring language
from a woman which they would not tolerate from a
man. Just because it is contrary 10 all our instincts
OF right that women should be familiar with those
particular forms of improperly. We suppose there
are women who take a fierce pleasure III writing
favorous stories just as there are actresses whose
highest dramatic ambition Is to wear trunk hose or
carry a cane and cigar As a rule, the women who
ape masculine vulgarity the stage do il very ILL.,
showing only a yulgarity Of their own which is far
more nauseous As rule we nray also say that the
women who attempt similar indecency IN books
succeed no better. We can certainly say of Ouda"
that she has not represented the manners and habits
of any class of men known to the world. We
presume she has failed quite as signally with her
women: but of the class of women with whom she
has to do We confess that we are not qualified TO
sneak