The New York herald., 1871-03-12
LIT RAT U r & .
Criticisms ON New Books.

FIRST ROMANCE New York: sheldon d Co.
"What's in Z" asks fair, romantic, medieval
juliet. answering her conundrum In manner be-
coming blank verse. The juliet of today, unless
she allows herself that license which critics are
wont TO call "poelcal" will reply
What's in a nancy That which we call Mark Twain
sy 1sy aG 9shsr Tn,n name a oOnd soon be be Des. ,
10 Lo,s s,s al tina. dear perfection which he owe.
name Which a best psT. aY q ,hss SS%''
Take time to think.
Mark Twain is clever. No one with decent appre-
! citation OF humor can deny his undoubted ability In
broad burlesque; but Mark Twain is no more nor
nor less than human ana should remember what
GarricK said to Bannister when the latter threat
| ened to desert the tragic for the comic muse:-
''Comedy is serious thng.n Mark Twain was
born funny; but there are limitations to fun. The
first law OF numOr Is spontanety. The most impos-
sible OF impossDilites is to be always funny, and
the curse OF being a prOfessed humOrst
is the universal expectation, private as
well as public, that you shall at all
/ times give taste OF your quality The temptation
Is great Once prepared for laughter the dear pub
lie is easily tickled and, eager to momentary
popularity into tangible dollars and cents, publsh-
ers milk the popular cow until the humor becomes
not dry, but sterile. Love Of fame allied to love of
gain leads the author to his own destruction ana
some dark morning he wakes up to find his best
friend transformed into his worst enemy. The
gentle public declares in its most elegant
lar tnat The former deity is 'played outv and with
sneer turns to 'iresn fields and pastures new.n
| The life OF Mark Twain is in danger He never
| committed rasher action than when he undertook
to be regularly funny In The GALAXY. There is no
regularity In hum0r. she is coquette. She is as
1ttul as an April day. She is as obstinate as the
present occupant Of the White House, and as impos-
sible to drive as a dscontented donkey. She Will
nirt with you at odd moments and IN odd places,
bnt she never hearkens to call to ORDER She an
engaging acquaintance but a bad wife. Mark
Twain, as a star In The GALAXY, shone with less
briliancy than before mis- sporulve Pegasus became
dray horse. There were very perceptible signs or
exhaustion IN those monthly contributons-aye, in
spite OF that map Of PARIS, and in canceng the en-
gagement with Sheldon & 20. he has given evidence
OF wisdom tnat makes amends for previous indis-
! creten.
! Our first grievance therefore, is at an end Our
| second remains In full force. Taking advantage OF
| name, Sheldon Co. have published in book form
compositions SO slight IN form and trivial In mat
ter as to be fraud upon the understanding. Let US
hope that Mark Twain's First Romance will be
his last II the first be lair specimen OF future work.
1t is an "awful terriblen strain at buresque than
which nothing can be more pathetic. 1t is unwor.
thy OF "innOcents" either at home "abroad." The
puresque autobiography is better. It is good tdea
nurriedly and indiflerently executed. Unlike the
Twain family tree, y which had 'sbuJ one limb to it,
and that one stuck out at right angles - it will
not bear fruit winter and summer. Our
humorist does his best when he tells us OF Charles
Henry Twain, who converted sixteen thousand
South Sea islanders. and taught them that dog
tooth necklace and pair of spectacles was not
enough clothing to come to divine service In HIS
poor nock loved him very, very dearly; and when
his funeral was over they got up In body land
came out OF the restaurant with tears In their eyes,
and saying one to another that he was good,
tender missionary, and they wished they had some
more OF him. This ancestral missionary accom-.
plished as much good as the majority or mis-
sionaries sent out to "BorriODoolagahn at great
expense by jealous Christians naively ignorant OF
the fact that charity begins at home but methinks
we have read satire before ana in better English
Then Twain claims to be related to "George Francis
Train, Tom Pepper, Nebucnadnezzar and Balaam's
ASS. Members who chiefly differ from the
ancient stock In that In order to acquire the notO
rlety we have always yearned and hungered for,
they have got In low way OF going to Jail instead OF
getting hanged" II friend Mark does not mend his
ways we shall take him at his word and consider
his questionable relationship as no joke
For moral padding-a padding without rhyme or
reason, padding that might as well be inserted
between the leaves Of DR.. Hollands "Btter
Sweet'-we are introduced to feeble modern illus
tratIOns OF the "HOuse that Jack BuiltD Erie being
the "house," that immaculate gentleman james
Fisk Jr., the rat; Greeley the cat; Dana the dog;
&C., &c. What next? We shall have Messrs. Ap.
peton endeavoring to revive the sale OF Muhibach's
historical t0 romances by burlesque illustrations OF
the late European war; and Carleton educating peO.
pie IN the art Of conversation and habits OF good
society bv scenes public and private. in the life OF
The Grant family.
For this very thin brochure Of very thin humor the
cOnfunp nnhiic 10 nf fcova anfv -fva
cents We congratulate publishers and author
upon getting SO much out OF so little. With the con-
fding public we behold the reverse OF the medal
IT gets so little out OF so much What shall Mark
Tw ain do to be saved2 Turn his humor out grass.
Humor can net be made the business Of life. The
attempt must prove abortive. Great humorists are
known by tears as well as laughter, and II Mark
Twain can not be serious let him remain silent until
he has time to be really funny.
SIR HARRY HoTsPUR OF HUMBLETHwITE. BY
Ansnony y TrooPe TOLL pea author OF "orley Farm "he
ers. publishers, New York.
"Slr Harry Hotspur'' is interesting novel, yet
scarcely equal to several of the authors other works.
1t is, Of course, well written. Mr. Trollope always
writes IN good English and In good style. The story
has the merit OF being thoroughly natural. The
characters are not numerous, nor Is the plot par
tcularly strong yet 1t Is managed with skill which
prevents lts ueVelopments from being easily fore
seen The book contains some excellent irustra.
tions.
MINES AND MINING of the Rocky Mountains the In
land Basin and the Pacific Slope, Comprising Trea-
tises on Mining Law, Mineral Deposits, Machinery
and Metallurgical Processes. By Rossiter w. Ray
mOnd. Phi. D., United states Commission of Mining
Statistics, Editor OF Engineering and Mining Jour
nal" New York. &C., Assisted by Many Professional
Experts. New York: j. B. Ford Co., 1871.
This fine volume contains in marvellously con.
form n of forp, t;op
corning our American mining industry. its condi-
tion prospects, methods and appliances, than was
ever before collected In any single work.
AFTER DARK. novel. By Wilke Collins. T.
Il. Peterson Il Brothers: Philadelphia.
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