New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-11
BOSTON.
LITERARY NOTES.

TIE CAHNIBAL THAT WANTED TO BE AN ANGEL
BOOK YOU BELIEVE IN SPITE OF YOURSELF
IrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIDUhbi
RosToN. Oct 6.-The editor of The Jersey city Her
adj and perhaps, the general public has discovered
that il is quite time something very spiteiu
should be said in this department. have wDet
ted nv knife and looked around for some
Phllistne, of whom i might make literary mincc-
meat but with lever $50 savageia disposition IL 10
impossible to abuse what is really excellent ~
il NV misfortune and not my fault that j. II. Osgood
a. Co. should, Just at this time, have sent me
" sontb-sea Idyls." by Charles Warren Stoddard-
hook as full of beauties as a tropc Summer is OF
flowers. II has two faults however, and hasten 10
find them. II somewhat surfeits you with its warm
waves and purple shores, and reefs baptized with
silver snrav and luscious bananas, and oranges that
"seemed to have absorbed the very dew of heaven
From too full feast you turn away IN ungratelul
discomfort The book was perhaps more eiiectl'e
printed in detached portions, in magazines, than ls
a whole-at least it should be read, not straghI
through as one can follow the ruggeder wanderlDgs
of Clarence King OF Tyndal, but at Intervals
The other fault is an awful infusion of the horrible
now and then-a passage more tragic than ldylnC'
90 for instance the story of the shipwreck OF the
Monette in the first chapter, or the account OF tle
voIuptuous dance of death of the lepers III their
la7arbouse I'm this last there is a certain ghasty
mower which tempts me to follow the authors evil
fashion of introducing the terrible, and quote 1t.
At an early hour the strange company assemOsH ~
wheezing OF voices no longer musical, the stunning W
haliparalyzed limbs over the bare MOOR the elabcny
droning of those bamboo flutes and the wa sea
Greeted them Ana while the flutes pped dolorousy 10
this unlovely spectacle, there was rnsnhg 10 anu V
Of unoyey figures a bleeding, hafblind eper selZins
another OF the accursed beings-sDaching her rs J,
were from the grave. in all her loathsome
NaturaiIv exctable heated with exerti0n, drunk WIN
the very odors Of death that peryaded the nan OF
that mad crowd reeed through the hours oi inc Iee
Satioted az last i'm the very bitterness OF their uI
natural Sayety thew called for the hula hula AS ht1lng
close In that reeking atmosphere, heavy WIN w
smoke Of haIfextineulshcd lamps, they fed on me
volupuous abandon Of the dancers till passion tsc
tainted with exhaustion
II seems NJ if the sternest theology had rarely
pictured a realm of wo more terrible than Molokai,
a seldomvisited island the abode of sad colony oil
lepers. Some strange and morbid curiosity, or was
if a better impulse of human pity drew Mr. Stod-
dard to visit il. The whole island is green, but
lonely AS you ride over its excellent turnpike
Won see the ruins of nation that is passing Ike
shadow ont of sight 1t is land Of great traditions
of magic. and witchcraft, and sprits-a fertile ana
fragrant solitude. Having ridden among this pa
thetic, decaying loneliness for many miles, MI
Stoddard came at length upon the brow OF a pIecl-
nice. 5000 feet high. Below was stretched broad
peninsula covered with grassy hills. Here and there
clusters of brown huts visible, and 10 the Ight
the white dots of houses toward which he was
hastening-the leper village.
To that spot were the wandering and afflicted tribes
hrought home Once descending the narrow stilS
'rihe their tents and resume their pilgrimage the
curse them, and necessity Dad haIiGHeu upmn
their sphere OF action to this conpass-a SOLITARY sOp.
between sea and land, with the invisible sentnes or
Fear aud Fate forever watching It's borders. -,
| seemed 10 be looking into hery furnace, wherein
walked the living bodies Of those whom Death had al
ready set his seal upon. What mOckery ~ seeneu 10 DC
climbing down that cragthrOugh wreaths OF VINE ana
under eafy cataracts breaking into foam Of blossoms,
thousand feet below me- swinging ASIDE me nansns
arasites that obstructed the narrow WayenterpR tue
Valley Of death, and the very NOUN OF NELL Dy 'uee
brisk ride Of couple Of miles the breadth O.
the peninsula 10 the gate OF the keeper Vi the
settlement, and there dsmOunted, ana fastened lhIQ
the 10 be rid of the curious crowd tnat haa gath
cred TO receive The little cottage was very comfort
able my host and hostess friends OF precious memory
and with them felt at once at home and began the new
life that every one begins wheh the eh eeea 10 nav
been suddenly transformed into some better or worse
world, and he alone survives the transformation.
Have Won had such an experience Ihen go lntO
the midst OF community OF lepers; have over before
your eyes their GOrgon-ke faces; zee the horrors,
hardly TO be recognized as human that grOpe ABOUT YOU
listen in vain for the voices that have been hushed for
ever by decay; breathe the tainted atmosphere ana
bear yer in mind that while they hover about you-ior-
hidden touch you, YET longing to clasp once more
hand that perfect and purethe usdious seeds OF the
heart even then be drunk with death!
Strangely enough this little world OF doomed spirits
did not seem unhappy. One could hear them singing
every evening-their souls singing while their BODIES
were rapidly falling TO dust They continued to play
their games, well as the loss Oh iger Joint or toe
from week TO week. would admit and thus gradually
and slowly they died, feeling their voices growing faint
er, and their strength less rs the idle days passed
over them, and swept them to the tomb
tits relief TO turn from these somber pages to
the tender story of Kana-ana. Kana-ana was a lit
tie savage of the South Seas and Mr. Stoddard fell
in love with him at lrst sight and allowed his tray
cling companion TO go on without him, that he
might lnger with his savage darling in the beautiful
island. Kana-ana's attire could have enhanced but
very slightly his native attractions-it n single
snow-white garment, rather short all round, low i'll
the neck and with no sleeves whatever-it was the
spontaneous offspring of scant material and large
necessity But his sleek figure supple and graceful
in repose, the embodiment of free, untrammeled
youth He weighed Mr.. Stoddard in his balance,
and then declared that they were mutually each
others best friends and must always live together
When once the DoctOr-the aforesaid travelling
companon-was gone, our voyageur began to realize
how strangely he was situated. Alone in "a wilder
ness among barbarians his bosom friend not able to
speak one word of English, and he HIMSELF very
shaky on few bad phrases of the savage tongue.
But in about three days he felt at home. Every
luxury of the table was heaped upon hm--he
rode, in canoes, up aud down the winding
streams; bathed in the and in the river at all
possible hours made expeditions into the recesses
of the mountains to the waterfalls that plunged into
cool basins of fern aud crosses and to the orange
grove through acres and OF guava orchards;
climbed precpices went goat-hunting-the delights
were many as the days were bright and long. He
found himself growing conented, and liking his
little heather only too well. What should he do.
when at last he was compelled TO return, ont of his
seclusion, and find soul faithful and loving III
all the earth besidei Day by day this thought grew
upon him, until be realized that he must take Il
speedy departure. unless he would altogether lapse
into savagery aud live on these forever the world
forgetting by the world forgot. So at last he ran.
IA oil ha, 10