Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-05-03

and that is high praise, for
these we would place at or near the head
of fhe list Of p'cnsni 10 fiction
Novels-hhi move are he Plea ar
books par excellancel To glids gently
along the stream of lively narration, 10
have the authors theories or observa-
lions conveyed by Illustration, as children
are taught BY objects In the Kindergarten,
this IL the very luxury Of pleasant read
ing. There was some reaaon In Gray's |
saying that his idea Of Paradise was 10 |
lie on a sofa and read novels. Not the |
mere novel per Sc, ofcourse; not the food
Of lndlscriminate fiction poured In still |
increasing VOLUME from pen and press
throughout the land, A novel must have
life, spirit and purpose, or II Is Of all dull |
aud weak thlngs the most yapid. But
looking around on the field Of really exc
celient Fiction il is rsplbarrds dss richssss
10 know where 10 begin mentioning In
stances OF pleasant books.
Dickens works must have place some
where in the van. The popular voice
will not fail to give that verdict and
one may ION 10 Il with hearty sincerity
even while asserting that the pathos Of
Dickens Ia apt 10 be 4 little maWkish,
his passion more than a little melpdra-
matte that bis moribnpd children, his
little Nell and LITTLE Paul are such up.
natural and morbid creations that ones
only comfort Is In seeing them killed oil
out Of the way at an early date. But
what breadth of humour, what boundless
foods Of fun and jollity has this author
not poured out for us especially 10 hts
earlier novels when youth and high
spiflls seemed 10 make bio blood bubble
in bis veins like champagne. y, philo-
sophie and brilliant Sam Weller q, side
splitting Weller the eldor, beguiliug US
with miith equal to that "lnnard laugh
which thou did Try to ''come" at such i'm
mlnent risk Of apoplexyl. o, Saipy Camp,
foe OF Betsey Prig and euogizer of Mrs.
Harrisl o, slim legged Sim, and virgin Miss
Miggs, and blooming Dolly Warden, Jolly
Dick Swiveler and faithful little Mar.
chlonees let the pleasure that efferyescts
at the very thoughts OF yoH and your
pompeers testify 70 your right 10 STAND
high In tho ranks Of pleasant reading,
Again In novels as in other literature,
Il seems that some Of the deepest aud
truest books must be excluded by that
limiting adjective pheasant" The
works OF 'beoraa Eliot, greatest Of mod.
ern novellsls though she Be, are too deep
ly busied with the problems Of the inner
life to minister often 10 what we call
pleasure they draw In light TOO oiten
The hidden evils of the human heart, con
fronting the startled reader with the sol.
emn warning "Thou art the man." They
hold up to view lofty aims and solemn
self renunciatian, and spiritual Joys,
/ which make us ashamed TO rest forever
contented with lhe mera pleasentness OF
| life. No, pase them BY. Not even the
I ..f NIFa pAuuur thu rRaHdlar
| tricks of Bob Jakins nor the lninitable
humor Of the discussions upon medical
matters In AlddIeIhaFeA can ssrye 10 re-
verse that dat,
Charlotte Broute, too, is too intense
and passionate TO suffer us to find rest
and recreation In her creations at least
this is true OF !"Jane Eyre" aud of evil
lelte," the lptter of which is one Of the
saddest of books, w spite If delightful
NJ. Paul Emmanuel. The wall Of pas
slonate heart, consuming In its own hire,
sounds through the eloquent words OF
that lonely, Inflated andImost gifted wo-
map, wearing out her weary life In the
desolate parsonage among the Yorkshire
hills and the reader Cannot get free
from the burden OF her bitterness.
| Thackeray has a bitter taste in his
worldly wisdom too but his tolerance and
easy.going,moTalltY qualify the haFshness
Of HIS structures on lite and society.
"Whlte lie not so white as you think, my
friends" he assures us "but then black
is not so very black, neither aud grey Is
= Rooa, sieaay, peutral tint, your only
wear, as this world Eoss.n ,ye may
question whether the philosophy ls sound,
but we cannot doubt that II Is amusing,
"Vanity Fair" may be excluded from
our list, but "Pendeppis and "The
Newcomes 2 must take high rank there.
RI But what Is selecter OF pleasant books
about vino delays thus long TO give a
place to Miss Austsnl Surely nothing 10
! the ranks now passing under review eau
c surpass, can fully equal, those inimitablC
dellneations, sartiric yet so kindly, SC
=, lively though never over-stepping Ia,
bounds OF nature, in which even dulluess
,, aud folly have power to eharm moi
often granted to wit and wisdom In othei
hands. "secret laughter tickles all III,
, soul at the thought Of delightful FOO.
70 whom Miss Austen has introduced us
9 her Mr. ColIing gpd Lady Catherine De
Burgh, and dear Mira, Elton, Elth hel
taste for exploring and "Reminiscences Of
/, the phaeton. landau.-Ye there are SON,
: drawbacks we grant that to invisible
q. directors all are by no means equally
= entertaining but let us have "Pridl
and Prejudice" and EmWg aat
/. Persuasion," at least, on the most cOu
!, modious shelves Of our pet collection
ready to the hand at any moment.
J, A place for Anthony Trollope, mos
thoroughly realistic of modern novelisla
i, Ia spi,e Of the prOsaic iOg-trot of his mar
!, ratiye and his Ihauy rspetilions, he Ia
&, written some eminently pleasant books
!. Moreover, the writer who has given u
=. such characters as Doctor Thorne en-
:, Iiss Duustable and Mrs. PrOudie ant
70 Parsol Cravley deyervsg q Aigher ranl
a at artist and creator than 10 always al
!. lowed him. The exceeding naturalues
Of the picture blindp US TO the difficult
Of so delineating such nature.
a Charles Reade's novels come In anon
T. these Auiei dlawing-roOm characters wit
n bounce, sputttrlug and whiszlng ike
bunch Of Networks, but as brilliant q
- as they. Softly, Mr.. Reade. Some q
= of your offspring will be cordially an
=" gracefully Welcomed among our pleasun
I. bcoka, but there are otRers upon whan
we muet perforce close the door. You
Terrible Temptations and prison-tOrtur
Z and mad-houAe iniquities can find no en-
n trance into ,he realm Of pleasantncss an
n peatc anu 1Oui NlhPlutVu'f 10 feall
~ too barren a simpcton In head and hear
4 10 be received along with such excellent,
q good Company ga witty Peg WodiAgtol
ia aud true hearted Chlisfie' Johnsl9ue an
faithful Lucy Fountain, aud ihiphlsib
:, delightful Julia Dodd.
70 cut short a catalogue which threat
ems TO swell beyond all reasonable limil
and which each one can SO readily supple
le ment, three works Of fiction may d
II named whose persual gives one reader, q
O. least, the most simple unalloyed pleasuI
u. Of all others;
ID Charlotte Bronte's Shirley" Charlie
"a beadei9 " Love me Little, Love M
Long" and " The initials Of Rarouei
of Tautphens.
IL More Indian Troubles.
y ! Fort Garry dispatch 10 the Toroni