The New York herald., 1873-12-22
AMERICAN SATIRE

long and industrious career evinced decided
partiality Tor the IDEAL To-day The annthesis Of
that opportunity presents ITSELF and In 1.-The Gilded
Age' OF Mr. samuel l.. Clemens (better Snown as
Mark Twain) and Mr.. Charles Dudley Warner, we
find story in which the real Is continually OBJ
truding Itself without any OF those airy touches
By which actuahties are invested with poetry. No
reviewer would be In the RIGHT who handled this
production in the same spirit In which ho would
handle story pure and simple. True, the guise
and the name OF tale are given to II. Upon
the title page the authors emphatcaly
announce 1t as - tale OF s0-day.n But it
Is so in none OF the senses in which the phrase
is appropriately employed. The literary career
OF Mr. Clemens and Mr.. warner creates the pre-
supposition OF their inability to compose . work
that shall contain those elements which go to the
making Of good story. Neither Of them has yet
given evidence that he could command an inter-
esting plot, the conduct OF which would develop
hfeliKe characters. Each Of them, however, has
expressed his talents in method eminenty
pleasing, and perhaps the hope would not have Deen
Wild that their united powers would produce
yeritaole novel, original in design, strong in exc
cufion and altogether entertaining In character.
1t would not have been unwise to expect some
thing OF unusual interest from two literary souls
with but single thought, two humoristic hearts
that beat as one.
We admit that something unusual has been pro-
understanding unusually clever too-only IL Is
not, strictly speaking, tale and We suspect that
the two writer's from whom it has emanated are
quite well aware OF the fact as we are and have
made use OF the term because 1t Is serviceabe and
taking. Not few Of US in this age like TO read
satres, so that they are not called by that name.
We prefer discovering The sneer for ourselves
"The Gided Age" is satire. The subject IL life
N he nj hra
life OF which the newspapers are the chronicle and
to which home hooks and pure affections present
so complete and touching contrast 'sThe Gilded
Ageu is crystalization OF Americanisms. The
title is happy one, insinuating, as IL does, the d
ference between that golden apocryphal time when
the world was divlney slow and ind0lently sensu-
and the present meretrici0us transition stage,
when it Is strainng forward from the credulities
and superstions OF the past TO tue scepticsms and
scientific certanries OF the future. The idea Of
writing satire upon such theme must often
have occurred to clever men. The theme was too
suggestive not to be obvious. Mr.. Clemens and Mr..
Warner have done well to enter into c0partner-
ship We shall not pretend to transact the delicate
task OF dividing what each has performed, but are
quite contented TO accept the closing assertion OF
the preface-that "there is scarcely chapter that
does not bear the marks or the two writer's OF the
book.n We know that Mr.. Clemens could furnish
not only great deal Of eccentric hum0r, but vivid,
picturesque and serious description, II occasion
arose. We know, to0 that Mr.. Warner could be
depended upon ior pathetic and poetical touches
as well as Tor quaint wit and sly insinuation The
temperaments oil the two writer's have admirably
blended in the composition There are no awk-
ward creaks and crevices Of style.
The book is divided into 63 chapters, and occu
pies nearly 600 pages OF little more than the aver
r1
is due entirely to the numerous clever hits on cer-
tain social phenomena In the United States. A
couple. Squire Hawkins and his wife, residing at
Obedstown, East Tennessee, ADOPT, at different
times, little boy and little girl, and educate
them as their own. The little girl Is named Laura
and the little boy is named Clay. In process OF
time, Laura, growing up to womanh0od, becomes
the wife OF Colonel Seiby who subsequently repn-
dates her, defes her to prove that she is legally
married to him, and confesses he Is welded al
ready. At that moment the devil enters into the
heart OF the woman. her nature becomes changed,
and she subsequently kills the wretch who
has thus deceived her. She is acquitted on the
ground Of lunacy, attempts public lecturng with
out success, and finally dies suddenly Of disease OF
the heart. OF course this career is devised merely
for the purpose OF strInging upon 1t number Of
incidents which serve to illustrate life '1n the
burlesque upon American institutions were they
not too serious and faithful record Of what daily
and hourly transpires. 'The Gilded Age'' is the
evaporation OF the newspapers. 1t is the absorp-
ton Of those crimes committed IN the United states
which 90 frequently 90 unpunished AND OF the
casualties which ought to be called crimes. Tne
burning and wreck Of the Boreas, described In
chapter fourth, are an unexaggerated Teproduc-
ton of what Is taking place around MS almost
every month. The description severely winds
up with the satlrical verdict mo one
to blame" The project OF Colonel Sellers
for raising mules for the Southern market 8 is q
satire upon the fraudulency and soap-bubble specu
laton Of capitalists The work is full Of hints and
descriptions that take their rise from the frauds
and outrages under which the country has gr0aned
Tor so many years. Family. social and national
questions are all cleveriy satirized, and Quaker
family residing IN Philadelphia Is judicousy tn
troduced for the sake OF heightening the contrast
The principal member OF this family OF Friends is
Ruth Bolton, who Is educating herself for the
medical profession, and pursues the study OF dis
section with as much enthusiasm as though it be.
longea 10 the gentlcr arts. The two classes OF
women represented BY the quiet and plodding
Ruth, with no ambition but that Of exceng In o
profession for which she believes herself suited,
and by Laura Hawkins, plunged amid the
bitter briIances q Warrington socIety and more
than suspected ci sharing X the gains and gores
OF loboysn,, have received telling Illustration. We
are not now praising the skill with which in
dviduaI character Is drawn, for little or no
attempt is made to draw individual character but
the smartness with which two very opposite
classes OF women are indicated. The authors
portray specles, not individuals. Balloon asccn-
sions and railroad accidents occur often enough
10 render IT impossible for the reader to for
get that the scene Is laid In the United States.
The monument erected 10 the memory Of the
Father OF his Country-a monument begun, but, OF
course. never comrieted-calls iorth some strokes
OF bitter but not unjust humor. The
means by which preierment Is obtained
In Washington are amply satIrized Among the
other excellent nits are the items among
the appropriation OF s2oo,0oo; the reason why