The New York herald., 1874-08-18


temperate aud strictly true. rhe author contends
that the exhibition OF wcKedness in high places is
fitting task Ior the novelist who purposes TO i'm
press upon the public mind q comprehension OF
grave social abuses, because 1t s in the exalted
spheres OF our social system that such things i'm
press, not In the ordinary nsilte He enforces his
view BY che example OF Swift, who laid the scene
of hts political satire In Lilput but that OF his
social nyective In Brobdingnag. because the social
vices OF greed, sefshness and uncleanness could
be made 30 much the more revolving by being per-
petrated by huge persons. The novel in its present
form is achieving a marked success; and people
are asking Tor 1.-The Member for Paris" which,
though its exceeding cIeverness and shrewd in
sight were discerned by the small number OF dis
eliminating readers among those who form a
novest's public, did not acquire popularity in the
Nbrary-demand and drawingroom-gossp sense;
but It Is bidding fair for 1t now, retrospectlvely
"Young Brown" Is the only remarkable novel OF
the day.
WEAK WORK By WOMEN.
Mrs. Ohphant mas written four within two years.
It Is not surprising that only two should nave
been worth reading. Her last, ''For Love and
Life," is weak and strained, quite wanting in the
quaint freshness Of her former style, and o mere
hash OF her former Incidents. Mrs. Craik, the
patentee Of goody fiction OF peculiar school
the school whose admirers verify believe that
John HALIFAX was gentleman ana "The Head Of
the Famiyn an estimable and agreeable person
age-has just produced work called my Mother
and l." which is perfect specimen OF the profit
and impunty attaching to certain orders OF hum
bug. In this it il the ptous, decorative order
which is In evidence. Between the harm which lively
pictures OF society which is out of their reach s
calculated to do novel reading young ladies Of
the middle classes and the harm which books
vtn
Of the first class, and its methods are inculcated
as high art, certain to do them, because self
consciousness Is perfectly within their compass
people who know anything OF human nature are
not likely to hesitate. The knowledge of human
nature is not, however, strong point with the
estlmable. but perhaps rather silly, possibly
tribe conceited, individuals who conduct the
goody branch OF the literature Of Good Words A
great many shams, literary anc social. want
squashng, but none is moro harmful than that
which represents the most natural ana simple feel
ings the easiest most every-da duties OF human
ity, in artnciaiiy heroic light; kind Of sham
OF which Mrs. Craik Is q habitual exhibitor. my
Mother and l" contrives, under a suave, quasi
poetic exterior. to convey as false an estimate OF
the relations OF mother and child from the
healthy and common sense point OF view as any
highly yspiced narrative OF the n0rdtre school, and
one which is OF course incidentally more danger.
Gus, because more attractive aud addressed to
larger and moro susceptible audience. who hold
the author TO be ct least semi-inspired.
1.-THE sINCEREsT FLArTERY."
In addition to this school OF pseudo piety,
pseudo poetry and pseudo romance. We are Of
nicted just now with another species OF the genus
imitator. 1t is the species which initiates George
Eliot. and which is. unhapply. increasing In num-
ber and boldness Mr. Hardy is the leader OF this
intrepid band. He has pushed his mimicry OF the
inimitable peasant-mind Of George EliOt's books
quite over the border between realism and carica-
ture, and done her positive philosophy, tempered
by the poetic vision into badness OF platltudl.
narianism which would be amusing If only it were
not so very wearisome. His serial novel, ''Far
from the Madding Crown" which Is now appear
ing IN the Cor,shtu Magazine, simply an imita-
ton OF George Eliot's harder and less sympathetic
method--the grain OF the material without the
genius which pollshes it into grace and lustreaud
the result is deplorabe for Mr. Hardy, because he
might do so much better than write these
si,.oerieS for his readers, for they hardly do
| worse than read them. But the latest
IMITATOR OF GRORGE ELIOT
| Is really funny. She ls Mrs. Campton Reade, and
she treats us to her version OF "Niddlemarch" me-
| taphysics, 'Romolan romance and Felix Holt phil
osophy and political economy in q novel entitled
| "Rose and Rue" tthough why called not Mrs
Nickleby herself could discovery, which Is truly
| delicious sample of pompous nonsense. We have
| q metaphysical dsquisitiOn between o farmers
daughter and Wesleyan parson, the incidents
| being supposed to take place In q Dorsetshire
| farmhouse upward Of fifty years ago, when the
science OF metaphysics was, as DR.. Jenkinson said
OF the world, 'fn its infancy" even in the schools
| and we have the advanced social theories OF the
| last decade freely advanced in an extraordinary
jargon and in sentences ranging between twenty
four and fortyseven lines each in district primi-
| tive to the point OF barbarism-ndeed, beyond it
| to the extent Of the cOmbin naton OF farmer
| and highwayman in the same individual. ''Rose'
| is presumably 1--WE don't get beyond presumption)
Miss Tryphena Fawke, the heroine who falls in
! love with the gentleman OF liberal VIEWS whom
her father has shot In the shoulder in his double
capacity OF agrlculturlst and highwayman Tho
Wesleyan parson Is one Acts Latchet, and a copy,
any ything but to the life, OF George Eliot's Dis
| senters, but with shameless mingling OF vice and
| profanity In him, which We prefer to regard as
perfectly original on the part OF the author 1t is
not surprising to observers Of current criticism
| and the gullibity of the reading public to end
that this daring ana glaring mIInicry Is achievn
o certain amount OF success. One "organ'' tells
the people who are making out their lists for
Mudie's that Mrs. Reade's novel Is sable and
vigorous" and that there is Ian attractive
noVclty III peiuS transported 70 Dofsetshlre
farmhouse fifty years ago." Anybody who knows
what q Dorsetshire farmhouse and It's habitual
pursuits and conversation are at present, will no
doubt be in better condition to appreciate this
novelty. Another ''organ," and this one played
on the northern side OF the Tweed recommends
"Rose and Rue" to ''readers who relish the minute
analysis and powerful delineation of the working
OF human passions and emotons," and declares
also that "its style Is singularly graceni and
eaSy,n tine truth being that its style is prepOSter
onsiy affected and quite outrageously INGRAM
matica
These instances OF current criticism are quoted
merely for the purpose of ammo uncing q nope
which has been inspired in the mind OF the dis
cerning portion Of the public who still cherish be-
estly desire its restoration to integrity Its
tenance IN respect by the appearance Of the new
WEEKLY JOURNAL,
called the World, which Is the leading literary
event OF the day. The World Is not newsp aper