The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-04
N e w B 0 OK S.
Reviews OF ROmanteS--"A NOrSeman'S Pill.
grimage"-"llisc LOrrainsn--
"WyncOtt."
is POETRY "ExOTIC2"

Boyesen call him a foreigner he calls himself
an American and Is q naturalized citizen OF the
United States and one OF It's most enthusiastic ad-
mirers. You have only to read his books to ma
that out. Although = professor at Cornell Uni
VersIty ne ID no more than i've and twenty years
old. How he has managed TO become master OF
all the knowledge that he possesses In the short
time he mas lived is enough to puzzle philos-
Opner. He not only reads ana speaks ten or more
languages but he is perfectly familiar with their
literature. Take his English, for instance. Who
would imagine from reading mis- books In that
language that ne had not learned to lisp II at his
mothers knee one would naturally expect to
md the writings or 30 hne scholar filed with
erudition; instead OF that they are as simple as
the life OF which they tell. Mr. Boyesen has
one field entirely to himself, and that is the
romance and tragedy OF emigratlon-all
the peculiar changes OF life, the cul-
ture and association that come not only
Tor the peasant, but for the higher classes,
and the relations OF those who emiGrate to those
who remain behind. We lnd great deal of this
In his latest novel, "A Norseman's Pilgrimage"
lust published by Sheldon b 90. The tale reads
ike an autobiography and has undoubtedly
great deal OF fact mixed up with its fiction. IL is
the story OF young Norseman. Olaf arberg, who,
according 10 the desire OF his father, spent year
In America. His fatner's request, made known in
a letter received after his death, was In these
words 81 am convinced that America is the land
Of the future, and IN spite OF injustice abuse and
corruption, there is health ana strength enough
IN this nation to lift the whole world; mean TO
raise it to higher view OF ITSELF and OF the des-
tiny OF mankind. Therefore my last prayer to you
Is that you should, as soon as you nave 1nisned
-FOUR college course, embark for New York and
spend one year here, travelling about the country
and making yourself acquainted with It's people
and Its institutions. II at the end OF a
year you prefer to return TO Norway, you will at
least return wiser man than you lett II you de-
eide TO remain you Will also find work for you to
DO here. rely upon his guidance. Here on the
broad arena OF lie you are nearer to the worlds
great heart, and hear with Joy It's mighty pulsa-
lions, the horizon OF your mind widens the
grand possibilities of your nature develop faster
and you become larger ana a stronger man."
Acting upon this sound advice Olaf came to
America, thOugh against the wishes OF his grand
parents in Norway. Here he soon laid the foun-
aation OF literary career and Is In Germany on
his way TO visit his relatives in his quaint Morse
home when the story begins. In Leipsic he meets
beautiful and brilliant American girl, q pupil at
she Conservatoire, in whom he becomes deeply
interested. He Ii contin ually in her society ana
finds her very delightful subject for study. It.
does not take hin long, however. to ind out that
varberg, the author, in this unique creation. The
course OF their love lows smoothly along with
only q few rpples to give a sparkle to It's quiet
surface He takes her to his home in Norway
which he describes with such . delicious apprec-
alton OF its old fashioned romantctsm that we
begin to fear that ne may be won back after all
TO the land OF the vikings There Is really no plot
30 the story. You see In the beginning just how
II Is going 10 END, out that does not lessen your
interest one iots.
"You haven't mentioned the coveru says the
IounRer Indignantly 'it was designed by a
young lady and is WORK Of art 1t Is real
pleasure to nnd a cover that means something in
these days OF slop work and bad taste. Just look
al thls knott ed limb Of Norway pine with It's deli
cate needles and this scalop shell, symbolic OF
pilgrimage; they are beautiful
"ALICE LORRAINE
He must be very captiOus critic who can and
any fault with mir. r. D. Blackmore's novels.
Hardly had we read Lorna Doone" for the sec
ond time than he springs "Alice Lorraine"
(Harper Bros.l upon u.s. "Alice Lorrainen pos
sesses all the picturesque beauty and old fashioned
quslntness OF Lorna Doone." Mr.. Blackmore
does not write like any one else. He is altogether
original and thoroughly satisfying. His is new
neld. and he works IL ike an apprecative hus
oandman. When Mr.. Blackmors describes bit
OF country he takes the reader along with MIN.
You taste the strawberries and smell the fragrant
bayfeds. bis pen Is like the brush OF Jules Bre-
ton. You see the swaJing boughs and the
Ghadowy lanes that make up the background OF
liza stories, and his pleasant matdens have all the
warmth OF color, lacking some OF the brown, per-
baps OF the famous painter Can you not see this
little picture OF Mabel and Pnlis in the
OrchardS-"rAese Two went among the
cherry trees WITH fair knowledge what
n do oyfa fferhf
neads, brought Behind their ears ana tied under
the curves Of their single chns. because they
knew that the spurs and sprays would spoil theIr
lively Sunday hats, even II they should escape the
drip or cherry wounded by some fine thrush.
The olackbirds pop them Oh entirely, and so GO
the starngs, but the thrushes sit and peck az
them with the Juice dripping down on their dap
pied breasts and naVor In their throats which
they mean to slBg about at their leisure. But now
the birds that were come among them meant to
have them Wholesale Phyllis being a tribe taller
and less dsft OF nnger bent the shady branches
down for Mabel to pluck the fruit. Mabel knew
that she must take the northern side OF the tree,
of course, and the boughs when the hot sun had
not beaten through the leaves ana warmed the
fruit; also she knew that she must not touch the
fruit with her hand and dim the gloss, but above
all things TO be carefu-as OF the goose with the
golden eggs-to make no havoc OF che young buds
forming at the base OF every cluster for the prom
ise OF next years crop.r
at would have taken stouter hearts than Hilary
Lorraines or Gregory Lovejoy's TO have looked
unmoVed upon such picture" says the Longer,
from behind his mornings paper,
There is a crlspness about all Mr.. Backmore's
stories that proves them to be the work OF an en-
thusiast He has quiet ahumor, too, and says
very amusing things without the slightest smile
upon his face, that is. Without any palsver How
sensible IL was, yet hsw iunny IL must have
sounded, when the clergyman gave ont from mis-
pulpit that the heat Of the weather had not al
lowed him TO write new discourse that week:
bat as the same cause must nave made them for
getful OF what he had said last sunday twnen
many OF them seemed insttentivel he now pro-
posed, with the divine assistance, to read the
same sermon again 20 them. The way TO 40 Jus
tce TO Mr.. Blackmore Is TO reproduce some OF MS
pictures Here IS another particularly pretty