New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-07-22

body of clever scrbbes who spin their two three
plots year. Some of her novels are very inferior
to others; Of them show traces of wesrness OF
wandering attention. Of careless choice of subject
but the manner, at the worst never sinks belowa
certain high level-the tradition Of good writing is
lost. In this bright, volumnous envelope, it
must be confessed that Madame Sand has sometimes
wrapped up rather flimsy kernel; some OF her
stories will not bear much thinking over. But
her great quality from the first was the
multiplicity of her interests and the ac
tiyiIy of her sympathies. She passed through
a succession of phases, faiths and doctrines
political, religious, moral, social, persoaal-and to
each she gave a voice which the conviction of the
moment made eloquent. She gave herself up to
each as if it were to he final and In every she
turned her steps behind her. Sainte-Beuve, who as
an artist relished her but senderly says somewhere
in alluslon to her, that "no one had ever played
more fairly and openly at the great game OF life"
Ii has been said witSlly, in reference 10 Buttons
well-known axiom that =" the style is the man"
(which by the way is msquotatiOn,l that OF DO ore
was this dictum ever so true as Of Madame Sand;
but incline TO believe, with the critic in whose
pages find this mot, that at bottom the man was
always Madame Sand herself. She accepted as
much of every influence as suited her, and when
she had written novel or two about it she ceased
to about it. This proves her, doubtless, to have
been decidedly superficial nOralist but 1t proves
her TO have been born romancer. 1t is by the
purely romantic side of her productions that she will
live. II is misfortune that she pretended 10 moral
ze to the extent that she did for abou moral matters
her head was not at all clear 1t had now and then
capa gimpses and inspirations, but her didacticsm
has always seemed to ne what an architectural
drawing would be, executed by person who should
turn up his nose at geometry. Madame SaDd
straight lines straight by happy chance-and
for people OF genius there many happy chances
She was without a sense OF certain dIferences-the
difference between the pure and the impure-the
things that are possible for people OF certain
dcl,cacy. and the things that are not. When she
struck the right notes. and long as she continued
10 strike Them the result charming but sudden
discord was always possible. Sometimes the right
note was admirably prolonged-as for instance in
her masterpiece Consueio." in which during three
loag volumes, if remember rightly, the charming
heroine adhcres strictly to the straight line. After
all Madame Sands q" tendency novels, as the Ger
mans call such works. constitute but the MINOR part
of her literary bequest as she advanced IN lie she
wrote her stories and more for the storys sake
and attempted to prove nothing moro alarming than
that human nature is the whole tolerably noble
and generous. After this pattern she produced
long list of masterpieces Her imagination seemed
gifted with perpetual youth; the freshness of her
invention was marvellous. Her novels have a great
many faults; they lack three or four qualities which
the realistic novel of the last thirty forty years
with its great successes has taught to consider
Indispensable. They are not exact nor probable
hev contain few living figures; they produce linz
tied amount of Illusion. Madame Sand created no
figures that haycpassed INTO common life and speech;
her people are usually only very picturesque very
yolube and very "high-toned' shadows. But the
shadows move 10 such persuasive music that we
watch them with interest. The art Of narration Is
ex;raordinarv This was Madame Sands great art.
The recital moves along with an eyenuess, ucldty
tone of seeing. feeling. knowing everything, ref
ercnce TO universal things, sentimental authority
which makes the reader care for the characters IN
spite Of his acredulity and feel anxious about the
story in spite Of his Impotence. lie feels that the
author holds in her hands stringed instrument
composed of the chords of the human soul.
Paris Is settling herself for her Summer sesa, and
all disturbing sounds are daily growing fainter
There is indeed a vague booming of cauno., actual
and prospective, beyond the Eastern horizon, and
her sleep may have troubled dreams The race for
the GIaad Prix came Oft some three weeks ago, and
the Grand Prx, l believe, is the nigh water
mark of Partisan animation. Since then the tide
hasrapidly cbbed. | have left myself 10 space to
speah-hOw profanely socyer-Of this equine
contest and have the opportunity to devote but a
few lines to the Review Of the 10Th of June. Wit
messed the latter ceremony from a TIckcty straw
bottomcd chair upon which ] stood for three or
four hours IN d very hot sun; but in spite of my
discomfort / thought the Review entertaining
which is speaking handsomely 1t was held On the
immense backgrounds at LongchamP, and con-
sisted Of a simple march past of the 10000
troops or so stationed in Paris or imIne-
diatcly near it. The day was charming.
and the crowd enormous, and Marshal MacMahOn
and his staff aud escort formed a very gttering
array. The little red legs seemed 10 me 10 march
very neatly, and the artillery 10 thunder by with
proper amount Of method in It's madness; the
dragons aud cuirassiers the Other hand did not
strike me as sitting their horses ike the young
Greeks on the friezes OF the Iarthenon. But the
whole show, believe was pronounced creditd3ic,
and ASA u no Oycr-scarchiug questions Of 1t, was
quite wiling 10 cXclaim. with the Grand Duchess OF
Gerois,ein--" Al, que Jaime les u'.taires'
HENEY JAMES, JR.
VICTOR HCGUS LATEST WORK.