The Portland daily press., 1877-11-10

Wnlcn, IN It's large proportion or simple WORDS,
gives to the verse q native English quality
which is very satisfying. The speeches and
choric passages from Aischylos are rendered
with great musical beauty and an exceedingly
delicate sense of rythm and accent, together
with fervor and nobility which are the result
of poetic sympathy and entire ease in the task
undertaken. Mr.. Stedman is to be warmly con-
graduated upon the appearance of this,volume
ofpoems, which in elevation Of thought, techni-
cal beauty, and variety and scope well repre-
sent his generous ard many-sided poetic ma
ture.
Californian Pictures isthe title of the elegant
volume published as memorial of Mr. Bsnja-
min Psrke Avery. the late editor of the Over
land Monthly. The sketches which it contains
and some of which appeared in the Overland,
are designed to point out the attractions of
Californian scenery that less known than is,
for instance, the Yosemite Valley or the Giant
grove, are not less rich though less striking in
their type of beauty. Mr.. Avery's descriptions
evidence the eye of painter and the'pen of q
poet; indeed the verses of which he speaks SO
modestly have rare delicacy and beauty, and
serve also to point the fine quality of his prose
and his feeling for nature is genuine, following.
each detail and appreciating large effects with
fresh and unstnted enjoyment and understand
ing. The work is exceedingly practical, no
excess of poetical touch confuses the clear out
lines; and Mr.. Avery's style is bright and
wholly unaffected and rich in verbal grace.
The illustrations, after photographs, are by
Messrs. Thomas Moran, Keppes, Vanderhoof
and Gibson, and are of course excellent. This
is volume that, full of interest and informal
tion to the general reader and to the student of
landscape art, cannot fail to be a most gratify-
ing and satisfactory memorial of Mr. Avery to
his friends. New York: Hurd & Houghton;
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony
Caricaturs and Other Comic Art by James
Parton (New York; Harper Brothers; Port
and: Loring, Short & Harmony, is a very Curl
GUS and entertaining volume. 1t is history
of the art of caricature from its rude begin
nings in the ancient times Of Greece and Rome.
through its various stages and types in differ
ent countries, to the present time. 1t quite
softens the readers heart toward the Goths
and Vandals to see how nearly their art as
well as their ature, approached to that of the
Small Boy of to-day. Romulus, or whoever it
was that, according to the Latin Grammar,
was always building wall ornamented it with
cartoons that might deride the schoolmaster on
any slate in our primary schools. Political
satire too, in the most far-oH prophecy OF
Thomas Mast, was not lacking to the Roman
empire. The Egyptians and Hindoos had
their caricatures. The Middle Ages were
given to religious satire; fun was an element
of the Reformation; and the Puritans even
drew severe caricatures and "took their pleas
ure sadly. after their fashion," With Hogarth
the history of burlesque becomes more familiar
to the general reader. 1t is interesting to note
the various forms which caricature assumes
with different nationsi and, indeed, exceed
ingly fattering to. our patriotism, for-setting
aside the difficulty which always exists in en-
terng entirely into the spirit of alien buresques
which is of course more or less local in its na-
ture-it is very appare Mt that American fun in
the most pointed and best natured of all.
French caricature has by no means the fine
point of the verbal epigrams and mots of that
nation; and restrained from political expression
is too often very coarse. The same fault of
coarseness is conspicuous in Spanish burlesque.
English caricature is good in its tone, some
times admirable in every way-but is more
often decidedly pointless. The wit of Italy as
typifed by Pasquino and Marjorie, is usually
political, elegant and telling, but abouuds less
in pictures than in verbal satire. Epigram,
in really fine verse seem to be the light artillery
of the land which produced q Goldoni. Ameri-
can caricature has its consummate flower in
the cartoons of Mr.. Thomas Mast, an artist
whose political instincts are almost unerring,
with extraordinary quickness and power, and
who has both artistic and political conscience.
He has an inconceivably great leverage upon
public sentiment, and uses his power for good.
Many a mind is reached effectively by seeing
the state of things illustrated in carcature,
upon which the same situation set forth in
written word would have no effect. Satire is q
weapon whose force it is almost impossible to
calculate, apd nothing divests man or meas
ure of all false prestige like the laugh of the
people. All honor then to Mr. Mast for his
good use of his gift, unique of its kind and the
finest at present in the world. Mr.. Parton has
done his work in,the careful and workmanlike
style usual to him, and this history of carica-
ture is an agreeable addition to special litera-
ture
Miss Misanthrope New York: Sheldon &
Co.. Portland: Dresser s. McLellan) is Mr.
Justin McCarthy's latest novel. 1t is solid and
brilliant and is, moreover, very we'll written.
Mr.. Mccarthy has succeed well in catching
the tone of modern society; and, indeed, has
given to his work the lively and truthful quail
ty of delineation, the air of elegant comedy,
that have rendered Sheridan's plays classic in
their way. Miss Misanthrope abounds in
clever sketches; the heroine, Minola is fantas-
tic, lovable, noble-Quixotic in her youthful
misanthropy; tender and uncalculating when,
reversing the experience of the worthy Don,
she finds herself to have mistaken castles for
winemills and good knights and true for an
undistinguished flock of sheep. Herbert Blan-
chet, the poet of the luridly phosphorescent
school of literary de composition, and his good
little maiden sister are very cleverly sketched.
The hero, Victor Heron is real man and not
novelist's lay fgure-which is much to Mr..
McCarthy's praise. Without being really
great novel, Miss Misanthrope is exceedingly
clever and well-written and deserves much
success.
Mr.. William Blackmore utilizes his Ameri-
can experience in his novel Erema, which has
appeared in recent numbers Of Harper's Mag
azine. There is, as is usual in. his work, de-
gree of power; but there also is a fatal self
consciousness of expression, show of mental
muscle that is rather repulsive. Mr.. Black
more aims at great effect, especially in his por-
traiture of low life, and clearly plumes him
self upon being nothing if not Shaksperian in
his dialogues. 1t may be said, with truth, while
also agreeing with this estimate-that; be is Ger.
rainly not otShaksperian. The mixture of traits
borrowed from the gravedgger. in Hamlet and
Bret Harte's miners make curious compound
which Mr.. Blackmore offers as the typical man
ofthe West. So long as a man garnishes his
conversation with 81 guess" and ''say, stran-
gel" he may break into the srchaisms of 1900
he may ruin-the traditions of the vocabu-
lary-but the scent of the native American
will hang round him still, is evidently Mr..
Blackmore's pathological sentiment. Hei is a
writer whose mannerisms might or might not
have been the accompaniment of literary pow
er; but lack of sense of the fitness of things
haino fullv nrovar, aoainst hin, bis affaotot;onS