The New York herald., 1879-09-01

thorne to study his father. W
Keith Johnson's last literary work was completed
for the press before he died.
The third volume Of Hepworth Dixon's "isoyai
Windsor is ready for the press.
In his early Browning visited Russia In con-
nection with a diplomatic mission.
Mrs. Nicoll. mother of the Scotch poet, has re-
Gently died at the age of ninety-two.
Charles @. LeIand's HLife of Lincoln will form
one of Marcus Ward Co.'s new Plutarch SERIES
Nine Loreau. the translator of Dickens. Mayne
Reid, Stanley and other popular authors, is dead
An exhaustive work on bull fights. to appear in
numbers. has been commenced by J. Sanchez dc
Neira.
"Beats in Music" is the title OF recent essay.
Music s not the only profession in which there are
beats. @a 8
Canon Farrar's "Life Of St. Paul" is nearly
ready. Nude. Of literary fame has subscribed for
1000 copies III advance ssy
against Afghan and Zulu" is the title of Mr..
Phil Robinsons forthcoming book. Mr. Robinson
was correspondent Of the London Daily Telegraph.
Les Mondes, French scientific journal. founded
and edited by the Abbe Moigno. has become the
property of joint stock company. The venerable
Abbe is still at the helm.
George Barnett Smiths "Life of Gladstone will
be published this month by Messrs Cassell. Potter
Il Galpin. One Of the steel portraits which will
illustrate the work is from painting made by Sev-
ern in 1910.
r. Fl. Stoddard has just returned from two
months vacation passed at his native place. the lit
tie town of Mattapoisett. on Buzzards Bay. He
took quantity of material for literary work away
with him. but. Notwithstanding. he did nothing but
"loaf" The result or this rest is renewed health
and little poem tho sea- which will appear.
American I3oD,llIr M;scsyIrnu ia fha fitia n
handsome periodical published by G. W. Carleton &
Co., the first number Of which will be issued to-day.
Tho table OF contents is varied and interesting Ono
contributor tells "How to Save Money and another
'What We Drink" The claims of 'New York o
Summer Resort" are substantially sot forth. and
Tenement House Reform" Is urged. Mr.. D. A..
Curtis contributes sorrowful little poem, called
"Mismated." and novel, entitled "Helen Tracy"
filed with contemporaneous local interest. closes
the number and paints in vivid colors the life of o
child born in the slums
''The Rongon. .Macquart Family" (T. B. Peterson &
Brother is the frst Of seres of novels in which
tho author seeks to show that the virtues and vices
Of the parent stock crop out in successive genera
tions independent Of the surroundings. The idea is
not new but tho treatment of It by Zola has made
stir In the literary world and has brought down upon
them the anathemas Of the romantic school of nov
objects to the "holding of the mirror
up to nature" unloss draped in the
gauze Of fine phrases. 1t cannot be denied
that zola has played to the pitt" panderod to the
depravcd tastes Of the mob" as the phrase is. but
his books written for all classes-the sensual as
we'll as the moral; and while the seeker after
sation peruses his novel. in the hope of finding
something to please his deprsved TASTE he also finds
vice and sensuality painted in their true and ab-
horrent coors. and ever bringing their votares lower
in the scale Of humanity. Many o reader
of these novels In tho French has thrown the
book aside. saying. "It is wonderful. but It is
too dsgustng only to take 1t up again and read to
the end absorbed and forgetting the offending parts
in the interest Of the story and the power Of tho
language that brings to the readers mind the
and acts the author intends to describe. Tho Rom
gons and the Macquarts are children Of tho same
mother by different fathers, and their lot is cast in
the town Of Plassans. The novel opens with tho
gathering Of the republicans to resist the coup at
that made Napoleon III. Emperor Of France. and
presents all the different descendants that
figure in the rest Of the series. It is not
our purpose. nor would . single notice per-
init the development Of the authors plan
in . synopsis OF any one novel-for each
is an Independents story. with the same characters
or their children appearing higher lower in the
social and political scale or the other of the
traits Of the parent is prominent No one can read
any of these novels without being absorbed by the
interest Of the story and astonshed the wonderful
minute observation Of the author and tho perfect
command he has of thelanguage in which he writes
and to those who have not the privilege of perusing
them In the French We commend the translations oi
John Sterling. who has been able, while expurgatine
softening all that is Objectionable in the original
to the strength and styo Of the author and
to present the story entire in pure and unexcep
tionable English.