New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-02
BITS or CRITICISM.

THOMAS HARDY A NOVELIST BORN.--He is
any other novelist, anu respect be moro
unique than IN this that he is novelist born, not made
His genius is observant, truthful, humorous aud
masculine and shy We have brought together the aat
two traits forming somewhat unusual combination
though II s perhaps not So unusual as might naturally
be expected The feminine genius that concerns itself
shy BE that as Il may. Mr.. Hardy is wnai We have
said II OF his most distinctive and valuable quail
ties He has telling Instinct for the value OF sex bis
heTOines profoundly emnne his heroes thoroughly
and AT times comcaly. masculine. HIS shyness, con-
nected 10 Is with almost morbid keenness OF OBJ
servatou. imparts TO his humor peculiarly delicate
aud ghtul aroma he never misses the comic aspect
OF a situation episode and yet he eDf0reee IL BY
coarse unsympathetic touch the light tails gently
and sweety upon IT, and passes on. great many mod
were not SO great demand for humor nowadays
demand which they feel IN duty bound 20 supply to the
tably and inadvertently would DC so, II humor in
literature were thing unheard Of until he wroteIThe
Spectator
RUsKIN AN INCOMPATIBLE Waterfall bis
his best st he is Incompatible He has magnificent
vocabulary perfect and unerrng sense OF expression,
and he knows 50 we'll how to say that people, spi
20 value sayings even more for their manners sake
of most Of those who deal In prose be either useful at
the expense OF beauty or ornamental at the cost OF
him the OF prose Tyre and Is lamp and
trowel brush TO paint with and sword 10 STAY In
one great artist In speech, he IS living and working
exempcatou OF the theory which holds that English
prose OF no particular epoch but that IN all its essen
OF ech 1t Is and the thing with Shakespeare
ana Nth Addison. with Bunyan and with Burke. with
Browne and Bacon and with Carlyle and Sterne-IFhe
Athen9um.
NOVELS WITH PURPosE-The ordinary
British concrete and practical aud apt TO look
with suspicion AID contempt on anything IN the least
abstract or nOt obviously connected with the business OF
life. And the ordinary Briton therefore II ne reads az
all, reads newspapers or the literature OF the matters
volume OF poetry or philosophy or criticism Is to him. a.
it were, luss nature; something harmless no doubt
l,utn TN. Nn leah
radcton of the theory that nothing in the world exist:
without serving some definite end IL Is 10 mina OF
strongly Indeed the sancnest pnlstnss nave b PEN
known 10 Close one OF Mr. Reades Or Mr. Coi"ss snr
nj finding that much excellent entertainment was 10
be derived from as 10 AJAX % tonic
OF tine day In which every one was LaSng an intetcs
they have gone on and discoveries ior ina
trivial Incidents OF the daily routine OF ne And tne
a yI.S So germ Of nrectaa life that long
wing hid in reelected soil achieves TASK as great Ia
an hat Of exating 70 the highest pitch OF enthusiasm
minds already prepared to DO WORKED upon'-lr" man
Gazette.
Miss FLgTcHER's HEAD OF MEDUsA.-The
hook IA full OF suggestive thoughts which srG scattered
IN and down through It's pages with ease that makes
the reader feel there must be plentiful store In the
rich and brain IRON sea ws oSe o
the most beautiful OF Robert Brownings yrcs-tne
song IN weSt" Nothing could more apy assa0s the
hore and the hopelessnss re Os faeai o. aea
FLAP FOR Mr.. TESNYsoN.-It is mat1et,
for regret TO u.s. IA II probably Will De 20 ~ ~ Which
M Taunyson Chooses 10 put his have %
the fact that included Ia the W 10 which he
SDar sSs enss s an De- "Tns M
man Cry" DE Profundls s ~ words. words,
words which Il Is astonishing toas ans v"o "'S
setdown in punt.-lrhe SATURDAY "s''"'