New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
rvo sATIRICAL NOVELS.


w. oloss these two works together although
A., ore unlike in motive, in method ana III s'Sle.
,p,o one throws ridicule upOn certain theories Vi
,r, more or less prevalent in our time, unuer
oover If n laughing and generally goou-na'ureu
slctcb of a state Of society which may DC ll"sNou
IN the far future. The other. IN the IeiSu'eiS
eourse of a love-story of our own day. draws VIZ"
=, almost savage fidelity the picture of n society
which we see around us. Possibly the author Oh
@Guerndale" does not regard his novel as a sa'r''
II s the principal detect o. this strong ana reh'A
able book that il leaves the ordinary rea"et ui'o'
4ain what the writer himself thinks OF H. Wn"V va
his purpose in writing, how far the Seh'lin0
~. characters are his own sentiments. ana "n"O
lesson we are TO draw from the dram" Nv -.
fore us Nevertheless trenchant ana o"C No.
.o,iro il the distinguishing note oil "UueI"""i''
,d :, !. mana the less telling because we aie so"0
&C. - doubt whether 1t is confined 10 'Ho
.retches of character or EXTENDED ais" W w.
authors view of the problems OF existence nv
motto on the title-page is the proveto from Don
orivoter. There are no young birds III last year
,e.tsr The motto of tho hero. Guyon Ouernu"'o'
Is Death alone can conquer u.s. ana HIS hio 10 a.,
earnest endeavor to be true TO the me olu pii@'
Brave. devoted. tender, unselhsh, uhcohPiai"'n7'
faithful 10 love and duty believing intensely " '''0
arnrstn,ss Of life and nclined to idcalize every
men death conquers him after suffering ana laluie'
,ocorso faith and love and the hope OF hereafter
,o extnct. tbcIc are 10 birds in last year nests
Whether this is intended as a lesson IN the peSsh-
;,;c philcsophy or a satire upon the materlapstlc
urinciplcs cf modern society, we necd ho' sIoP W
inoulre. Whatever the meaning OF the preacher
there can lie no doubt that he has preached lhoS'
,mnressiyc sermon on the emptiness and foIy Oh INC
vorld-that Is the world as most OF us Woulu in"Ao
it, ,
@Nortor." cxclaims Guerndale, "you al ieast oc-
Iieye in honor, do you nOt1 Ana hOhor IS nuV ."
6,or more imaginative form of duty II tins lie is
all unworthy, we can at least live 1t Worthiiy'
started with a definite purpose. / meant TO lead
an ambitious. active life. And /, too, have been
discouraged. Definite faith, TO mo as well, is an
ip,noss,bllity. But life. the progress OF life, is
like ascending mountain. In the carly morning,
when we start we see the glorious peak, the iirst
ideal of YOUTH full in front. far III the sum- linen
comes the haze of midday; foot hills. forests dark
valleys come between; clouds veil the summit.
Never. perhaps in this life do we see the hnal
height again. We only now can see the poor NIUE
ridrc before us. scarce worth our climUing. but
II we bravely follow the first ideal keeping II ID
mind. always ascending ridge after rldgc-tha' is
duty. For what is a great life bat the dreams OF
youth realized in Iiper age' And So only assuring
ourselves that we arc sun ~ W. 0''"'-
time reach the final height, as sure as Uo0 llVeS
As sure as God lives, -porhaps'
I'm cot icbt-ldsSt enck n3cht tTTCR Ges f0bce
GescArcig And it is right to have ideals; and
vontb is the time for them. Thought is given men
10 remind them that there IS truth immortal; and
beauty music poetry, love. ray through this iifes
clouds like bow, TO make men mindful OF things
that IN this life we never find; dreams they are
now bat dreams that are truer than the truth
that here we know. And 50 hold that our ideal
NAV be more real than this worlds reality. And
when We reach it, he it with this life or the mllionth
life after this though each little stage seems final
death as each mountain spur looks to us the last
though each little stage is taken with no memory OF
the last when we reach the final height the mlsts
will drop away, and the weary wandeIings of all
our lives will lie far down below us, like a distant
view. And we shall reach it, though it be beyond
the realms Of time and space above the so-called
laws of mortal science cause, and Will, and sOuess
matter Hoch uber QN' as Schiller says"
This is tho philosophy OF the young man at col
lese That lie has sense of any religious motives
for conduct and trust in Goo is made plain to u.s.
But he tries to govern himself by the rebulous idea
of duty expressed in the above lines; he makes II
the sole aim of his existence TO win a noble ana
lovely woman when lie loses her he las nOtmhe
left; his philosophy breaks down; he tries TO go
StubbOTuly FORWARD WllHOuV al ObJoOti hO "O"'"
ride straight. whatever happened -; but lie il soon
brought to tragica and pathetic ending His picture
is drawn with firm and delicate hand, and the con
cluson of his sad story is made highly effective by
the adroit management of a difficult situation.
A more striking but not more carefully elaborated
character than Gucrndale is Norton Randolph the
mild amiablc and cultivated cynic, who used to
declare that "thc part Of amused spectator is the
proper one for gentleman in this world" lie
was a most beautiful aud artistic loafer a green
oasis in the desert of American life, as some trav
oiled American resident in Rome once said of him.
Merely to smoke a cigar with him was almost as good
as day in Naples. lie bore about him mellow
atmosphere of intellectual languor that was quite
Italian" As nobody knows how much Randolph
believes OF his own speeches-not Randolph
himself this daring, irreverent and brilliant per
sorage becomes convenient medium for the pub-
LEGATION of our authors most biting satires. /
Thought" SAYS Randolph TO GuyOn-
| Thought you and had breathed the same air
the air OF a dead faith. 1t hangs over this Now
England country like the sad gray sky OF Haw-
thorncr novels Religion here was once passion ;
and we are living in the ashes of II. Isn't II strange
this New England history Of mGars1 THINK there
is worn out enthusiasm, sort OF nervous Pio5tia-
ton, III the very atmosphere. we seem 10 be porn
in it, You aud are not the only ones.
"No" sighed Guy aud he thought Of his father.
do YOU know" added he thon dreamlly, have
ALWAYS had sort of favOrite vision in my mind of
what you mean. Think Of those GRIM narrow,
hard old Puritans-you hate them no doubt
:" hate them I" interrupted Norton. why. my
dear fellow, | deplore their absence. Didn't my
amable old great grandfather write famous ser
mon on the Heart OF Ncw-EngIand OTn Wy tie
Blasphcuios of the Present Generation ~
"Woll, We admire them." continued Guy; for
thoy at least had ideaty and purpose--think of
The first scenes the rude board chapel IN the midst
OF a clearing; on all sides the unbrokcn forest OF a
continent; and the solemn congregation worship
ping cruel God without book or liturgy. holding
a nj
something fine in that"
"That will do for one picture" said Randolph.
aAud then the present reaction, the failure, the
corruption Of it, the change from the cold, grim
poetry Of thor IDEAL TO the easy fat content Of