Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-03-04
OUR BOOK TABLE.
TIE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER-MARK
TWAIN's NEW BOOK.
Judge Tourges's Latest work-Great
BIovements-The statistician-
New Publications

New Publications
JoHS EAx By Albion W. Tourgee. New York
Fords, Howard s Hubert: Sacramento W. A.
& C. S. Houghton. l vol, l6mo., cloth, PIP 800
! This is the latest production by the author
of " The Fools Errand, Bricks Wishou.
! Straw etc. Ii any take it up with the idea
that they are again TO be RECALLED with the re.
cital of the woes of the South, the details of
the wreck of the Rebellion, and the hates and
prejudicss of the late rebsls and the conquer
! ing Northerners, or with the abstruse politi-
cal or other problems of reconstruction, they
will be much mistaken. The story is in
wholly different vein. It has exceedingly
| little to do with the matters mentioned. 1t
! is volume containing two narratives-one
| that gives its title to the book, and the other
entitled "Mamelop." The hrst is love
story illustrating the family pride that is so
characteristic of the old Southrons, and max.
ing almost painfully clear the murderous ex-
tent to which the same will lead. John Fax
is the name of progenitor Of poor aud
lowly girl, with whom the hero of the tale is
smitteD, and whom he narriss despite the
proud opposition of his family, who fail to
convince him Re is lowering the family dig
ty and outraging all its traditions by uni
ing the name with that Of one who is lo~ly
born. Prosecuted most bitterly. he is driven
from his home. cut eff from his inheritance,
and prescribed among men. But for all that
he marries the niece of bis fathers overseer,
and manfully maintains his right to do as his
own judgment dictates. He finds more than
one warm and sympathjzing heart among his
fellows of the South, and that while all stand
in awe of the old family pride. there are not
few that are free to confess under the breath
that they would do exactly as he did. In
time he lives down the past, and the name
John Fax proving the key to lopg-wsiting
fortune that was his wifes by inheritance,
they acquire wealth. but tie wife dies, and
the hero-and here is the weak point in the
whole plot-returns to his old home and mar
res the woman who had been selected for
him by his family in the first instance. The
only saving point in that performance is
found in the fact that the woman was really
devoted to him, and had remained martyr
to her love which be had once spurnsd. In
deed more, it was she who had secured his
escape from the prosecutions OF his family, by
buying up with her own fortune the debts
that he owed, and, under a harsh law regard
ing debt. secured his arrest as means of
placing him beyond the power of his relatives,
whose hatred pointed toward intended assas.
sination. From that imprisonment she com
passed his escape by forcing him to fly when
the opportunity offered, by the connivance of
the kind who would else have remained. met |
his fees and have become their victim. The |
story is we'll told, but lacks the vigor that |
marked 1.-The Fools Errand. and the power
made manifest in Bricks Without Straw"
1t is a love tale with the shadow of hate aud |
the sunlight of woman's devotion. 1t will |
not add materially to Judge Tourgees liter |
ary reputation, while it will not in any mate
rial degree decrease the respect of the world of
readers for bis undoubted ability. "Mamelon"
is tale quite the opposite of John Fax" It.
too. is a love story. but the plot is of gentler
character. Il involves the love and sorrow
of an ex. Confederate General, whose wife is
unable to realize, until too late, the charge
the fortunes of war had brought to her hus-
band, and led him to think that she blamed
him for the reverses that came upon them
with the downfall of the rebellion. It in
wolves his efforts to retrieve his misfortune
by the hardest Of labor-labor to which he
had been Heretofore wholly unaccustomed
and this IL tie eyes of his petted wife only
reduced him to still more ignoble state. In
time there came to their Southern home one
of the men she had been taught to look upon J
as the destroyers Of the South-an ex- U MON
soldier. He was one Of those careful. ener-
getic, enterprising and shrewd Yankees. who
will carve out fortunes where others will re-
fuse to turn the soil. With this man the
husband entered upon a scheme to turn to
practical use the noble wooded lands of the
estate the couple still chung to. 1t was
wise scheme, and none was ever more prom
Using, but in the hight of its initial success
there came the financial crisis of 1873. All
their fair plans failed, and they were involved
in hopeless ruin. Then the wife, who had al.
ready realized the sacrifices a noble nature
had made for her, turned again to the man
to whom she had sworn to be faithful in good
and in i'll. The tale then proceeds to happy
close, but through sea of trouble, and Only
after most romantic episode. 1t is q novel
quite level with Judge Tourgee's abilities, !
and one that is deeply interesting. The &C.
ton never leg', the intsrest never abates from
the opening TO the close. Neither of these
stsries whitewash" either the North or the
South, and while they present very promi-
BeDtly some of tho more striking peculisrities
Of the people of both sections, there are no
harsh words, no severe Judgments. no wounds
torn open. 1t is book of the South with
out the shadow" as the author himself puts
it. on the first page of the volume.
THE PRINCE AND THE PAUrER. story for young
people OF all ages. By Mark Twsu. Boston :
JAS r. Osgood Il Co. vol, quarto. Sacramento :
George /. Lyle, agent.
Decidedly we are pleased with this effort of ]
Mr.. Clemens. 1t is so very different from {
anything that he has before attempted. that it
comes most agreeable surprise. We had !
given MIR. Clemens no credit for the posses ,
sion of the peculiar and rare talent that y.
qualities one to write for children. That he !
has been successful in this, his first work of I
that kind, there can he no sort Of question. {
More than this, re has so constructed his I
story that, as the title suggests it is of inter-
est to others than mere Juveniles. There is q
no attempt at wit in the tale !; but there are I
some excellent examples of keen satire. As ,
to the matter Of the tale, it is sufficient to say
- a L. ILL.
fully charming in its perfect inprobability-
indeed it may be batter termed satire and
an allegory than tale. 1t purports to deal n
wtl the adventures Of the young King of
England, Edward VI. The theme is all his. !
toricsl, and sill the scenes are located in Eng
land. Edward, while yet the Prince of
Wales, and but ten years old, is suppose to
become possessed of strong desire to see low
life, and to accomplish that eCd he calls in
lad, pauper born, who bore tc him :. remark
able resemblance, and who was possessed of
just as strong desire to live the life of
prince, and whose reading had very fairly in
formed him of the splendors of court life.
The prince and the pauper exchange gar
msnts, and the real prince goes out to zee the
world among the lowly Of bis people. The
pauper is no sooner in his fine raiment f
acter he has assumed dawns upon him, :
and he heartily desires to return to :
his rags, while Edward quite as soon falls
among those who most cruelty use him, and
be too regrets his mad freak. Then begin L
the troubles of the one in regaining his place,
and of the other in filling it. For three
weeks these trials continue and then have
most happy ending In this time the young T
reader is initiated into the splendors. cere-
monies and absurdities of the Court of Henry
VIII, and is likewise brought face to face
with the cruel laws of the time, the supersti-