Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-25
LITERARY NOTES.
WASHINGTON WINTER By MADELEINE vrNroN
DiHLGsEN BO ton: James l. Osgood & Co.
Wa hin2ton: A. Brentan) * 20.

DtHLGsES. Bo ton: James K Osgood & Co.
Warrington: A. Brentan) q 20
When the announcement was made some time
ago that Mrs. Dahlgren was engaged in writing
q novel based on the social life OF Washington.
II attracted much attention. Partial friends said
the theme and its master had finally met. and
that, after waiting so long, the world should at
last have q work in every way worthy 1t subject.
This view was somewhat literally accepted in
advance, and the appearance OF the book was
accordingly awaited with no little interest It
has now been before the public for a couple of
weeks andto say that it has fallen as nearly still
born ANYTHING of the kind well could fall. is
to state the truth very mildly. novel it is
not, but rather u series of dissolving views.
sketched hastily. or at least very imperfectly
There is no plot, or only the faintest possible
sernbiance of one; and the characters introduced
constitute one of the queerest iumbles possible
of well known people in transparent disguise,
imaginary personaees, for whom each reader
VIII furnish his or her own original and nOta-
bles in real life, living and dead, who bear their
own proper names. Where there is no plot. the
Charm of a book must obviously lie in its literary
characters, and what they do and say,-in
this case in one short season: for it is in a
SINGLE winter i'm Washington that the chief events
are supposed to transpire.
1t Is matter for regret that tine literary style
OF "A winter in Washington" cannot be praised.
but the truth Is that it is weak and amateurish
In the extreme. The conversations are for the
most part commonplace and stupid; careless
writing is apparent everywhere; the most
absurd anachronisms abound, and the text Is
marred throughout by the pendantic and un-
necessary Juggling in Of French phrases For the
leading characters of the book there in little to
be said fayOrably. whether the type chosen or
the manner in which they are portrayed be con-
sidered. They are mostly old acquaintances,
with very slight variations. Hon. Bardwell
Slote and Mrs. Gen. Gilfiory, of the mighty
Dollar" Hon. Silas Radcliffe of Democracy"
and other heroes and herOines who figure in
that sort literary trash, pose before the reader
under other names. and play their brief and un-
sayOry parts Such as these dominate most Of
the principal scenes and give to the book it's
flavor. They are the forces of it's society," and
the shapers of its events. The respectable peO-
pie who appear mostly serve as mere supernumer-
aries on tie stage, or become clay in the hands
OF the hungry and vulgar men and women who
are 50 prominently projected here as in all pic
lures of Washington life. but who are in fact so
rarely noticeable feature in the better circles
of its society.
In the language of the author, she has merely
'.selected q few of the types that exist, and
grouped them into one picture" Having SAID
this much. 1t may perhaps be urged i'm her be-
half that authors and artists have the privilege of
selecting such characters they please to pOr-
tray. and that. so long as they are artistically
and truthfully drawn, the world has no ground
fer complaint. This Is in a measure true but
not wholly so. The rule applies furthermore
only to the portrayal Of character, and cannot
De stretched to cover q case where the task
chosen is the Illustration of theme or the rep
resentatiOn of social or other conditions OF life
In particular place. Neither author nor artist
may so group even real types or characters as to
represent state OF things which does not in
fact exist. 1t is the function of art as it should
be the ambition of the true artist, to beautifv,
ennoble. and elevate. 1t is only allowable to
caricature. to eXaggerate defOrmities. and to OBJ
trude the repulsive side of nature and life when
plainly apparent and laudable purpose is to be
accomplished OF moral lesson is conveyed It
Is not claimed for "A Washington Winter that
1t has "a mission" The author, to use her own
words, "only sought to describe some of the
social elements of Washington life
to paint a picture of its society. to give
history of one of it's winters But
why the reading world has the right to ask. did
she want to paint the picture she holds before
Its view? Are there no households in Washing
ton where virture and culture are found yOked
tOgether-where domestic happiness and con-
sentiment prevai-where modest and healthy
desires color existence and shape destinies? Are
there no men IN public life who have both in
telect and WILL and who are not forever the
weak tools of greedy and corrupt men. and de-
A@nlng and depraved women? Are there no
wives and mothers here leading pure and noble
lives. who can be central figures in modest,
happy homes. and at the same time give tone
and color to the world about them? Are there
no circles in which the intellectual and moral
SIDES OF human nature are taken account Of
where the Slotes and the SOcombs and the
GilnOrieS and their kind are not ALWAYS the
dominant spirits? Is there no clean spot any
where In the national capital? Is it's moral
atmosphere constituted Of mephtic vapOrs
whose strata vary only in degrees of loathsOme-
hess and poisonous qualities? Is its society
nothing but whited sepulchre. filled with
rOttenness and unclean things! Sitting by her
own nreside, the author of "A Washington
Winter" will scarcely pretend that the reality IL
% bad as this. Why, then Is she content to
paint her picture i'm the false and weak colors
she has chOsen3 If there 10 a bright side, surely
the world ought to have. ii not q glimpse Of it,
~ least an idea that it exists.
But II the view taken of her subject Is to be
defended. surely the carelessness and inaccura-
eies so frequently observable in the book can
not be expected to be quietly passed by. On page
50. for example. the reader is told that the SER
want whose duty 1t was to announce the guests
ct reception at the residence of Cabinet
Ofiicer was IAN immense negro with q voice
Ike COrliss engine" So intelligent q woman
as Mrs. Dahgren,-any woman, in fact. who
attempts to write q book, Ought to know that
. COrliss engine has no voice. Although that
machine was the mighty force which set in
motion all the wonderful activities of the Centen-
NAL exposition, 1t was the one moving thing In
that vast collection of human achievements
which was absolutely vOiceless and silent
Yet the anachrOnisms which protrude them
selves SO frequently are even more confusing
and inexcusabe. As near as can be computed
from the chronology Incidentally furnished by
the text. the winter described could not have
been earlier than that of lS77S Yet when the
Italian minister. Chevalier Benedetti. and Mrs
Beaueu visited the Supreme Court that sea-
son, 1.-The fervid ChOate." (althOugh dead for
nearly twenty years. was speaking" to be
followed in reply by Reverdy Johnson, who died
IN 1876 few days later, at one of Mrs.
Wiiton's every Saturday evening cOnuersaz,ones
"a very carefully selected company" included,
with number of imaginary persOnages in con-
nection with Garfield. A. H. stephens, Healy,
the artist. and Alexander Dimtry. (whO were
living at the time. Orestes A. BrOwnsOn. who
d'ed In 1876; Charlotte Cushman, who made her
nnal and actual farewell In 1876 Sumner, who
died In 1874: Charles Astor Bristed, who passed
away little earlier the same year; General
Robert Anderson, who breathed his last in Nice
In 1871; Count GurOwski. whose stormy career
came to q close in 1866; and John j. Critten-
Gen, who was laid away in his grave In 1858
W as such tumble as this ever seen before?
one would have thought that where neither
plot noble characters nor bright conversation
Could be furnished. at least the probabilities of
history might be regarded and the unities of
literary composition kept In view; but even
these are denied US. Why fha hook ,rrfttopa