New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-19
NOTES ON BOOKS.
AMERICAN WRITER'S IN ENGLAND-M1sCEL-
LANEOUS.

ErpoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF I Ihn Ok
The author of the article on American Noso' ="
The current number of The Quarterly Rerew IS MI IL
y Jennings formerly editor of The Ne~-Ao'" A."'''
The applause bestowed of late on such AIioiiTrn
boyeiists as Mr.. Henry James and MI ho"ohs'
Heems TO Mr. Jennings excessive, anu ITO nav ~
an effort to readjust the balance by censure o' o'S
excessive; and by pretty sweeping praise oi oToiy
American novelist except these two. MT. bret
Horte is praised most deservedly; Mr.. Brockden
Rrown ia praised: Mr. Gilmore Simms Mrs. Bur-
nett Mr.. Gable, Mr.. Sylvester Judd, Hawthorne,
Poe Cooper and the author of democracy"
of all these Mr.. Jennings finds something
amiabe to say. OF Mr. james ana
Mr. Howells nothing is too bad 10 say
Zone little book of HawthOrne's" the BRUSH pup
lie is told, "is worth all the labored ana toui
GUS writings of the novelists who boast OF having
founded new school of fiction, based upon the
principle that the best novelist Is he VINO mas ho
story to tell" These two unhappy young men nave
. tnrned to novel-writing as a pleasant means OF
aconirpp profit and reputation without any natural
gifts for the work. and without any true insight
into its nature" They cannot invent plot, they
have no Imagination, they are not really American
they puff each other in the same magazine WIN
accompanying portraits softened down from Tue
originals their compositions are feeble and dreary,
their splendors are borrowed. Mr.. JameSs DAISY
Miller is remarkable for artificial mannerisms ana
tawdry smartness. The plot OF The American is
chaotic, and Newman an impossible character me
Portrait of a Lady" does not contain single IN
tcrest1pe incident Mr. Howells's Modern In
stonceD contains no narrative which could not be
,oId in ten lines HIS men and women are stllted,
unnatural brutal. Both writer's belong 10 the
"spuriousn American school; and the final crltl-
cisn on tins sort of American novels is that they
are not American and not novels.
You have had before now hint OF the offence
which Mr.. James and Mr. Howells, especially Mr.
Howclls. had committed. If they had been con-
tent TO write readable stories and say nothing about
if this attack would hardly have been made
Time was when The QUARTERLY in fine Protection
;st shirt. would have resented the intrusion OF
foreigners INTO the English market But that Is not
the aninus Of the present article. Mr. Jamess
panegy1ic on Nj. Rowells by itself might have
passed without much notice. But when IL was
found that Mr. Howells was in turn, or In return
writing on Mr.. James. there came natural Outcry
against so fragrant a case OF mutual admlrauon'
Mr. Howellss extraordinary theory of novel
writing and still more extraordinary criticisms on
Thackerav aud Dickens, followed, and provoked
what must say appears to be very genuine IN
dlgnation You could not expect an Englsnnah 10
sit down quietly under the amazing announcement
of Mr. Howells that the art of fiction had become
a finer art in our day than IT was with Dickens ana
Thackeray that we could not suffer the conhden-
tial attitude OF the latter now nor the mannerism
of the former and that these great men are OF tue
past-they aud their methods and interests" There
is still here q great though surely lessening public
for Dickens There is a great and ever greater
public for 1hackeray. What Mr.. Jennings has done
Is to express the anger great many people felt at
Mr. Howells's remarks. He has, with some
superhuOus military energy, carried the war
into the enemy's camp, and gone about burning ana
killing whatever he found in his way. HIS saw
aceries are of a kind not now appauded IN civil
lied warfare, but he cannot 90 Mr. Howells as much
harm as Mr.. How ellis has done himself
I" Mr. Isaacs" the most recent of American sue
cesses in fiction is not mentioned for good or for
evil by Mr. Jennings. hear that the whole of the
first edition has been sold by Messrs. Macmillan,
and that the demand does not cease new novel
by Mr.. Crawford may shortly be expected; mean
time favorable judgments on his first effort con-
tinue to appear.
The Quarterly devotes a serious article to Mt
Henry Georges " Progress and Poverty;" not be-
cause the writer thinks Mr. George has made new
discoveries in political economy, nor because he has
stated old sophisms with fresh plausibility. But
he says Justly enough, that book which appeals
TO the preiudccs and interests of the uneducated
of the half-educated and which has really attracted
their attention and obtained a wide circulation,
cannot be disposed of by sneer at the author as a
charlatan. Mr.. Georges proposal is proposal,
urged with the utmost plainness, for the wholesale
and indscrminate plunderOf all landed proprietOrs.
1--WE say plumber and we use the word advisedly;
that and that alone will express Mr.. Georges mean
ing" That a book with such an object should be
gravey handled in such periodical implies of
course that the author has done his mischievous
work with ability, and the reviewer recognizes his
ability fully enough perhaps too fully. He credits
MI George also with good intentions; regards him
as man who seeks after sfashionto save and not
10 ruin civilization. And he says:
We purpose presently to show in detail that in all
his main positions he as false to fact the most
crack Drained astroiogcr. and hostile to society in
his proposals as the most malignant criminal; but in
spite OF this he is himself crimna nor crack
Drained In tone and III moral me bod he betrays
MANY faults and weaknesses. HIS self-concet is
inordinate his temper is often petulant his finer
feelings are tainted by self-consciousness that he
rarely express them without striking an atti-
tude; and his practical programme, as We have seen
is monstrous.
That is all true enough, but how far truth IN the
pages of a six shilling quartery is likely to reach
the readers of Mr. Georges sixpenny pamphlet, is
another question. The lanes and back alleys of
which our reviewer speaks are not places In which
pondcrous periodicals circulate. find in provin-
cial paper of to-day a further account of the
cess obtained by Mr.. Georges book. His doctrines
says this writer, rapidly perneatng the masses
in soma Of our large towns.
Mr. Georges silly book in its cheap edition has
obtained a large circulation, and Its principal doc
tnne is being popuarzed by means of lectures.
The doctrine itself is 30 pleasing to pennlless per
sons that II is not surprising 1t should he readily
swallowed by those who know little of the laws of
political economy.
Some eminent economists adds he, are writing
answers to the book, among others the Duke of
Argyll. But what is wanted is organization to
meet the organization of those who find it TO their
interest to circulate Mr. George poisonous pam
pklet He dare say, assumes that its present wide