The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-01-21

prompted one OF them 10 r6n0er Important
services In preventing the outbreak Of civil
war. Struck with tho reading" he writes.
of one Of Cooper's novels. called The Soy
this man became inspired with the sort Of am
bition which distinguished the hero OF that
work. and was DESTROYS Of playing In France
the part which Cooper had assigned to Har-
vey Birch during the American war OF in
dependence. Harvey Birch-for the volunteer
detective adopted that name In all his reports
never belicd his professions OF fidelity. and
proved Of inestimable utility
From 1920 to 1880 Cooper brought out eleven
novels. including many OF his greatest creations.
and one signal failure. Lionel Lincoln" to
which. curiously enough. Cooper had given
unusual pains. meaning II to rank with The
Spy" in the field OF Revolutionary romance. On
the other hand. Tho Pioneers" the first OF the
five Misunderstanding Talos." In which the
author hit on tho happy thought Of describing
the scenes and manners OF the frontier life in
which he had been brought up. met with MS
tonishing SUCCESS from the date OF it's publica-
ton. Feb, I. 1928. Up to II o'clock on that day
$500 copies OF the book had been sold. Owing
probably to the novelty Of tho scenes and char
acters. tho popularity Of this novel and OF The
Last OF the Mohicans." which appeared in 1926.
was even more instantaneous and prodigous
in Europe than in America. OF the last named
story the biographer Justly remarks that. OF all
Cooper's tales 1t Is the only one In which the
interest not only never halts. but never sinks.
PROFESSIONALLY this book belongs in the front
rank OF novels OF adventure. The faults OF OK
ecution. which 1t shares with its companion
stories. are obvious enough, but in this instance
they dwindle into insigni1lcance beside the
wealth Of power displayed. In this tale Cooper
accomplished the ideaizution OF the white
hunter whom no had more rudely outlined in
The Pioneers" This dclineation. we need
scarcely say. Inns mot with unstinted praise
at the hahus OF many OF the masters Oh
h,ouerh "c'ion' on .he o'ner manu. the
'uc"''Hat'oh Oh the ih"i"h cnhrac.cr w"'cn
WINS periec.eo III 'hr Same mover Ill the hs"ies
oi chihenchsooK anu ohcas mas anyways Deeh .he
SUBJECT vi nl"ch controversy. ~ Is possip" tiiat
'ne type ol ih"'ah ehhih''of eNh'oi'eu Wy so'"e
vi 'he ,r'oes on our at'ah'c COAST uimereo rs.
seh''"''y from '"H' Oh 'ho ush'lens Oh tnc sIea.
p'''hs. "o"o'er .""' may oe. IL ~ certain mat
.oopei ""u cAc"p''"'' oPPortu"'ueso VI s'uoS-
ing inc rcu man h,,.urc' an" 10 'he 'ns' ho"r
v. ms '''o no '"'u wv 's9e"'a'
vi Ms por.rh,'ure besiu'S: as inc oioer"pher
poih's OUT. 'he VICES oi inc ihuiah races are Us
'rea"sn'y. 'houen not so iihpresSNe'y, ue,
p'c'cu III Coopoi pooks us us Nirt"cs' 'oai anu
,,'"s pu. " Is '.uc '""' ,"o 'c9e a'I'"c-
.'o i.Preseh'''iohs vi ''c reu man arc OVER
'ooA'u vi ,o'so''en Wy t"e n''iJof'y'oi Ooore!
,e"ioi'' W"eie"S '"e eN"'.eu c"hcep''o" vi '"c
,nu'"h c'a'at'er ehoo"i'" III ohc"s uhu
o"'"s"c"sooh nus ',Acn ''' unsnn""oo uoiu vi
VIC il"'s''''.'ons VI i.'ci'' i""N'u"us may
cast !. '' w ,io ''s"' VI '"''' pc'H'"''' oApci.
'"ce. o"' III '"o c'se Vi vi" Sroa' ''"ss Vi Ie'u
CTS 'he conception s'"h"s uhe'o"ue" oS oou"t
anu ""o'S'"'oc" Ny u""ia'' IL nus houu'u
pubic opinion ana SNAPPED i'eis'a'ioh 10 an eH-
any charnc'er III nct'oh' WIN 'he possible OK
cep''oh Oh ohe'e rom
between the publication OF the Pioneers
ana the appearance OF The Last OF the Mohi-
cans. Cooper opened another vein OF story
writihE. III which. ~ In tho delncation OF from
Tier lie. ne mas never been equailed. 1t was
SCOTS Pirate mani!estly the work OF
landsman. and not OF a sailor. which 10 Cooper
to write The Pilot which was brought out in
1871. Four years subsequently he made a sec
ohd venture IN the same Held with The Red
hover ana TWO years later third with The
Water Witch" Scott was 80 much struck by
The Pilot that he at once predicted the sue
cess OF the sea story" considered as a new
ana specific form OF hct'on. 1t was OF the same
tale mat Mary russell Milford wrote Have
you read the American novels? To my mind
thcy are rs good as anything Sir Walter ever
wrote. lie mas opened fresh ground. too III one
may say 80 OF the sea-. NO one but Smollett
had ever attempted to depict the naval charac
YER anu ~, ,,'e', ms "ra"''iSS are 80 coarse ana
''aru' ihe ,r"'i, oi course. Is th"' Tor the sea
rs wen "S inc 'a'e Vi iroh'ier me- cooper
h"u i"..'"e'',ohs NOT possesaeu ny any other
M'"e' vi 'l"''' P"'l7 VINO mas 'ric" 10 zeal WIN
''c S"ih' menus ne was thoroughly con-
,'''",' WIZ" MS su''cc'. anu ms exhaustive
hiow'''"c "'n du'che"'" anu Illuminated by
" sincere anu '''",y sympathy ne nad indeed
p"' 10 c"'i 70 MN" 'he men ne mao iilmseii met.
,he u"Nai"S nc n'u run, ,h" nc no hau iiVeu 10
10 'ufh'Sh"d WIN 'hc''chtS ana scenes ana
'h"r"c'ers c',pnp'e Oh DOING wrought into ro-
ii'"ncc iouc''he MS SEA stories III particular.
.ho o'''sr"pner reih'hus US now superior In an
Emporium. oio"ent OF literary ART Cooper Is TO
us i'nth'ors' Enough OF techhlcaiity was
Drought ia 10 sa'is'y the PROFESSIONAL seaman.
pu' not so niuch as 10 distract the landsman
from 'he main movement OF the story. From
inlS nloue vi PROCEDURE inc autNOr oil Inc