New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-12

with an interest which never be felt In inc MS
tory of the middle ages, however Important 'i,"'
history may be. If Mr.. Newton, OF some one DISC
ouaiseti for the task, should write such oooA ~
would be widely read 1t needs only the stroAe vi "
master TO brush aside the vapdties aud frivotics
of modern life. and reveal the great propieins Vi
here and hereafter which in this a3o as III e'oi'
age, are struggling to find solution.
RECENT NOVELS.
A MIsGUIpTr LAssIE. BY PERCY Ross limo, pp'
22O. Macmillan Co.
TINES OF BATTLE AND REST BY o. TorELIU VS..
(rhe Surgeons Stories). 12mo, PIP. o95' 'ahse"' nv
CluTg Co.
A TRAGEDY IN THE IMPERIAL HAkEM Al 80
sTANTINoPLE BY LEILA.HANouMI I II HeIs,on
from the French with notes by GenetaI IL r' Oo0"
I6mo PIP. 900. William 5. GottsDerger'
MR. AND MRS MORTON A Novel 16no pp 392'
Cupples Upham 20.
| WANDA. BY OUrDA 16mo. J. B. Lippinco't " 70
There is sparkling animation about the story Oh
Mlsguidit Lassie" which makes OF IL an OASIS VI
refreshuient to the wsyworn reviewer. IL moves ~
rapdly aud the talk of the characters SO apty anu
vigorously reveals them that the book seems ho' 81
much a novel as a little drama beng played before
us TIM Lassien is q delightful specimen OF girl
hood a spoiled child whose wilfuness caprice "uu
mischief her creator has perhaps ilttie oAaeeoi
| ated She is so witching damsel tnat even oA-
| aggeraton cannot dim her charms III Is IAN
tastic dance that she leads her sutors fitting be
| fors them like curly-headed will-o-the-wiSp 'o'
airy sprlte to be caught too attractive to be lore
| horne Sorrow nj last weighs down her bright
wings and teaches her the Lesson of love- and the
| story ends as all healthy minded readers ike 10
| see such romances end-with happy coupe
| making their bow as tho curtain drops Mt James
spends some neae satire on those who want novels
as comfortable as ones stockings or as prcty as
| Christmas card" In spite of that disapprovai TIC
world will probably 60 on loving remembering
aid re-reading the stories In which poeucal justice
| happiness and true love have chance to speak.
Mr. Rosss novel has faults but it is withai so fresh
| so light, so spirited that Que can afford TO leave
| those faults uncountod.
| The second volume of Professor Topoliuss Swcd-
ish historical series deals with events In the reign
Of CT aries XI, that period of tho seventeenth cen
turv when under the thumb-screw Of the Reduction
the Swedish mobiles who had Won wealth III the
wars of Gustav Adolp saw lands, castles and coin
| all 90 from them The tale is written in the easy
| STYLE of the old-fashoned story-tellor and is
| wholesome piece of romance wholly wlthou' INC
| languors or fervOrI of the usual modern novel;
The author dips his pen into those sources oil human
| action passion and emotion that were ola "heh
(,nsar reigned and presents such Images OF me rs
| that abandoned person, the optimst, can enjoy
The taste which revels in the substantial romance
| of the Walter Scott type onght perhap'' 10 nave
| gone ont with stocks" and the daguerreotvpe -
Int that romance seems to have perennial hold
upon the affections Of each succeeding generation
| The noble knight, the sanity woman aud the
| nrettv and frivolous one the high-mnded hind
| and the tickle monarch, never lose their power 10
attr,c ct and enchain at least the youthful reader
| A Tragedy at Constantnople" is full OF murder
| of tho bloodest sort one of the casual incidents
| being the serving up under silver cover 10
| Pacba at dinner the pallid head OF beautiful
slave. the victim of his royal wife's jealousy. 1t
| narratc, tho tragcal death OF Abdul-Aziz-which
| il describes as sucide-and introduces other MS
| torical characters, one or two OF whom are drawn
| with some clcverness. The most interesting pof-
| tions of the story those which refer to the
| str,ools b,tveen Old and Young Turkey, the con-
| seryatiye Mussuman and the party OF progress.
| THE hook is said by the translator to present a
| faithful and graphic dclineation Of Modern Mosem
society. ,-
| aMr and Mrs Morton" is a rather ambitious
story with The one merit of having something Gu
| trely new IN lt--new TO polite literature at any
rata If not 80 to works on physiology. 1t Is pre-
| sumably the book of d student or practitioner Oh
the medical art and If the phenomenon he wishes 10
bring to view IS real. he might have spared Himself
,ha t,orbl, of TINS roundabout method of publlca-
II does not bearin the least on ordinary human lic
| mr. n, auv ouestion Of race. 1t is thoroughly
vulgar story and is without even n rcdeeming sug-
| osstion of purposs and strength. The only ORA
! matte incident in it is borrowed from clever
| French story the place castle at midnight inc
personages marquis, countess and count VINO
| pins the unfortunate marquis TO the wall ana
fortunes him several hours before letting him on IL
is well for himself that the author OF Dr. Morton
publishes anonymously; the book reflects no eredi'
u,ou him in nny particular and suggests no talent
save that for a certain "glibness" IN writing
Even a sad and ugly story like this might be worth
reading if 1t were literatnrc nut as 1t has not thai
merit il is useless and no doubt harm III. The faith
ful and dull descriptions of journey IN Europe dc
| not add TO it's yalue but prefer them to the
wonld-be "clever" conversations and the insipid
"wit"
| The peryerson Of genius as seen in the pages ol
| Ouida is "A grievous thing. That with al her al
surdties the oman has genius, her sternest crltc
have long acknowledged. Yet how obscured, no"
tainted by thousand ulgarities and weaknes'cs
"Wanda" shows all her strength and All mel
| faults The heroine q noble creature irancd ike
statue of pure womanhood. ia surrounded by theat-
RIGA, fripperes in place and people that degrade
ber n,eticallv and artistically We grow tired OF
: wonderful Libraries, OF castles OF tremendous ah
touity and gorgeous beauty, of priceless pearls and
marvellous lace of pictures always by the best old
masters of countless leagues of landed property
and of revenues-thev are always revennes-of i'm
meuss size 1t is all very well that Wanda should
possess these good things, but Ouida filings them ii
her readers face with the relish OF secondhand
dealer In articles de lure. The more beautiful II
seen TO be the nature OF the countess, the more
meretricious appear all these sharply accented ac
cessories that Will not allow themselves to be Tor
; gotten. One thing, however. must be said FOL
Wanda. while il is full of moral Illness II still
,,aseo,s and uuholds hiph idoal of clean-hearted