New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS,
THE NEW NOVELIST.

II needs little penetration to discover that the au-
thor of this story is experienced man OF letters,
but new novelist The art Of putting things with
point and precision, of expressing striking thought
SO neatly that the felicity of the terse phrase rivals
tie brightness of the idea of telling story clearly
and quickly and depicting various phases CT lie
and shades of character with few and vigorous
but careful strokes is not an accomplishment when
comes by natures II is the product of trained talent
Every page of the book shows the practised hand
of writer to wEom long use has made exact liter
ary expression easy and spontaneous as the con-
yersaton of some of those gifted takers who are at
once the delight and the envy of their associates
And in the STYLE there Is a charm whiCh nearly ali
noylces Iniss-a certain graceful and elusive melody
which depends upon variety In tho pattern aud
swing of the sentences. now writer is apt to ms
take either ccremonOus mOnotony for elegance or
excessive abruptncss for epiHam. The simple and
peasant cadences of The Bread-Winuers" remind
us of its hero, who wears his wc-cut clothes as
easily as self-respectng bird wears his feathers
If tho writer, however has obviously the habit of
writing we'll, he cannot have been In tho habit OF
writing novels. There are no other anonymous
fictions of this qua ty waiting for claimant; and
there is no acknOw lodged work which we can rea-
sonabIy attribute 10 the same pen. The indlEldu-
atty of tho story Is perfectly distinct we
may add that an experienced novei-wntef "ou'u
have made the book longer Some critics have OBJ
iected to it that the conclusion is unduy fastened
In our Judgment "Ihe BTcad-Winners" betrays no
lack of constructive ingenuity or sustained power
but it is laid out plan which would nave luSt-
fed larger treatment. Three lines Of narrative ana
three classes of society are connected ia the
plot hut thew touch each other briefly, ana
are ged from the catastrophe with rather
less trouble than professional nOvel-makor would
have thought appropriate; while the subordinate
personages who lit across the scene, Bott, furIey'
Temple Phrasy Dallas, 80 entertaining that one
half-resents their speedy disappearance But there
are few novels 70 which We can pay the compliment
of complaining that they are too short
The author has probably accomplished all that be
meant to do. He calls the book "a social study,
not a novel. Its most remarkable merit is the ex-
traordinary vividuess with which il presents three
strongly contrasted varieties of American life each
with an exactitude and dramatic diStlnctneSs
which seem to be the result OF close personal Obser
walton; and vet the refined society OF Algonquin
Avenue the "brothcrhoOds" of demagogucs and
strikers and the base world OF Miss Maud Matchln
are so far apart that ii is mystery how one
man could have studied them ALL Inc
creative dramatic faculty, however is sort
of clalryoyance which lays bare to an author
pbascs of experience which he has not actually ex-
nerienced and the inner character aud thoughts of
persons who have only brushed against him. Moth
inc could be more life-liko than the description OF
the meeting of the brotherhood Of Bread Winners,
the brutal and ignorant talk OF the professional
gaOrs tho rapinc and violence OF the great
strike the blatant spiritual medium the rascally
Irish mayor, the practical politicians, ana the
other dangerous elements ct our civilization. Inc
very force and truthfulness of these representa-
tons are enough TO for the book an honorable
tribnte of disapproval from newspapers which earn
l. U.hip DuN IyC borrow
of one of the BROTHERHOOD for the downfall OF the
money-powcr and the rehabilitation Of labor The
language of this class may DC borrowed from their
Journals and speeches: but the power OF realizing
il In the form of conversation is gift AKIN 10 that
of imagination The baseneSs of the secret society
reformers who shirk work by espOuSing the claims
of the wOrkingman TO "a little talrer DIVIDE is
strongly illustrated in the character OF Omit ana
the effect is heightened 10y the introduction OF the
honest old carpenter, Saul Matchln, who has not
r,nch 70 do with the story, but Is rs real az any OF
the prominent actors. IL one Of Ohtts talks with
Sam Sleeny there is fine touch which shows the
authors knack of illuminating speech or a de-
scription with an electric hasiL "'DoP cried
Omit we are goin' 70 make war on capital. we
are coin to scare the bood-sucker5 into terms we
arc goin' to get our rights-pcaceabIy, II we can
get them any other way" The humor OF this sud
den inversion is indescribsble; and what HOOD or
light il throws upon Outls ignorance an" "''"-
lence!
Temple. who is one Of the most brilliant
ideas of the book, is revealed TO Us in
n series of flashes Maud Matchin, who
is mar excellence the parsonage of the story, Is
dispIoved in one phrase of the first chapter. She
calls upon Arthur Famham and introduces hersch
TINS: MY name is Miss Maud Matchlu.' We
hardly need any further description OF the hand
some Inbred trivial, sordld, selfish, ambitious ig
porant hgh-school graduate who despISes her par
erts and their humble life, and longs Tor the higher
destiny of which she has gmpseS IN the society
papers Maud Matchin is q new figure III American
fiction. Everybody has seen her living counter
mart: but here for the first time the character IS
subjected TO a thorough dissection, and specimen
of morbid moral anatomy is exposed, which derives
n certain dreadful fascination from the fact that 1t
g. bv no means uncommon. The authors success In
penetrating the reCesses OF this girls mean ana
marrow mind, and catching the mixture OF sham
"stylishness" and essential vulgarity IN her talk
ond manners is the most signal instance Of that
power of realization which We have hkencd to the
creative faculty In the portraits OF the higher
class. Arthur Farnham and the Beldmgs, it is per-
hans enough to praise the writer's accurate o6Ser-
walton; though there are many delicate touches
here which remind us that the faithful observer is
often rejecting his own refinement. The lovely
image of Alice Bedding is beautifully drawn; and
there is an exquisite art in the indication OF dit
ference of quality between mother and daughter
as if the girl with the advantage OF an extra gener-
alton Of gentlcness and culture represented inner
tyne of soul and more perfect polish The man
agement of Aces participation IN the last chapters
is extremely pOetica and the conclusion is natural
and effective
We might mention many scenes which seem to us
particularly strong, but if we began such cata-
lopuo we should not know where TO stop The in
cdentss of the strike arc not told with as
much fulness as the plan OF the story