New-York tribune., 1884-12-08
NEW PUBLICATIONS
rNCENr FICTION.


o1rrlIE An Eighteenth Century Idyl Ry yErSGS Sin
irE So. svo. up. 100. London; l. tlshef o""i"'
New York: scrnner, wexford x Co.
on A MARGIN l2mo. pm. 1l6. rorls' Howard q
syw,NEE RIVER TALES. Bv SHERWOOD BoNSeR'
Ijmo up. xii. 303, Roberts Brothers.
Tho idea upon which " rhe Making of a Man Is
fonnded is not novel, but there Is an agrcc"o'0
freshness i'm the manner of ITS Developments III 'Io
treat,nent of the details and in the exhibition II
not the conception. of the characters lhrimore
tbe central figure Of the story, has been brifant
,o,nlor sensational and wholly unsplritnai
preachcr and has lost his church as we'll as MS
clerical standing Ivy the sud len dissolution OIL the
congregation. The immediate cause ot the catas-
trophe is not clearly explained; we are allowed 10
infer that Mr. lhirmorcs religious preten'iphs
collapsed because they never had substantial
foundation, When the story opens he has trieh
farming. without success. and has lost what niue
. moral fibre he ever possessed. become rnde anu
sel6sh and forfeited the respect and sympathy "i
bis wife This is the man who is to be inade we
do nut say remade. because he was nearly worth
lees from the beginning, nnd only the aeehent " "
,fansitnrv prosperity gave him respectanhnN
,.h,.h hn di1 not deserve That vii rh made him
was the war VI The liphelliun lie thteiel the
army, wnn distinction, and retired with hieh ihhh
aud h.uersbie Wounds ta . harpV home The has
tsfa at tho Influences which wrought ihn stHat
,btnAa "a him 10 Rnt na sitispy explained, hhl hnh'
ws thnk, Nc hater ieaVes an onanlha iof ofit''
esmi fhrlnore is not preseniai as tyne ef
pluotisu. aud tho mere thllsi inf glory ana eh"'-
priso is not enough t0 account loi ala inial oeNd
ton The story of his army career however, Is All
mirably told the narrative has fascinating force
and impetuostyi and variety oil iiielho anu
strlkina figure, crowd the bnstng scene some ot
The subsidiary personages are delightful creations
The rustic Captain Cirumblcs vain General Gilmore
anl Thirlmoro's faithful scout are especially good
But the interest of the story lies quite as much on
the farm as on the field of war; and while the eX-
preacher is developing his latent good pua'i'ies
under fire. we are presented with parallel plSthre
of the making of a woman " at home KeilulouS
and moral forces are more obviously employed IN
mouding the charac of Mrs. Thrlmore into hero
ism than in the renoyHion OF the husband; out
they are employed with discreet economy whlch
even leaves little vagueneSs We are not sure nut
that the domestic and farm scenes form the most
artistic portion of this in genious and striking mover
In the dldactic novel " Dorcas' the scene
of which is laid in Rome at the beginning
of the fourth century, the author OF Arlus inc
Iibyan" exhibits some theories OF ecclesiastical
history which are no likely to meet with serious
consideration. lie asserts that in the primitive
Christian church, thai is to say the church before
Constantine the rule of life strcdy
communistlc democracy; that private property
was absolutely forbidden; that no Christian was
allowed 10 bear any cause whatever, or III
. pont of fact ever had borne arms that ali men
wee absolutely free and equal socially and
politically so that neither slavery nor the author
ity of any civil rulers could be recognized without
sin: that no emperor woud have been received into
the BODY of the faithful unless he had first alb
dicated: aud that the accom- no lation between the
church and the secular power at the accession OF
Constantine was tsle victory of Anti-Chrlst Inc
edlct of Milan. by which Constantine restored to
the Christians the churches and other property
which had been taken from them during the
prosecutions, was such signal demonstra-
tion of the unholy alliance with Auti-ChrSt that
small congregation OF believers, whom Slr Konns
has shown us in the Caiacombs percelving that
the whole Christian constitution of the common
church was subverted. and State religion, or &C.
cIesasticism. submitted for IT," cmlgraed TO an
island uot named, but presumably the Isle OF Man,
aud there maintained for while the only pure
Christianity left in the world. During the next
century however. even tins remnant coniormed
10 the ecclesiastical system established
by Constantine, and admitted private
property rights. " Then the Kingdom OF
Heaven ceased everywhere earth and 1t
has never been re-established. II can hardly be
necessary to say to anybody acquainted with
church history. that the authors statements re-
specting the beliefs aud discipline OF the early
Christians are certainly false; that while a com
muuity of goods was established at times and to
certain g xtent the right of holding and transmit
ting pr 'perty not questioned; that the au-
tbo,itv of the civil rulers was expressly main
tanned and that there were thousands of devont
Christians serving IN the Roman armies. When
y writer undertakes to illustrate. even by the
tb, aid Of A novel, what he calls " the sociology
aud politios Of the Kingdom of Heaven" his
Rrst duty s 10 stick to the facts. The avowedy
triitnus portions uf tho story are not So Eood that
We ieei inclined to uvetlook the Fundamental false-
bnnd of the ostpnsiblv histofica portions, The
atyie 10 curious medley of patteihsl ahd the
fouttb century disen ssuns of buieas aud hei oui=
rannns aie spotted Ia rather dfoll way Wiih
woids and phrases 0f strictly modein i'se, hHeh
as "snooloey,' "eoalesiasiieisin" "seehlaiiAa-
ton" oonmunisin," liberty, equality aud ira
temlty,n aud " the brotherhood OF man.
-" Ottilie" which was Published in London
in 1851 is said to have been written when
the author was thirteen years OF age We can
hardly believe thai it is such very immature pro-
duction as that but il is undoubtedly youthful
ESSAY in literature which would never have arrived
at the dignity of a printed book except for the
popularity of Miss Pagets later writings. 1t would
have made clever magazine story; II Is too slight
piece Of work for volume
-" On Margin" apparently written by
somebody who knows less about literature
than stocks. Nothing could be more abb
surd than the story, which is as desti-
tute of reason and Conference nightmare
but the author probably hopes TO hold his readers
by wildly exaggerated picture of gigantic opera
tons in Wall Street complicated with lobby
schemes in Washington To heghtcn the effect ho
introduces a few historical Incidents aud number
of real persons, the latter figuring under fictitious