The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-07-13


bred people 10 New York and Newport This
book 10 not oesa 70 the ositieisM which y
commonly proAounced on most Of the attempts
10 deal with the came thems namely. that the
authors know but little Of society. specifically
% called. and are compelled 70 evolve IT. man
ners and customs out Of their inner conscious
nsss. This 10 90 far from boing true Of" Tink.
ling Cymbsis ~ that Il might not bs difilcult
for too inquisitivs reader 70 divine The very
person whom the author had In mind In skstch-
Ing this or that particular character We would
not. Of course. imply that Mr.. Fawcett 10 guilty
Of the bad taste Of photographins his acQuaint-
ancss. and the suggestions TO which We alludo
are. no doubt. Involuntary. IL Ia only. more
over IN the background or the middle dis
tanee that those familiar types encounter US;
the characters In the foreground are In strct
sense works OF art Tho true dramatic faculty
makes issslt islt on his canvas; he 10 not sat-
isnsd. ~ Mr.. Wilkio Collins 10. with telling you
that his heroine IL beautiful and amiable. and
his hero strong and honorable; no has the gift
Of making the reader like the one and respect
the other.
This supreme Gift Of provoking . lively In.
tefest In the persons Of his story and even
warm attachment for them. was conspicuous
In "Guerndslc. but It Is notioeably lacking In
Crime Of Henry Vans tScrbnsrs). The writer
seems conscious that his book IL rather .
Psychological disQuisition than an entertain
Ing narrative. for he terms 1t "a study with
moral" Now. II 10 sufficiently annoying TO
have . moral foisted on you after An hours
diversion. but TO DO cooly hidden In advance to
search for ono IL the reverse OF encouraging It
10 true that Balzac had why Of giving somo
OF his novels solemn titles. and OF pro.
Tossing "a approach his work as philosopher
rather than IN artist. but he never failed TO
pipue curiosity and control the renders sym
pathies. II IA a fatal objection TO the book be-
fore US that tho writer abuses tho philosophers
privilege Of dulness. We cannot bring our
solves to care 4 straw other about Henry Vane
or tho young woman who jilts him. and a. TO
troubling ourselves to draw moral" from .
study" In which We fail to feel the slightest
interest. life 10 far too short for such q futile
waste Of energy The only definite sensation
which this book 10 likely to excite In the read.
er's mind 10 certain languid wonder how II 10
possible to follow an author through 200 pagos
cuminRtin9 In an incident 40 tragioal - sui
eide. and yet not experience . trace OF SYM
patty for the idiotic fellow TINT destroys him
solf or for the Insignificant creature for whose
sake no blows his brains out.
All the novels OF which We have thus far
spoken. however they may difYor in respect OF
interest and artistic merit. arc at lenst penned
by persons OF education. who know what good
English means. and who would shrink from
printing solcoisms. We cannot say as much
for Stage Struck. BY BLANCHE ROOSEVELT tFords.
Howard 4 HUBERT This book purports to ro-
count the experience In Europe OF one Of the
silly girls who. because they have triumphsd
In village choir or at country concert. i'm
to- Nkak o hat t,ttf IL estw
they can qualify themselves for tho phenomenal
successes OF the operate stage. How they fail.
why they fail. and what ugly forms their failure
often takes 10. to most readers twice told tale.
though We know OF no reason why the author
OF Stage Struck should not repent It. pro-
vided she can set forth her experiences In
tolerabie literary form. But this. unhRppily.
sho 10 incompetent to do. Almost every pnge
OF this volume 10 disfgured by grammatical
blunders or vugaritiss Of idiom. which may be
tolerated 10 the colloouiai speech OF tho far
West. but which we are not accustomed to 500
reproduced In print. unless 1t IL the authors
avowed purpose to regalo us with study In
dialect. II 10 not worth while to disouss tho
other defects OF this volume. since 1t lacks tho
fundamental eredential OF bcing written in
English good enough to DO admitted to tho
columns OF . Now York daily newspaper.
VuoT0 WnOtu6t toC0nb novel 1UOut Wnlcu
some unpleasant truths ought to DO spoken.
unless book notices ars to be universally dis
credited a. mere indiscrininnts pufYs We
refer to An Average Man. by Mr.. RoBEnT GRANT.
which was first published as o serial In tho
Crnhtrv Magazine. and which 10 now reprinted
by ]. n. Osgood d Co. This Ia the nimsiest
place Of work that has been admitted to the
columns OF the periodical mentioned since 1t
passed into tho hands Of the present oditors.
Tho author has none OF tho qualifications
which We have = right to look for In a
novelist He hns not tho knowledge
OF human nature which comes from a
wide experience OF the world nor does no
give evidence Of an adequate acquaintance
with what 10 technically called society. Even
his knowledge OF books IL OF the Interestingly
shallow and sef-complacent character witch
We are accustomed TO associate with new
fledged graduates. The persons Of his tale are
mechanical puppets devoid OF verisimilltuds
and Individuality. The attempts at humor arc
Of feeble and sbortive kind. and although the
writer Ia. we infer. u graduate OF Harvard. he
has not learned to write good English nor to
prune his speech OF some rank YankeeismR.
Bosk Notes.
Tho Smithsonian Institution has published In
thin volume the Myths OF the Iroluois" by Ermnuie
4. Smith. Its valuable and Instructive collection of
Indian legends They ars appeared In tho report 1t the
Bureau Of EthnolOgy for 1884, hut glad 10 have
them In this separate form.
Messrs r. D. Peterson Brothers have published three
additional novels belonging to tho serss Of ronaness
suggested by Dumas's Montc Crtsto. They are The
Wife Of Monte Cristo" "rho Son OF Monte Criso" and
"The Countess Of Monte Cristo."
hJ W. steele 10 the author of To Mexico BY Paisos