New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
NOVELS.

THE CRIME OF HENRY yANE' nm a ssaoy C Sa1I
scrbner's Sons
THE SAN ROSARIO RANCH BY MAUD HOWE
l6mo PIP. 800. Roberts Brothers
THE usURPER An Episode in japanese u History FTsnSa
by ABBY LANGDoN ALGER. l2mo' PIP JOS f'0''''
Brothers.
AT DAYBREAK. A Novel. BY A. sTELlNG' lolno
PIP $40. James r. Osgood q Co.
EusTIs. A Novel BY RonERr APrHoRr Borr'
l2mo PIP. $780, James r. ossooa " 0o'
The story by Mr.. Newell which STANDS mrs. Oh our
list is one of the curiosities of the season ouV per
hans its chief interest is not what the auVhoI sup
noses Il TO be- The plot Is slight ana lcosely pun
tocether The customary love business Is SO wv la
and has so little influence in the development OF inc
tale that it can be called no moro than an episode
The m,tiye-for it is a story with Philosophical
motve-s carefully elaborated. and certainly takes
hold Of the Imagination but the sort of fascination
which IL exerts is not pleasant one, ana we are
left in doubt at the end, not whether MT. NeWen
believes IN his hypotheses-tor OF course nc
aoes not-but whether he has amused himself ID de-
yising plausible series of phenomena or Is irving
10 befool his readers with burlesdne' lie lh'ro
duses us TO an Englshman who is study ing natulai
history in the wilds of Borneo, ana VINO peleNeS
tina, he has found in a remarkable orangoutan, the
,on,- so,obt missing link between man and monkey.
A scientific discussion of the peculiarites OF THIS
,reature and of the bearing of the development
theory of which it is supposed to furnish the maj
proof upon the problems of God and creation. Is
treated with funess and up to certain point Win
ingenuity But the denouement spols all Wheh
the missing link Oshonsee, turns ont to be not an
me nearly developed into man but man nearly
degenerated into an ape. the hybrid descendant Ill
the third generation of maniac irish OShaW-
nessv.-when the atheistically inclined naturalist,
ON discovering that his monkey is an example OF
evoution turned upside down, suddenly resumes
his faith in the Almighty and shows the consequent
imnrovement in his morals by becoming polite to
ladles.-we realize that this is a rather ponderous
travesty. ard that either Mr. Newell or his reader
must be obtuse-we are not sure which,
The best part of the story is its incidental oe-
soriptlon of life and scenery in Borneo. The action
takes place almost entirely in that picturesque part
of the world during the time of Rajah Brooke
s45,: and the strange aspects of tropical forests
thickly shaded rivers Dyak treevillages, barbarian
courts and Singapore civilization, are drawn IN
vivid coors. The character of Sir James BROOKE Is
handled with affectionate care and some OF the
striking incidents of his great career are well tod'
1t was a bold idea to bring an American family INTO
thus wild region of the Eastern seas and there to
mix them up with three Englishmen and an orang-
outan. but the daring venture may be called fairly
successfu and at any rate it has given the DOCK an
air of freshness and the stir of adventure. Even the
frequent historical dgressiOns, though they stay
the progress of the tale not tresome, they are
so much better than the tale ITSELF
We have called the book curiosity; TINS Is
partly on account of its motive but principally on
account of its style. 1t may be doubted whether
ANYTHING more remarkable than Mr. Newelfs Eng
lisb has been submitted to the nOvel-reader since
the making of novels became staple industry OF
our country. If there is something in the stllted
conversation of the actors which reminds us OF the
superiine dialogue of the Richardson and Miss
Burney period, there Is also a something so
scarcely describable" Ito borrow one of Mr. NeweIls
phrases in the authors manner when he speaks III
his own person, that can only illustrate 1t by
.pecimen. Thus. when Abretta being in love, weeps
in her mothers arms Mr.. Newell remarks:
There is n certain panied unrest, almost shocked
misgivng. for the heart OF mother az even INC
most delicatey inefable first warning, that yester-
DIS nerfectly assmulative oneness of the whole
child heart with it, is subtly ended ana forever.
In this eliminating unspOken confession from her
n weeping daughter that not yet selt-consclous
womanhOod's individuality of moral beng hau 50
Co. sunerseded childbood's implicit dependence, as
TO make mOmentarily instructive recurrence 70 the
latter torture of desparmg tears MIS- Elhng
ham that she had not before hat rea ca no
much the previously uneXerclsed lfdI's Vi AoIo''"'
inner nature were like her own
This Is undoubtedly fine still finer perhaps is the
statement that Colonel Daryl could scarcely have
explained to himself exactly why upon being
thrown again Unexpectedly into the company OF
peonle whose very associative suggestion had prevl-
well defiance he experienced sudden inclination
IN depreeatory peaeemaking.' In such tangled
tbckets of long words Mr.. Newell's readers fire.
nuently lose their way. The common thought Is
hidden by pOmpOus language and intrusive paren-
thesis He saws of fallen forest tree its shape is
uuickly lost in the luxurantly springing network
of its own bourgeoising parasites" and II we
knew what ever-bOurgeoslng parasites were we
dare say we should feel like using these terms 10 de-
scribe some of our authors sentences. The follow
ing extract is rather long; but it is such signal
example of bad English, of style made vulgar by
strut and obscure by an effort to be grand, that we
must take leave to publish 1t;
ANY continuous verbal freedom of an educated
man with illiterate speakers OF his native language
tends gradually, 10 the depravlty OF MS own
hnguaf usages and corresponding Relaxation IN
his habtua dignity of thought. And tDls lnsldlOus
intellectual unrehnement IS IN proPOiodf 90 oia
scarcely cognzant victims magnanlmlIy Oh sVcis
instinct II he is too generously considerable 10
make his humble associates perpetually CONSCIOUS
of their contrasting Ignorance ne VIII WlttIugiS
adopt their rude, careless forms OF expression
in ordinary conversation with them and thus un,
Willingly, contract WEAKNESSES OF speech caIcualeu
10 infect average silent thinking with the same
coarse degeneracy. But with foreign language as
The medium of colloquy, and foreign customs to be
familjarly tolerated there are an inevitable natural
guardedness of dction and graduation OF fanil-
lsrity, whereby educated mental 4SDH Is nat t
alist could affiliate domesticany with community
of aniable barbarians without depreciation Oh Ills
finest civilized intellectualities
One might think that Mr. Newell had been guard
ing against "depravity of his lngual usages" by
exercising continuous verbal freedom" with no
less eminent master of fine language than the i'm
posing Mr. Johnsing," who sits in the middle OF
the row of Ministries and resting the banjo grace
fully on his knee addresses the most carefully
chosen dictionary words TO ignorant Brother Bones
and frivolous Sambo Surely it is only with this
great creature that the author of There Was Once
aManD can meet on equal terms. and can indulge