New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-21
middle of false sentiment, he may as well be lett


PIP 20s Houghton, Milin a Co.
The greater part of this pretty volume consists OF
, | the charming papers IN which Mr.. Burroughs re
Gently wrote for The atlantic Monthly an account OF
some of his random wanderings in England. To
these essays he has added cnapter on the sea vny
| orc and critical remarks upon Carlyle when
will be appreciated by tho warnest admirers of the
prophet and philosopher. even although they may
not be obviously in place among the stories of fresh
fields. Nobody has described the aspects of nature
in England better than Mr. burroughs. He APP
preached the theme with the eye and training of n
naturalist and the IMAGINATION of poet and one Is
mt n loss which to admire the more the accuracy OF
his catalogue of phenomena or the exquisite SYM
pathy with which be touches the inner spirit of n
country 50 different from his and got so like It,.
| In his pages made to understand for the first
time just where and why the trees the woods, the
rocks the turf of the old country unlike those OF
| the A Hunt for the Nightingale" we re-
| member from the time of its appearance I'm the
| magazine, as n delightful example of the authors
| hest manner and we are glad of the opportunity to
| read again an essay full of sentiment and zest
| We say so full of sentiment and yet it should he
remembered that Mr. burroughs is never sent-
mental. healthy although elegant simplicity is
one of the greatest charms Of his thought and his
| style.
| There il passage in the essay on English
| Woods which confess that we have read with
some surprise at is noteworthy" says our author
that there il little no love of woods such in
English poetry; no fond mention of them and
dwelling upon them. The muse of Iritain's rural
poetry has none of the undergraduates and furtive-
ness of the sylvan crcaures she is rather gentle
| wholesome. slightly stupid divinity of the fields"
| And In confirmation of this remark he refers par
| tcularly to Shakespeare. Surely this ia wrong. Is
there not tho very breath and flavor of the woods In
"As You Like It"i DO we not look through aisles
| of lacins bouvls in "A Midsummer Nights Dream"
| aud delight IN tho dance of sunshine and shadow
| over tho green plot aud tho hawthorn brakci True.
there Ia no lavish description here, either of tho
| forest Of Arden ~ uf the wood near Athens but
there Il somethiha better aud to TIA u Herms i'm
posaible to read thcae plays without al vivid CON
apiousneH, of tho widerr,nd hyl,ah divinity that
ono inaat long H. rush forth aud Join hef
pooTon dRArfAN, a Novel ~ william A. HAM
| MIMI, iln0,, ~, ~ u Appleton 4 Co
| Dr. llammonda second novel exhibits most of tho
| qualities whoh made the success OF his first, EIke
| Lai" it Is an interesting story; and nobody who
has read the Introductory chapters will feel like
putting 1t aside until no has gone to the end. Like
| Lal,' also, it deals with scenes and characters
which, IL not absolutely fresh. lilo outside the over
| worked fields of fiction The action takes place in
| a village on the southeastern edge of tho Adron-
| dack Wilderness somewhere near Elizabethtown ::
| and there in the society of the mountains and tho
| woods, arc introduced to physician accom-
pshed and intellectual that, as in the case of his
prototype, the friend and benefactor Of Lal," we
| wonder how he came to exile himself from the
centres of thought and knowledge. He is a free
thinker, student of the physiology and phenomena
of the mind. and lover Of literature; and at the
| period of the story he is writing novel. He has
strong opinions the subject of The irctic Monthly
| and IT, young man who also Is writing story he
utters a warning against that periodical. For
Heavens sake. don't let him send his story to The
| Arctic That magazine lives up to its name: it is
frozen tight against all but its little band OF
authors and their imitators If Wills story has any
| robustness in it, they won't take it. They only
+ want the namby-pamby stun of Campus aud Martis
and Baldwck and Mulder and such like, who write
good English by the square foot about nothing"
| singuarly maladrot commentary upon this passage
| is furnished by the publishers of " Dr.. Grattan"
who print among the prcss-notices of Lal" at the
| end of the book, highly uncOmplimentary judy
mont from The atlantic Monthly. Formally DR..
| IIammonds present novel is constructed with refer
ence to the lave affairs and other fortunes OF Dr.
Grattan and his daughter Cynthia Really it, sub
| ect is a history and an explanation of the insane
decisions of tho doctors friend AMI patient. John
Lamar. The narrative is very well DONE the details
|
and the dramatic incidents being ngeiousy
! devised and ceverly introduced 1t must
be confessed, however. that in the manage
| mcnt of what ia commonly known As plot DR. Ham
| monl shows little skill Lamlr's insanity does not
really affect tho OF the story and il its
natural course by the time the book is hall-nished
The mystery Of his death, which seems to promise
some sensational disclIsure mt the last is never
planned; and the final solution of the difficulty
about his property 50 clearly iOre.halOwed from
| the stlrt that no experienced noye-reader can
| cherish any doubt about it. We are thrown back
then, for our entertainment almost entirely upon
| the description Of Llmlr's state Of minl Here wc
| need hardly say, DR.. Hammond is M homo; and he
has described very curious form # m'ut Il disorder
not only with the ample knowles e OF IN expert.
| but with measure of literary apt tule which
| do not often iinl in amateur noyciists.
| Dr. HanmonVi theory of novel-wrting is cx-
planel in page devoted to the reflections Of his
| hero. Grattan
IIc could have run of strings of the inspid stuff
| which has recently. becausc il is grnnmaticH and
| rhetorical brrn lYulcd 10 the skies by narrow
| cotcrie as srgmrnts 81 the long looked ior Am ri
| cam novel" lie could have i1il great deal about
nothnq as cln most iuan That hatc iecoigol good
rt,,roso NJ +, ZION. liz thorpif fho mil7ina,ion h
the nrit uionta facility ~ Is. brought iuio nnv IN
ihr combination of tIc notrl prt hr b,linvrl fhit
no 0nc nio h1s ro' +'i GREAT tlrii " ~ n All i
| iit4 irra- ran.fi .n.na.s = ~ 'if. akiwr
| etp, Niit Hr hiiNntntr H'W1uiH0 H'r' - ~ cHr.
| itrri irt W4rt rirla ntNl 81 i".i1 ~ HNi Nih1
HtA u iih''lH3 N M .'''r e'l., l.f l"9'tE
| o. .4 t..l4a V.~ tAi 49, fN, NN4' 'fi li3 tNfA
tist Ili a.ih.'' y. M. YiW'na, 3Mtl.''iN"-s
| himcd le,. thet showed ihii ~ .a3 uwif %
| admit ihat, bal u vas thn ptt 0i ahiil i!al ihe
| ru,lakug aui alip-N,ier Uuptll,d' le dluist da
| pla,s tha, mlha, p t,,musie! AoDty aui Natnuh
| intlr oHt col co.k. Ills productions ale pretty 10
| look at for moment or TWO, ut 40 oue cares 30
| uut nne uf them among his artistic treasures on