New-York tribune., 1884-11-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
PPc.NT FICTION.

RECENT FICTION.
DARK DAYS. By lIuca CoNwM e. HENRY !; rvrfl Holt
m eisure Hour series l6mo. PIP 20. hein! iA''
A MATTER OF TASTE A Novel BY. ny GEoTsE ,I,sn H.
WIN ROCK A Tale OF Two Seasons. BY wANDERsR
ismo IN. $50, llo New YORK: Printed ior '"e
Author. =,
rur ARMoUREI's PRENTtCEs BY CHARLOTTE NJ.
YoNoE l2mo. PIP. XII, SIS. Macmillan 70
The extraordinary popularity achieved by Hugh
Conway's Called Back" will secure readers ior
the new story from the same pen. Those wpo per
severe in spite of the sombre and depressing 'n'ro
dution will be rewarded by stirring and ingenious
narrative Of trouble. perplexity ana hnai happ'
ness. somewhat overloaded with mental distress
but sufficiently rapid IN action and clever IN con-
siruction. The conclusion is brought about Win
n remarkably effective stroke of surprise. lhe
book will certainly not take a permanent pace III
literature but il has the merit of telling short
story well enough to pique curiosity
"A Matter of Taste" is styled novel, but it has
email claim to be considered anything more than
n sketch. the characters being shadowy the incl
dents slight and vague and the movement haitlhg'
In one of the subordinate personages' Aic'a iai,
cote Mr.. Picard came near drawing distinct ana
individual figure bat he didmiss that success after
all.
avid Rock" is n crude piece of work worthy OF
notice because il deals with a serious socia ana
poitical problem-the relations of whites and
blacks at the South Bourbon intolerance negro
superstition. the crimes of secret organizations
akin 70 the Ku-Kux frauds upon the ballot. tray
,sties of instirf political murders are exhibited III
the sensational pages; aud the wiiter whose ob-
ject see ns rather 10 have ben 10 set fofth the
sta,e of affairs than Us sustain party or to sug-
rest a remedy drops the subject at last IN doubt
nnl arsranienev What he tells u.s. bowever Is
too Significant ~ he iofroiten'
Miss yense's latest work is ~ historical tale of
,he reign Nl iienft VII. aaa The othpt imMoeihe
weiksWt The saiNe class " 70 W be enhseied less ~
a sIaff than "a pipiNie W ell 'ihirs' sue has
maie sa "a hsnsiivp sluiv 0f antiquarian authorities
tg the paFpase vt eEhhiiHg the iim ei ihe ha'ahef
class ~ Lenipa IA eags iuiaf days, ana W hei
preiaoe she refers 60 the various sources iem Wheh
she has derived her vivid illustrations IN liMhias
Moore, Cardinal Wolsey and Dean Noiei hguie III
the book; aud much ~ made OF the mutterings of
religious ssent which preceded the formal rupture
between England and the Roman See.
Lectures at the Concord school OF fhllosorhY'
Edited by +. b. sASnORN. l2no pp. AAll'' Al"
James r. Osgood a Co.
CThe exercises at the Concord School of Philosophy
during the summer of 1854 were devoted almost
entirely to Emerson; and in authorizing inc
secretary of the institution Mr.. Sanborn, TO re-
port them in this volume the school makes the first
formal publication of its proceedings under its own
responsibility. 1t certainly fitting that an
official record of these lectures should he ma lc;
for Emerson was intimately concerned IN the estao-
lishment of the school. and has always been. and
probably long will be its guiding and informing
spirit All the speakers whose utterances are here
brought together his loving and admlrng dis
ciplcs and in their various ways of looking at MS
work and life we can see how powerful ana now
varied was the influence which Emerson exercised
upon diversity of minds. DR.. Bartol, for example,
finds in Emerson great religious teacher. MI
Sanborn assigns him a high place among the poets,
and draws striking comparison between hIm ana
GRAY. with especial reference to the recent crti-
cisms of Matthew Arnold. Mr. Edwin II. Mead
makes systematic examination of Emcrsons
ethics Mr. William I. Harris, in three careful
papers treats Of his Philosophy OF Nature. his
Oricntallsm, and his Relation to Goethe and
CARLYLE. Mr. c. W. Cooke considers his view of
Nationality A French View of Emerson is pre-
sented, in the French language. by NJ. Rene de
Poyen Beile!sle who sets himself the task OF look
ing at Emerson as poet and one OF the greatest
of all poets but wandering great deal from his
text is much less elective than Mr.. Sanborn
Protap Chunder Mozoomdar. accepting an invita-
tjon TO tell us Emerson is looked upon IN lndia
leaves us under the impression that India knows
very little about him. Aspects OF Emerson are CON
sidsred bv Julian Hawthorne Miss T.. L. Peabody.
Mrs f. D. Cheney, and Mrs. Julia Ward Howe; and
there are poems old and new, and extracts from the
diaries of A. b. Alcott. Such beng the table OF
contents it is hardly necessary to say that the
book embraces highly interesting and sometimes
brilliant account OF what may be termed. IN no
invidous sense the EmersOnlan cult. 1t is obvious
that the arrangement which has called forth a
glowing aud comprehensive tribute precludcd the
possibility of "a genuine criticism. To each writer
was assigned that division of the subject whlch ex
hibited Emerson in closest sympathy with the
writer's own ideas and temperament. while it was
nobody's province to consider Emersons llmlta-
tons The result is a series of unqualified euloges,
for which possibly no one of the contributors
would care TO be wholly responsible. This defect,
however is inseparabe from tlp plan of the volume,
and it will do harm if the reader will bear In
mind lust what the volume is. memorial composed
in the spirit of reverence and affection
THE CREOLEs OF LOUISIANA. BY GEORGE W.
CABLE. evo. PIP. tx, 800. Charles scr1bners Sons
This attractive illustrated book is not exactly
what its title would iead one to expect 1t Is SUBJ
stantiay q sketch of the history of New-Orleans
from its foundation to the Rebellion, and with 1t
eome account of the early political affairs of the
whole of Louisiana The ttle however. has more
or less justification in the fact that The author
instead of confniDg himself to the chronicle of
public events has written with q special regard
to tn. history Of the Creole population, showing
how II was formed. hCw it acquired It's peculiar
character and how it promoted or retarded the de-
yelopment of the curious city w1ich has been its
chief seat. la many respects the story OF New
Orleans exhibits a quality OF romance which Is
acking in nearly all o:her American annals. The