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

THE
Anstsv sss0s. q ~ vhols. the most likely
10 approach The front fAAk among writer's q
ncsi0n.
II the novels which hAvs followed Mr..
Isaacs" In swift succession. Mr.. y. MAAIor
CRAWFORD has BY NO means demonstrated .
capacity Of growth. The capital purpose Of
fiction 10 10 interest the reader. and. properly
speaking. . dull novel IL no novel N oil. What.
evsr exceptions might b taken 70 " Mr.. Isaass"
no one could say that It waa dull; on the con.
trary. no novel Of its year was more successful
In exciting and claiming the attention OF tho
reader. In this respect DIR. Claudius" and
To Lesward" showed falling Of. and Mr..
Crnwiords latest story. A Roman Singer
(Houghton. Nifiin b Co... will retain but rem
nant Of the audience which the author secured
by his hrss venture. IL 10 impossible 70 ie0
much Interest In the italian opera singer who
posss - the hero Of the tale. or In the young
German lady who succumbs To the spell which
tenors are popularity supposed 70 exercise
over empty-hsaded persons OF tho fseblsr sex
The only person In the story who stimulates
aoms curiosity 10 . Russian Hebrew who at
fret SCENE invested with little Of tho strange
ness and mystery which snvslopod Mr.. Isaacs
suppose that this singular being will turn out
to b our old Acquaintance. the Wandering
Jew. but he proves In tho end to b nothing
moro imposing than an Israelite lunstic. On
the whole. we should inicr from the intellectual
poverty disclosed In "A Roman Singer" that
Mr.. Crawford has exhausted the store OF cx-
perience and reflection on which ho drew 10
Mr. 1saacs." and that he might do we'll to lot
his mind lie fallow for time and patiently ap-
ply himself to the accumulation OF fertilizing
material.
Tho San Rosario Ranch. by MAuDH HOWE
tRoberts Drothers) would bs described In the
region which II purports to depict ~ IN at
tempt to jump Bret Hartss claim. It IL ia
vorits device Of Californis's great novelist to
place . oonsummate type Of feminine accom-
plshment and faseination-s graduate Of Vas
sar. for example. or the hiRh-bred daughter Of
rough diamonds Of human nature encountered
among the miners and gamblers Of the Pacific
coast. The studied refinement and elegant
msnnsra OF these feminine sxemplsrs Of At
lsntic culture 10 alleged TO produce an impres.
sion OF such intensity ~ 70 persuade the fierce
yet susceptible Californian 70 pretormit his
homioldal habits and indulge In the unwonted
luxury OF q wash" Pondorlng over the effective
use which Mr.. Harte has made Of tho contrast
above outlined. the author Of San Rosario
Ranch" has committed the blunder OF assuming
that even more picturesque and startling
effects would b attained By hsightening ono
term OF the comparison. sho has chosen.
therefore. for hsP heroine . young
woman 20 suprsmely cultured that. IN her eyes.
a graduate OF Vassar would seem Q shop girl.
and Blue Grass bslls kitchen weneh. The
young woman whom she places on CAliior.
mia ranch. although an American BY blood. has
boon reared In Venetian pslaoe. and 10. We
are assured. quito saturated With the taates
and traditions Of tho Italian Renaissance.
Naturally . person Of this kind II she consent
ed 10 transient exile In California. would In.
sist upon carrying with her some OF the atmos-
phere In which she had been brought up. She
arrives 1t the ranch sccordingly. with . lot Of
great trunks containing . motley collection OF
articles. for example. pictures. "alargs Eastern
carpet" . maJoiica shrine With figure Of Snn
Antonio. . "desp-husd EGYPTIAN scarf" q
parchment illuminated missal Of tho fifteenth
century. . sot OF deliostsly wrought siiken
window and bed hansinEs OF pale soA color"
. pair Of heavy silver eandelabra. with pom
dsrous packet Of wax tspsrs. and an old copy
Of Dants With "mouse-gnswed cover"
These treasures having bsen disposed
around . chamber Of the frame building
occupied By the rsnchsro's family. II have
made II . little like Venice" cried Miliioent
sxcitedlv. "oniy the walls 10 my bedroom there
are hung Ia silk. and all painted In wstor
eolor"' Tho @sthetie absurdity OF placing Q
person like this on . California ranch lies. OF
course. In tho fact that nobody could got near
enough to hor plane Of experience and senti-
mept to understand her. The author evades
the dineulty By invsnting hero altogether as
ineongruous and impossible as tho heroine
What. indeed. 10 more grotssausly inconesiv-
able than . San Francisco paintsP. whose pic
lures ought. va are assured. TO bs conspicu-
ously hung ON the walls OF the Paris Salon or
the London Academy. and who. mean WHILE
though not adequately appreciated By tho
native patrons Of art. still earns such a hand
some income that he 10 able to pass his holi-
days on . ranch Of bis own1 Tho simple
truth 10 that neither the hero nor tho heroine
OF San Rosario ranch has anything In common
with the scenes and persons among which th9y
are placed. In Bret Hsrtes stories ct least
one OF his protagonists IL always raoy OF the
Californian SOIL but the chIef persons OF Miss
Howss romsncs romind us too forcibly that
colum. non amman. musaut aul Trans mare ourrunt
The reputation Of Mr.. II. D. BLAcxMoRs.
firmly grounded as II has seemed to DO. can
hardly survive many injuries like that inflicted
BY 7bmmv Upmore lHarpers). THIS book
processes to recount the adventures Of young
man, distinguished by such extraordinary
| phyaical lsvity and buoyNncy - to possess at
certain timos OF emotional excitement tho
power OF flight. Some of tho incidents mar
rated arc amusing. and tho dialogue Is always
bright. but the polemicsl purpose Of the writer
10 too patent The result Ia that the author
falls bctweon two stools. having succcsdod In
producing neither q satisfactory novel nor an
effective political satire. It IL = pity that .
man Of Nj. Blsckmore's clevsrnsss should have
wasted time In trying to fuse things which are
| essentially Incompatible. He has made 1t clear
no doubt. that he does not approve OF Mr.
dlsdstohs's Egyptian policy. but he could have
told us that in lstter to the 7imes. As II 10.
hs hes taught the great body OF novel readers
to eye his future books With suspicion. having
undertaken to lecture them In Al even more
palpabls and oflcious way than that adopted
BY Dicksus In Bleak House" and Charles
Reade In Very Hard Cash."
job" Holdsuorth. Chief Nate fHarpersl 10 the