National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-12-20
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

LllCODIlS VT NJ Dl-NO4ND LIZ hihSliNuh
and English Experionccs; BY, ANTONIO
GALLESGA IL. MuriottiD Philadelphia: j.
B. Lippincott & Co. Washington: w IL
Morrison.
Biography, dull enough generally, be-
comes interesting when every third name
of associate or friend, instructor or pupil,
is one which tho world recognizes;
whether to honor or disgrace matters not.
crowd" we would fain know from those
who stand nearer whether tits stature or
prop which makes them noticeable?
The volume before us certainly con-
tains whatever of reflected light may
have fallen upon its writer's path Qor he
can hardly be called its author) from as
ISOLATION. wpen Emerson, Claiming,
Everett, MarEaret Fuller. Longfellow,
page, We feel constrained to see if such
names in youth were borne by just such
as We. Amiable garrulity is the prevail
ing characteristic; always well meaning,
sometimes trivial, but seldom imperti-
nent; our interest is generally alive in
spite of some dull pages. Absolute can
dor is very refreshing, and our semi
historian differs from the rest of man.
kind. not In having more conceit than
they, but in owning to the fact which
we try to conceal. Which of us would
like to say Of his own efforts,
"My fair friends of Casa Pierce did
their best to keep up my spirits, and suf-
practice, whole cantos of Child Harold
and the Lay of the Last MINSTREL till
/ set their teeth on edge. Every one as
sured me my pronunciation was wonder
fully good as they invariably added, for
foreigner" And afterward, in speaking
of Lytton's novel, Ernest Maltravers'
Had 1t not been printed before the author
had heard anything of me. should have
thought that he had read me through and
through, and had me before his minds
eyo in his creation of his weak minded
Italian, Cesarini--a character evidently
meant as a set-of to the storner and
loftior English type of Maltravers, in
which the novelist had more or less con-
sciously portrayed himself" yet 1t is diff
cult to say whom this hits hardest.
, Rather a keen observer, too Is this
"Eye-talian" as no denominates himself
more than once, and his occasional re-
marks on men and things are not the less
amusing when they cut a bit. Unsparing
is ho in his condemnation of the French
novelist, Do Kock, Sand, Dumas, Sue. and
Balzac, and, just in passing. good natur-
edly boxes tho ears of n greater man by
calling him the HISTORIAN Thiers, de-
cidedly the greatest romancer Of them
alp
Perhaps a certain little class would do
we'll could they profit by an Unbiased
opinion Of "Ouida" most frankly express
sed In chapter seven. And If Irritation
has changed much since 1887, 10 is poorly
described by our author, after speaking
thus:
"To me, accustomed hitherto to the
jealous, half Oriental ways of italian,
French, and Spanish society, the bound
less freedom allowed to females in gem
eral, aud especially to girls in their teens,
at their peril and upon their own re-
sponsibility, seemed at first as strange
and incomprehensible as ii was pleasant.
| was always wondering what results such
intimacy might lead to, and it was only
by deeper initiation into the affairs Of
the little community that learned how
thoroughly, both by her own instincts
and by her neighbors example, a Yankee
girl 10 taught to take care of herself and
to look to tho main chance, drawing a
broad distinction between Irritation and
business"
Tho musician will note that our friend
suggested to Donizett the plot of his
Lucia" Up llS). The damsel interested
IN ho-chLleu falrh' might nnu s0me-
thing newer than the "Postofiice" whom
she learns that the antiquated scheme
was In use In 1870 1l3). Tho volume
is a find" for one of literary tastes not
all good, not the sort to read straight
through, but disconnected enough to
pick up and dabblo in, with a general re-
suit of an increase Of information and
some amusement, at least. Disagreoable
enough in the fact of freely printing
names Of those past solf-defenso, not al
ways candid with others as with himself,
yet there is nothing In the book to cali
forth the unsparing condemnation SO
freely given 1t by some Of tho newspa-
pers.
Two musicians discussed composition
of one of them. Said one THAT phrase
ought to DO written thus" Answered
the other; "You write one, and write il
SOD