The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-04
JAMES AND HowRLLs.
lCorr. SprinT6eld Republican,

| lSor. SPftnkueAo NepupNean.t
 incline to think that Henry James touched the higA~aser mark of his sue cess in fiction when he wscss A:s 'sTales of Three Cities"- New York, London, Boston-aithouEh each aEsa os them A$. the singular incomplcseness that is vss- ihle in all his novels and tales. They abound in wit in the observation of man. kind, and specially-these three-of wo- mankind They touch no deep question of morals, to which this writer is always and consciously unequal; but they have much to communicate concerning man. ners and the lighter shades of light char acters. Mir. James appears incapable of depicting serious character. When he attempts it there is something consp,c- uously left out, which either spells the seriousness or vitiases the substance of the character. But the persons in these noveiets move with .he aspect of serious performance, and they do things which imply seriousness such as getting mar ried-and the illusion is kept up for . time. If the stories were longer, 1t could not be kept up--and it wears thin in sew erai places as 1t is George Sand, In one of her novels, introouces a theater of masionettes, in which surprising things are done. Well, Mir. James characters are all marionettes they have a wonder. full action, bu; no life ot their own, al. though they simulate it well now and and then.
 In the first tale" The Impressions of 6 Cousin i've have the story told by the feminine cousin, in her journal, from day to day, and 1t is delicate but for. cihle satire on the observant, accom- plished, blundering, conceited, witty and meddiesome young women whom every one has seen, and whom every one wishes to have brought to public justice. Apart from this is the plot itseli oi the story, which, like most Of this authors plots, has a tsntalizing influence on the reader, who is always approaching something, as he fancies, but never gets to 1t. Perhaps the secret of authorship Is disclosed in this tale better than in most that Mir. James writes. He evidently jots down his own observations on a scene, a coun- try, a situation; then he preserves this and distributes it among his characters, along with replies and remarks of other persons that he has heard. This per formance goes on along with the natural act of imagination by which fictitious scenes and characters are created 1; and the melange has the effect that "r~A water" in . stage cascade has in thea ter. Thus, Miss Coudit, in the "lmpres- sions of Cousin" gives utterance to MT.
 James, own opprobrious remarks con. corning the sky of x PiEribss Uss.s- that l" azure robe of night" which free. dom "tore" on certain occasion, and then "set the stars of glory there" Mir. James allows Mss Condit to call our American heavens "this clean-swept sky whose depths of blue air do very we'll, doubtless, for the floor of heaven, but are quite too far away for the ceiling of earth ?: and then she adds: "The sky overhead seems part of the world at large; in Europe it is part of particular place" Tais is q heavy accusation to bring against our native land but, then, the American eagle must be allowed elbow room, so to speak, and our sky was per hAps arranged for his benefit, and so as to permit that indefinite expansion of our republic which "manifcst destiny" de- mands. It is "a travellers aeeing tent" and not a horizon of brass, oi the diam eter of an Eoglishnan's umbrella" as Emerson said.
 The most interesting of these three tales to an American is naturally the middle one, explaining how New York doctor worth S7 GOO GOO won and married an English nobleman's daughter, and afterwards wished he had not. have not seen what the British aristocracy say about this story, if they have perused 1t, but fancy they do not quite recognize all the portraits drawn nor do we at this end of the international marriage train. But. with all due exceptions, it is a good story-better than the third one, in which Mir James takes Boston over his knee and corrects it. He does this more pointedly in the novel just commenced in the Century, and is laying up for him. self much wrath in consequence. What with these stories, and MT. Howells and his new creation, the Lapham family, Vosson is going 10 be much worried for the mex. six months. Already we are told that 10 pretty girl in Boston can possibly be so ignorant of ordinary lit- erature as Irene showed herself in her artless inquiries about Scott and Gibbon -" Is it Gibbon or GibbonsP But an incident in my own experience makes me admitshe possibility. It will not do tor a wfSter to presume on too much know ledge of literature in his reader. 4 dozen years ago received letter stating that ::
 There was an article quoted from the Rsfg5!:es. recently, in which some very remarkable lines commencing "Swinish giuttony," are given as coming from the lips of an English lady on a certain oc- casion. Tt was the lady in Milton's "Comus.'l It would be great gratifi- cation if could obtain further informa- ton about the lady and the poem. l consider the expressions "sunclad power of chsssity" and Usage and serious doc- urine of virginity" ss more than poetical imagery-shey are scientific facts of the deepest significance to our sex at the present time. Hoping to be put in com munication with the suthor Of the poem above referred to, remain, etc.
 It % happened that this letter came from New York; but if there was . wo-