The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-04-30
New Rocks.

Mr.. HenryF. Keenan, has written, and
Messrs. Cassell &coSpan, New York,
have published remarkable book under
the title OF "rrajan." Nobody who takes
up the book will DO willing to lay 1t down
before he hiss finished II. For there !sa
good plot; an inhnitude Of incidents
enough for half u dozen ordinary books
charming atmosphere; very beautiful
and very human continent; gallery OF
such word pictures as alone ought to
suffice to make IN authors fame. What
will strike the most casual reader-it
there can be casual reader OF " Fsaian"-
ia the writer's marvellous vocabulary. So
atiluent a command OF language is not
met with in one writer in 6 thousand.
Mr.. Keenan, has not waited until he
turned author 10 display this talent. 1t
has been distinguishing feature Of his
brilliant newspaper work. Ills literary
style Is pure and noble, and the moral
tone oil his book is on the same high
level. The scene Of "Traian' is laid
in Paris. Its action turns on the
flll OF the Second Empire and
the bloody days Of the Commune.
The reader knows that some power has
translated him to Paris-he knows that
he is seeing Paris and breathing Paris.
lie Is In the American society OF the gay
capital, but 1t is still tho society OF the
American In Paris. Such descriptions. OF
the fall Of the Bonapartes, and that bloody
orgie known Us the reign OF the Com.
mune, have not before been written. For
historic fidelity, as far rs they deal with
history, and for holiness Of treatment,
they are not likely TO be exCelled. Sub
urban Paris was never made SO enchant-
ing. There is satire, but 1t Is never brutal.
Indeed kindly vein runs through the
whole book, The characters are natural
and they do natural things, though they
often rise To the height OF the heroic.
There are many Of them, and as they come
on the stage in quick succession We Won
der how the author Is goiGg to handle
themali. When We close the book we are
CONVINCED that lie could have handled twice
asmauy, And I've wonder whetherone man
can produce two such books. Mr.. Keenan,
Is a man OF great resource. lie works
with unusual rapidtty, and some Of his
best newspaper articles have been pro.
duced in the hurry OF "a nights work on a
morning Journal. He may have per
formed with great rapidity the mechani.
cal work Of "rrajau," ch1t the ISrELIl.
oKNcRR has reason 10 believe that the
book Is the result Of the observation and
thoupht; OF years. 1t IL obviously the
work Of the mature man OF the world. II
could not have been written by very
Young person or recluse. %rrajan" is
meeting with a large sale, aud II It were
not al the cost Of employing a much
abused word VIC might say that It is ere
atine a stsansation." Certainly the reader
derives from 1t the most pteasurabte sen.
administration & Davenport, Wheeling.
zone Of the Dnanew is novel by Alice
King Hamilton, from the press Of the ].
d. Iippipcott Company. 1t is a good
story We'll told, dealing good deal with
army and navy life, In which there is
plentiful material for the novelist Il ISL
love story, Of course, but are we going 70
make novels without ioye2 l,ege Is lie
Stanton & Davenport, Wheeling.
"Across the Chasm" is published by
Charles scribner's Sons, New York, with.
o,t tho authors name. Here we have a
story Of Washington, which Is not study
of lie at the Capita, though II deals well
with SOME Of It's phasTs. ltbelongs to the
cIass al society novels, and, has a good
mniye. The Southern GIL marries the
YANKEE gentleman and all the good people
are happy--S Stanton & Davenport, Wheel.
Ing.
Thinkers who sgitate aud agitators who
do not always think are busy with plans