Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-24
TWO NOTABLE NOVELS.
Woman's opinion of Fiction for Profit and
Pleasure.


A wornans opinion of Fiction for Profit and
Pleasure.
For the INTELLIGE EgCRR.
The novel-reading public may be divided
into two clases-those who read to kill time,
species of mental opium eating surely,
aud those who read for pleasure aud profit as
well. 1t Is doubtful if the first class named
will read the novels l am about to recon-
mend certainly they will fail to appreciate
them. " Donovan, or A Modern English
man." by Edna Lyall, is a strong, thoughtful
book, and commands the attention of the
reader from the opening chapter, in which
the hero is introduced to us and his character
boldly outlined.
In Donovan we have hero once more in
fiction and this hero, with all his faults aud
in spite of the many mistakes he makes
stands out in most refreshing contrast to the
too realistic carpet-knights who have
adorned the pages of much of our recent fic-
ton.
We strike the keynote to the authors pur.
pose on the title page, where we read Mrs.
Browning's beautiful words
"And smiled to think God greatness
Flowed around uRr incompleteness-
Round our restlessness, His rest
Donovan is the story OF sad, restless life of
a character with earnest cravings for good,
and with strong impulses for evil and with
out faith in any power outside of himself 1t
is the story of the struggle OF a soul toward
the light Donovan cannot be called an
atheist, but is an infidel, an agnostic. The
author does not hesitate to grapple with the
great religious question of the day, and does
it fairly and squarely. Scathingiy she de-
nounces the un-Christ.lkeness of many
Christians frankly she acknowledges the
honesty of many agnostics. Most OF the
characters are wonderfully we'll drawn.
Little Dot, with her wan sweet face, her he
roic soul, her loving heart and her simple
child-like faith, takes ber place in our men,
ory by the side of Little Nell, Paul Dombey,
and Silas Manners grand-child. Very
touching is the story of the Short patient lite
and, as dramatic as it is pathetic, is the
Gladys mother and daughter are both rarely
lovely, characters almost ideal in some re-
spects Donovsn's old nurse, Mrs. Doery,
or Doughty as he insisted on calling her
after seeing her, Is lnimitable. We think OF
her with a smile and sigh. Mrs. Farrant,
with her pitiable weakness, her uppardona-
BILE seltishness Adela, tlippant, but
amiable dear old Mrs. Osborne, with her
old time stateliness and picturesque sur
roundings Mrs. Causton, with her narrow
minded bigotry, and her disagreeable relig.
iousness, all are drawn with fidelity to
life that wins our warm admiration. We
have not space to do more than mention
their names, though each one is real char
acter study.
In the course of the story the author gives
us some very striking types of manhood. In
Donovan's father we recognize the generous
whole-souled man, who is strangely blind as
to the duty that lies nearest to him, and only
realizes his mistake when it is too late to
remedy it. In Ellis Farrant, the polite vii
lain of the story, we have a man whose
weakness leads to wickedness whose entire
want of moral stamina makes him utterly
contemplate. y more perfect contrast &c
| Donovan it would be hard to imagine. In
| DIR. Treman and Mr.. Osborne we have ear
nest Christian men-men of the Charles
Kingsley type-whose charity is as broad a!
| their piety is sincere. We cannot omit tn,
| important a part in Donovan's life. Old
| Rouge stands out as clearly from the canvas
| as Gladys himself, and the sin-defaced life o.
| the gambler and drunkard IS as carefully
| painted as is the beautiful home life OF the
Tremsins. Waii, the dog and Sweepstakes
| the parrot, show that the animal life to-
| claims its share OF the authors loving inter
| est. But after all, Donovan himself is the
central figure, and we follow with ever deep
| ening interest the development of his char
acter. From an artistic point of view, Dono
van is open to criticism. The story is to-
| long, at times too intensely sad, but imitat
ing the charity which so strikingly character
ICES the author, or will leave you to discove
L
| quite over-balanced by its many strong points
NOVEL FROM THE FRENCH.
Equally worth of attention is "La Morte,
by Octave Feuillet translated under tn
name of "Aliette." 1t treats of the sam
theme but handles it in a directly opposit
manner; all the delicate irony, all the cuttin
sarcasm that so distinctly characteriZes tn
French style are brought to bear on the sui
ject OF faith in its relation to life, and the n
.s,ll
Read it in the original il possible, for some
| the delicate French flavor is lost in the tran
, lation, which is, however, considered an III
usually good one believe. In Aliette, tn
heroine, and Sabine, her rival, we have two o.
treme types OF womanhood. Aliette is a d,
voted Catholic, faithful to the traditions {
. her creed and family. Sabine is a brillian
, beautiful woman, who knows no faith an
owns no law. In Monsieur Vaudricourt "
, have the modern Partisan, man of educ
tion and cultivation, of gentle birth an
courtly manners, who calmly tell us that IL
: saddest day of his life was the one on whic
, he lost his faith in God. DIR. Tallevut
, | the modern man ofscience, who realizes to
: late that his greatest experiment is his mo
| complete failure, perhaps, because in his ca
y culations he failed to recognize the power
/ | very important factor. Such are q
a dramatis persone in this unique story.
: | will not outline the plot, 1t Is cleverly pla
, | ned and the climax is complete surpris
! The analogy may be a fanciful one, but Il
a character of Sabine, suggested to as RapI
q cinis daughter, and the author shows I
: same power of cold, critical analysis that '
tind In that weird little story. Edna Ly,
v and Octave Feuillet both ask the of late
q OFT repeated question, "ls life worth living
\ and by widely different modes OF reasoni
II | both reach the same conclusion. There Is
a begging the question. The answer is a po
/ | tive one:
~ "Life Is only bright when 1t proceedeth
u Towards a truer deeper life above;
Human love is sweet test when IL leadeth
TOa mora divine and perfeCt lOyen