New-York tribune., 1886-05-23
NINOR NOVELS.
GOOD Rad AND INDIFFERENT.

y ' y
BALEsrIER illustrated. l2mo PIP. 349. Harper
4 Brothers
CONSTANCE OF ACADIA. Pr. 3GS. Boston: Roberts
Brothers.
THE EVIL GENUS. BY wMKrE COLLINS. 1Gmo. PIP.
30 Harper ~ Bros.
IN TILE GOLDEN DAYS. BY EDNA LYALi~ pp. 2O1
Harper Brothers.
Mr. Balestler has written an interesting and
clever story. a Victorious Delcat' is well con-
ceived fresh and full Of force The reader is intro
duccd to a new. quaint and curious little world.
the principal scenes being laid in MOravan Com
munity village. The strange. formal, but pure and
innocent, existence and customs Of the Moravians
not only furnish motive for the tale hut an original
aud fascinating setting. The struggle in which
defeat leads to victory is described with deep feel
ing The chef personages, Constance Van Cleef
Owen March, ana the Rev. Mr.. Keaton are living
people, thoroughly worked out natural, and IN their
several ways, noble types fine. clear, high spirit
breathes through the story. Only once does the
author seem to have struck false note and that is
when he ascrbcs to the simpe-mlnded, exalted
Moravlan preacher a feeling Of revenge which does
not appear congruous with tho mans nature rs
shown forth in his previous career That Keator
should in the end have triumphed over his meaner
self is felt to be inevitable but that he should have
fallen before temptation is not 50 easily credited
Constance Is 4 charming character. full Of true
wOmany tenderness and selt-rtnunclation, and
Owen March is worthy of her. The book shows
keen observation and shrewd analysis, and must
be pronounced conscientious strong and credit
able piece Of work.
The author Of Constance of Acadia has chosen
TO be as.avmOus The book however, does not
seem TO be the wcFis of literary debutant IL IS
difficult to classify il bu5 It Is certainly not
weak production. Probably it. should bo regarded
as a seml-nistorlcal narrative-hard!y romance.
for much of it rests, the author distinctly
alleges, upon private documents supplementng
public records 1t is strange ana deeply interest
ing story; that namely Of the early settlement OF
Acadia by Charles La Tour. and the frequent
changes of government which occurred IN period
when all the kings Of the Old World were amusing
themselves and rewarding their purifiers by giving
away every region of the New World of which any
thing was known-the sOyeTegns of England
France. Spain and Germany making grants of tho
very same land to different people. As Tor Charles
La Tour he first last, and all the time, Tor the
La Tours. SO he accepted whatever authority and
titles either Louis Charles or both, might oAer
him, ana held on to Acadia with all his might lie
was a practical man. merchant, diplomat ne
gotiator. soldier. Constance. his wife. a saint
whose cross was an neralicabe early love. The
Jesults play an important part III the narrative,
and Charnace, the pupil Oh the order VINO ~ sent
out to defeat and destroy Charles La Tour, Is a
striking character. vein Of mysticism, connect
ing Constance and Charnace, runs through the
hook and adds l3rgel Y 10 the strangcness 0l IL.
FOR it is a very odd book Ii one can lhli ne a
nngllng of the dominant characteristics Of one OF
pArAmau 5 narratives with those OF JOhu InSle'ant
some idea of the general effect VIII De ODtalned
Evidently the author has made many researches
and he quotes his authorities freely B1t Whle tne
historical portions of the book are no DOUBT taIcluI
and conscientious. the most agreeable are those III
Which are described the AcadIan country ana the
travels AMI abors OF Constance IN her mlssOnary
rise
oi La Tours visits to Boston, aud his reception by
Governor Winthrop and the solid men oi tne
then nascent burg. Il dry humor Is displayed winch
here aud there almost recalls lrvlugS" =" hnlcAcr-
bDcker.n The beDehcent lie OF Constance - pct
urrd with sincere admiration, and this curious
msdngeOi romance aud history cNcrclsco Il NceIUcu
fascination over the reader.
Mr.. Wilkie Collins calls "The Evil Genius a
"domestic story" but the domesticty of it is GER
tainly not of good pattern for everyday mlta-
ton. \ young girl, very unfortunately trained,
breaks up Il happy household by eloplnS with the
head of it, and hence proceeds all manner OF
wrong doing and suffering. The I" Evil Genius"
however Is not the Young girl, but an old mother
in-iaw and certainly there Is genius IN the drawing
of this wretch, who goes about working mischief
and sticking pins into all her family under tho
pretcnce of doing her duty. The moral Of the tale
is not easy to uncover, though Nh. Collins always
has M least one IL can hardly be that it is wrong
tor "A virruOus wife To obtain IA divorce from bad
husband, though the divorced vile here Is pun
ished by society. and the husband escapes. Ii II is
that dvOrce ought to be followed by re-marriage t
is not less dlhcult to comI rehcnd It, for the
husbands crime narrated was unpardonablc
On the whole The Evil Genus" Is rather "A
pulling book, but 1t is less disigured by manner
isns than the authors earlier works. This would
be matter for approval were IL not necessary 10 add
that the decline of mannclsm in Mr Colllnss sty 10
appears 10 be only part and parcel Of general
deterioration in force and story telling skill.
Edna yal has in her last story selected the time
OF the Stuarts for study OF character develop
mcnt. Two brothers are presented. tho elder an
ambitious courtler, tho younger II dreamer OF
dreams. The latter has always been controlled
despotcally by his elder. ard his habit of implicit
obedience seems destined TO make IL mere tool oi
I MN. Circumstances, however. awaken his dor
| mant conscience which is OF tho stubborn type
which creates martyrs ana ao,i"..ntance WIN
| Algornon sydney makes man OF mn. lie goes
through severe ordeas. ana the description oil he
| TRIMS occupies the greater part ot the book. In,
story s well told. and the gradual building mp OF
| Hugo's mental strength exhibits considerable
power.