New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-23
Mr.. CRAWFORD AND THE DEAD
A BOOK OF GHOSTS.


, Mr. Crawford has not written novel this time
but book difficult to classify. The opening Is
Sngenioas and in parts strong The idea OF
wealthy dabbler in science, who, in experimenting
with teluric electricity so affects the condition
of the elemental forces that for once in way ana
turing short time the dead become visible 10 inc
living, and can mingle with them as formerly Is
DEVELOPED with decided skill The description OF
the electric storm caused by Augustus Cnafus eN-
periments and the first appearance OF the denizens
of another world in their habits as they nVeo' Is
the best bit in The book weird, original and iull
of uncanniness Having put his dead people on
The stage however. the author appears al loss
what 70 do with them. He has arranged rough
xcafrolding in ADVANCE Three ladies and one man
have taken a castle on the southern shore OF the
Sorrcntine peninsula, in an isolated and classic
situation. and here they visited by the shades
Mr. Chard's experiment has rendered visible and
tangible.
Once on the stage these historic characters do
nothing but converse, and the book falls into the
category Of Dialogues of the Dead Of which the
literature OF many nations contains aounoah. eA-
smples MI Crawford has thus put himself IN
competition with not few famous authors anu
among modern writer's with Fenelon and Fonte-
nellie, with Lyttelton and Landor-the last named
being much the most formidable. Taking the pest
of IAndor's Imaginary Conversations as eA-
emples. IL is certainly true that he surpasses all
who have essayed this form Of composition, and the
spirit learning beauty, wisdom and polish OF his
writings NAV well be the despair of less gifted and
less thoroughly equipped imitators. Mr. Crawford
has endeavored to increase the interest ana
n yraisemblance' Of bis characters by making them
talk as they would could, might or should nave
'Nalked in life. But owing to we know not wnat
imischance, he has succeeded only In reinforcing
that chronic perplexity of modern Spirltuahsm-
the strange deterioration Of intellect which seems
20 characterize all the alleged communications
from the other side
4 There is variety enough in his |" dramatis
personae" We arc introduced to Heine, julius
Caesar Leonardo da Vinci. Pascal DIR. johnson.
Francis the First Chevaler Bayard Heine, Pascal
md johnson are evidently intended TO speak In
character The imitation of Johnsonese is easy
enough provided the copyist is content to follow
only the external FORM To duplicate the great
lexicographers wit and wisdom is quite
another enterprise. The attempt to reproduce
Heine is scarcely more successful and it is inter
fered with by the curious blunder Of the expert
menter who, while postulating the theory that all
men after death continue to believe what they
held in this life, puts in Heine's mouth rever-
entail and even religious expressions totally al
variance with his known opinions in the flesh.
Heines wit moreover, is not of kind to be lml-
tated by less nmble and ethereal spirit than his
own, and though NJ Crawford makes him utter
some smart" things from time to time, III Is
lamentably apparent that the loss even OF that
puny body which languished tragically upon
his mattress grave" has seriously affected the
evolution of his ideas. Almost the same remark
may DO made Of Pascal, from whom we should
have expected much better and fresher talk than
he Is here delivered Of. The author Of the Pro-
yincial Letters and the Thoughts was always
perfectly lucid in expression and generally original
In his thinking. He had the kind Of mind which,
given favorable environment would have made
him great man of science In this volume he is
merely faint shadow Of his books however.
Caesar poses with dignity. He needs 1t all; for
he is repeatedly referred to as the greatest man
who eevr lived" and that is panegyric on SO colos-
sal scale that the individual capable OF living
up to it, must indeed possess an abnormal share OF
aplombn AS regards Caesars views. no DOUBT
there is O wide field for speculation. MI Craw-
ford has chosen to ascrbe to the great Roman whao
many may consider too modern spirit The am
bition to be civilizer to leave the world better
than he found it. to establish an enduring empire
upon elastic and progressive lines, may have been
Caesars for to genius is given insight and percep-
ton often far exceeding contemporary knowledge
and understanding; but at least it may be said
that there is nothing in bis literary or historical
remains to give substance to such view OIL his
desires and purposes 1t seems that Mr.. Crawford
has not fully thought out the scheme Of life lived
by his Immortals,' for whereas he represents
them sometimes as fixed by death In the charac-
tiers they made for themselves during life, else
where he speaks of them as continually learning
since DEATH through study of the living worlds
progress Thus we find Caesar discussing Anar-
'cbism with absolute modernity OF ideas and criti-
cising the campaigns of Francis tho First very
much as Jomini might have done.
The state in which these shades find themselves
Is not little singular They have no knowledge
whatever Of their ultimate destiny, but they regard
the future with Observation-Disclosures. They ap
near 10 be in some obscure way cut OF from com
munion with their former friends. They seem TO
he altogether in the dark as to the laws OF their
shadowy existence. They have no information 10
hnpart But like the average spirits called from the
vastly deep by the average medium, they take great
satisfaction in talking platitudes The suDlects Oh
their conversation the large ones winch nave
aeen argued all round from the beginning; and yet
somehow the most interesting of ali these questions
arc not dealt with at all Perhaps there are not
many ipquiring minds which would be very grate1ul
10 a group Of distinguished ghosts for revising
.ba elimpses OF the moon" in order to grind
over some OF Jne OH uehnillOho VI wa o."
20 reopen the discussion to which kind Of love Is
yo,nest or TO pass time in conjectures as TO what
particular moment in given life is the happiest
fnon such theses the scholasts of the Middle Ages
no doubt delighted U expatate, and the frvoty OF
a question never weighed with them If only 1t
could serve as a shoeing-horn wherewith to pun
ON all manner of subtle, hair-spltting dialectics
Mr. Crawford's topics are not so reconcile as
those Of the schoolmen. but most Of them are as
Insoluble and therefore as eternally open 10
argument which renders them Improbable.
There is a certain pleasant Incidence OF leisure
In the talks with the Immortals; poetic haze
seems to brood over the scene and to soften the
fantastic aspects OF it. There is quaint and not