New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-05
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES
THE MINOR FICTION OF THE PERIOD.

UNCLE TOMS TENEMENT. BY ALICE YELLING
TON ROLLINS 12mo, PIP. ACT. Boston, Tho
William f. Smythe Company
EVE. BY s. BARING-GoULD. 1emo, Pr. 800. d.
Appleton q Co
A COUNSEL OF PERFECTION BY LUCAS MALET.
10mo PIP. 324. d. Appleton & Co.
THE HISTORY OF NICOLAS MUss An Episode of
the Massacre Of st. Bartholomew. Translated
from the French Of CHARLES DU DOIs NELLY.
16mo PIP 225. Harper d Brothers.
VIRGINIA OF VIRGINIA. By AMELIE R1VEs.
illustrated. 12mo, PIP. coo. Harper g. Brothers.
PICKED UP IN THE STREETS. From the German
OF II. Schubert by Mrs A. L. wIsTER. 12mo PIP.
1876. Philadelphia: J. d. Lippncott Company.
THE STAR OF INDIA By EDWARD s. ELLIS,
A. NJ. 1omo, pr. pa. Frank A. Munscy.
A TEACHER OF THE VIOLIN, AND OTHER TALES.
BY J. ii. sHORTHOUSE 1omo, PIP. 81 Mac
milan a Co
wESsEX TALES. BY THOMAS HARDY 12mo,
PIP. 214. Harper 6 Brothers.
BRUETONs BAYOU, and MISS DEFARGE BY JOHN
HABBERTON and Mrs. F. HODGSON BURNETT.
16mo, PIP 200 Philadelphia: j. b. Lippincott
Company.
THE KING OF FOLLY ISLAND. AND OTHER
PEOPLE By SARAH ORNE JEwETT. 16mo,
PIP. 800. Houghton Mfiln Co.
MR.. ABsALoM DILLLNGsLEA AND OTHER
GEORGIA FOLK. By RICHARD NJ. JOHNSTON
With Illustrations. lemo, pp. Ala Harper g.
Brothers.
Mr. Haggards last story is tale Of simple ad-
venture; fresh leaf from the notebook Of Allan
Quatermain, who is supposed TO relate il after
dinner to his old comrades The scene is wholly
laid in Africa, and the action is confined 10 hunting
large game and fighting savages The hunting
anecdotes which lead the way to Mawa's revenge
are capitally told, and the adventure Of the three
elephants is especially graphic. Maiwa is native
chiefs daughter, and her revenge Is taken upon
her cruel husband who has murdered her child.
The whole episode Of the joint attack upon Wambe
is spirited and interesting. 1t is more novelette,
than a novel, having hardly any plot and little
development of character. The illustrations are
generally good, but in the frontspiece the authors
text has been completely misconccived by the
artist
"Uncle Toms Tenement is novel with a
purpose, the latter being the illustration Of the
social mischief growing out of tenement life The
book is well conceived and well written. One of
the best things in it is the speech Of employer
to his men. The address may be found fault with
account of its length. but it Is not dull, and
it puts sound and practical business philosophy
in taking way. The tcnemcnt-house life is less
fully exhibited than the authors preface would
Icdu one 10 expect III lHCl III lOOks It's tnOupn
the interest of the plot had rather obscured the
or gnal didactic purpose. There is some meri-
torious character study in the story and in more
than one instance the author has made free with
living and well-1nown people, merely employing
enough disguise to conceal the fact from outside
barbarans" 1t cannot be said that the problem
discussed is greatly illuminated. What to do
about the tencments is as much puzzle at the
end as at the beginning, the fact that pulling
down the bad ones and putting decent buildings
in their place will not remove existing abuses
being perhaps the most strongly emphasized. 1t
is indeed Insisted upon that the only way to raise
the tenement population is to make them want
better conditions and no doubt there is sound
sense in this But how the longing for better
things is to be created and maintained is not so
clearly shown and that after oil is the main point
Such book however, is calculated to excite
reflection on the subject and may therefore stimu-
late invention and promote reform.
There is weird tone about all Mr. Barring
Gouds novels and curious admixture OF realism
and romance of the most old-fashioncd kind.
" Eve' is exception to the rule. 1t contains
much careful observation Of nature and OF pro-
vincial English custom. Mr.. Barring Gould's forte
is not character drawing. lie seldom attains any
subtlety in this direction. He has, however, dis
eliminated Eve and Barbara strongly and they
serve well as foils TO one another The wild Martin
and his still wilder boy-brother unnatural,
the boy being almost unearthly; kind OF male
Fenella There is q brusqucness in the dialogue
generally which imparts uncivilzed flavor TO
much of the story, and the action is full OF melo-
dramatic touches The singular mnglng Of styles
and methods produces an odd effect, but also adds
an attraction which secures the attention OF the
reader until the end-almost Hamlet-like in its
sweeping and comprehensive tragedy-is reached.
Nothing could be less like Mr.. BariDg-Goulds
book than that Of Lucas Malet In " A Counsel
of Perfection" We have q COOL calm leisurely
study of three or four characters; hardly any plot
or movement; no excitement whatever; but
satisfactory general effect The interest centres
in an entirely unconventional heroine. She is al
most middle-aged, and is clergymans daughter,
born and bred in the country and drilled to the
monotonous functions Of secretary and amanuenss
to her father, q learned man, selfish and wholly
absorbed in his ponderous authorship. Brought
under new conditions by trip to Switzerland, this
fresh-hearted and sensitive woman
charms by her sweet simplicity a world-worn
who presently offers himself to her.
She is strongly moved for she returns his affection,
but if she leaves her father he will be unable to
replace her, and so she sacrifices her future ac-
cepts spinsterhood deliberately and what is more,
finds content and even happiness in the way Of life
she has elected. The study is full of delicate
art and Lydia Costecn is most attractive figure,
and undoubtedly true to n type possessing great
many admirable characteristics.
NJ Du Bois-Melly has in The History Of
Nicolas Muss" founded realistically clever sketch
upon historical documents. He has aimed at re-
producing the conditions of the period, has drawn
freely upon contemporary records, and has pro-
duced an interesting relation OF the Massacre Of
ST. Bartholomew from the point of view of n
Swiss soldier attached to one Of the
Iluguenot chiefs who fell in that great slaughter
The account of the supposed narrator's narrow
and harbreadth escapes, the strange people he
encountered while trying to make his way out Of
France, the ferocious bounding OF the Paris fug-
lives the impulse given by the massacre TO the