Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-07-07
DRIFT.

UklFI.
This IN the time OF year and kind Of
weather when q body wants everything
short--short articles in the papers, abort
sermons from the pulpit, short stories,
essays aud poems In magazines and bookA |
II is therefore the time that IL hardest on |
those who have TO supply these short thinsa
For II is good deal easier to speak from
forty to sixty minutes, or 10 write q column,
In elaboration Of any subject, than properly
TO treat that same subject in twenty min
utes, or In one CT two brief paragraphs. That
seems TO stand TO reason. Yet good many
reasonable people don't seem 10 realize It
There sppears TO be q notion still preva-
lent that quantity 10 the great mark Of value
and excellences 1t must be owing to this
iallscy that volumes Of short stories In
literature do not sell nearly % we'll ~ long
novels zach filling an entire volume; II in.
det d this is the case, N have seen It as
serted In . recent literary journal. The
writer declared that, while everybody In
America read the short story when 1t ap-
pear6d In the papers or magazines, hardly
anybody bought those short stories whom
| published In book form. In England, this
Same writer said, 1t is just the opposite.
There nobody buys the long novel, but just
| now everybody wants volumes of short
stories. 1 don't know, OF course, how much
truth there 10 In the assertion. But do
know that In the last few months more
| volumes OF good short stories have been
produced In this country than long novels.
And do know, too, that some OF the for.
Ill ILL ah.l. r.t- a a..
Cur American literature when most Of the
latter will have been deservodly forgotten.
At all events, for midsummer reading no
long novel OF the season can compare with.
for example, such Q volume of delightful
bird sketches ss Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller's
latest i" In Nesting Time" Of which told
/ you few weeks ego, or with any ono OF
the books OF short stories by Mics Sarah
| orns Jswett, whose The King of Folly Is
ldnd and Other People has just been issued
| In a pretty book ny Messrr. Houghtop,
Miflin Il Co, OF Boston.
| particularly mention this last because
have just finished reading It, and am more
than over impressed with Miss Jewetrs OK.
quisite literary art don't believe that Of
tie whole host of American writer's OF short
stories, and they are far superior to the
English, there In one, man or woman, who
In the highest forms OF literary skill, In that
which makes writing real art, ,can0e called
superior TO Miss Jewott indeed there are
very few who are her peers.
There Is an unde Unable something In the
best Of her work that brings her very close
TO Hawthorne. think called your at
tention to this In talking, some time ago, Of
her charming little volume called The
White Heron" 1t IL even more strik ipgly
felt while reading such perfect sketches o.
"The King OF Folly Island" and markedly
10 The Landscape Chamber" Just what
II is ! don't know. 1t Is not In the
style, nor In tho plot IL is more In
the similarity OF feeling called up In
tho mind OF the reader, than In anything
that appears In the language or structure OF
the story ftself-s certain "elusive
oftouch, just limiting at unmentioned TRACE.
dies, at the profoundest depths Of pathos In
the midst OF the grotesque, starting the
tears OF the heart while SMILES are on the
face vague something, In short, that Will
not bear analysis or definition, Q pervasive
aroma. an impressive undertone, which are
too hne, too spiritualized, 10 be described.
l know OF no writer who over possessed
this quality, this exquisite art, as perfectly
as Miss Jewett, except, as I have said, the
great master Hawthorne himself
L
especially appropriate and enjoyable 10,
summer reading, Ia the out door air thai
bresthes through nearly all of them. Take
forlnstance, thefirst ono of this latest volume
'The King Of Folly leland" Tho boom OF
the billows, the soothing swash of the
waves In rythmio beating on the shore, are
present all the time. You seem TO feel all
the while the puDgent salt sea air blowing
through the pager, and suggesting q
restful calm and refreshing GOODNESS, In
strong contrast with the mighty under tow
least one OF the actors in the story, and that
tnvoluntarily is communicated, not to the
emotional surface, but directly to the deep
inner depths, OF the readers soul. 30 the
calm OF the country, away from oil the
bussle, and busting thought and feeling,
the forest with sweet doors waited from the
distant fields, to say nothing OF the
well nigh oppressive quiet and stiffness
as OF decsy and death In the secluded
old colonial mansion In the Landscape
Chamber;" they produce strangely rest.
fnl, retired feeling, that Is rather empha-
sized than otherwise by the touching gro.
tesqueness and weird pathos OF the strange
old couple who dwell in the old decaying
house Nature In still other moods and
| aspects ID all around US In midst Of nThe
Courting OF Sister Wisby," with all the
humor and shrewd Yankee wisdom Dor.
trayed In the story of rural New England
neighborhood. In fact, In all but one or
two OF the eight charming stories OF the
volume, nature In all her varying moods.
Is SO constantly and pervssively present
that the volume deserves to be ranked
among our best out OF door books, NJ 1t
certainly is one Of the very best collections
| OF short stories In our literature.
Ibid want to tell you also OF one or two
specially good things for this kind Of
weather, In The Atlantic Monthly for July.
But knowing the demand for short things,
I'll not do It to day. UNCAs,
The Prize OF Beauty
Would never have been awarded to Venus II
her teeth had been yellow. Frau mortal, un-
like the deities OF fable, have perishable teeth
but these they retain unimpaired TO an sd.
vanced age. II they will use suZoDuNT
which keeps the teeth free from Impurities
t.l.t.