Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-06
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

THE MAGIC SKIN, very well translated
by Katherine Prescott Mounloy, has been
published by Roberts Brothers, of Boston,
with an Introduction by Geo. II. Parsons
Ii In part OF "The Comedy Of Human
Life" This IL powerful and terrible
book, No one can read II without the
thought that horeis literature OF worth and
the play of rare genius, and yet the outii2e
OF the story is unique and curiously defiant
OF tho lava OF the art From beginning to
end the reader knows what will be the fate
OF tho "hero," II he can be 30 called, aud
yet there is su absorbing interest In him 1t
IL following life to its certain
end, the feverish impetuous lie of
man OF genius, whose lofty aims and
ambitions are naturally turned to selfish.
meas. Ii you are man with a taste for
puIIosC ply, and like the study OF Shakes
p,are, by all means read "BalZsc's Magic
skim" but read first the able introduction,
for there IN an ajlegory In the work, and
the explanation improves II, Just as the
tragedies OF tho Bard Of Avon are more.
young French marquis, bright, ambitious
and highly educated, finds himself
an orphan with uIillng SUN OF money left
from the wreck OF great estate He resolves
TO IeliIs to n garret and make his money
last as long as possible, while he works out
grost scientific treatise, that H0all give him
fame ana fortune. For three years he lives
and coils in solitude on q few cents u day.
Then he meets " a beautiful woman with
cut a heart" wealthy and proud countess,
the belle OF Paris. This IL the beginning
OF bis downward course for money becomes
a nsoe ssity TO his useless courtship, which
soon develops into hopeless passion and
reveala tho rosl weakness Of what
had seemed % strong character. Over
whelmed with debt he 10 driven TO
gambling, and finally, with all hope gone
aud shattered by excesses, he is on
st,A x,H atalA
antiqusry offers him the ''magic skin" that
Will give him whatever he may wish for,
but Will shrink with the accomplishment
OF each wish, measuring by its siZs the days
of lie before him. Though doubling, he
agrees to this compact, and the fulfiment
OF his desires soon becomes mortal terror,
for he tees the skin shrinking steadily.
This is the germ OF tho whole story, but in
the details there is mingling OF wit and
profound philosophy, OF humor ana the
deepest pathos-
Contrasted with tho selfish hero Is a
heroine, who ~ the embodiment OF
~omsn!y devotion and unseltishness
There Is Shakespesrean truth to nature and
the faults OF the authors race and times,
but one msrvels that tTenchmen, so
absurdly eager in their ad talion OF Victor
Hugo while living, aud so ostentstiously
sorTosful over his death, should not have
been more quick to honor Bslzac, the
author OF the " Coincide Humsine." The
cable tells us that the committee to erect a
monument to Balzac has received SO far
only 5000 francs.
But monuments may mean very little
after ALL Alfred Aus'in writes the London
Times that when he Ii rot visited tie grave
OF Keats at Rome " Gil that met the bodily
oye TO remind one OF Keats were his own
words : Here lies one whose name was
writ in water When ! revisited II, q few
years ago, found spic- -and-span monu
engN 90
carved on tt--credite poster - me uan.ts
OF the persons who had subscribed for It's
construction i do not think the most fire.
quented OF high roads could desecrsts the
locslity 20 absolutely as that catalogue of
subscribers"
In the following remarks OF Julian Haw-
thorns in the pages OF "AmeTica" for tho
manly novels most read 10 day seem TO be
those OF dead authors, or OF living women,
as for example Miss MuIfree. at may be-"
he says, "that the feminine novel IL but a
sign oil the times, aud that there are no
longer any masculine men In existence
II Ia the woman's sge--s SOFT vicious, indo.
ieht, ptopIlsty loving age The wholesome
masculine II ora has gone out OF It, 1t has
gone cut OF literature at sll events. The
last man novel written in this country,
with the exception OF Mrs. S,oidatd's was
published fun thirty Yeas ago. 4. was
called 'kalnolah, or, the Adventures of
Jnns,hs" Rouler,' and It's author was DR..
w. s. Mayo"
PICTURES OF HELLAs Five tales OF
Ancient ST-eco translated from the Danish
OF Psdsr Marisgsr by Mary J. Sanford,
A. cisimed In tue authors preface these
tales are unlike mosl recent classical re-
msucea la having no connection with Il O
great rupture between PBgsnism ana
Christianity, "They give pictures Of the
towrIng OF Hsllss the distant centuries
whose marvellous culture rested solely on
the purely human elements OF character az
developed beneath mild aud rad liant sky.D
IL IL n reliaf 10 ind In this liftIa hlok fha