The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-11-12
CONCERNING BOOKS.
BY Z. oAvAzZA.


In Far Lochaber. By William Black. A
new novel by Mr.. Black may always be
relied upon to afford accurate and brilliant
sketches of sea, land and sky, together with
sympathetic treatment Of some phase of
present society. Certain readers, it is true,
like to complain Of the pictorial element of
his books, his painters notes of carmine,
gold and gray, and to declare that his effects
of storm and sun upon the ocean are become
wearisome through repetition. This is a
criticism both unreasonable aud ungrateful:
Mr.. Black observes with trained eyes, and
notes In competent fashion which ought to
be ineligible and acceptable to those who
have some knowledge Of the processes of
painting, and, equally, an aid to the percep-
tion and pleasure of those who have not
studied to translate the aspects of Nature
The truth is, that most of us are greatly
obliged to Mr.. Black for lessons given in the
fine art of seeing what we look at; and those
who cavil at his technical notes-which are
also beautiful in literary way-are pre-
cisely those who are apt to pass by unre-
garding such glories as he points out.
Mr.. Black Is not less an observer of human
nature; genial, tolerant clear-eyed witness
of the ways of the world. His novels are
not polemics in disguise; he does not at
tempt to precede his century, but remains in
sympathetic accord with it. If he chooses
for treatment some one of the popular
crazes, he does not take it too seriously nor
with the ambition to say its final word. Nor
does he occupy an entire novel with strenu-
GUS delineation Of one sheory-since actual
| life is concerned during most Of the hours of
| the day with things which are not abstract
ideas and do not begin with capital letters.
Yet Mr. Black is always in line with the
movement of his time; and when the airs
that blow across the earth bring with them
the seeds of such fiction as the English
Robert Elsmere and the American John
Ward, Preacher-Mr. William Black is not
likely to be left without material whereof to
bind his little bouquet. In Lanarkshire he
discovers serious little heroine, daughter
of Scotch minister of the most uncompro-
missing type. Her sister is ap@mic and mys-
teal; the housekeeper believes herself eter-
nally reprobate on account of Adam. Alison
Blair herself. in her quality of heroine, is OF
| course more liberal and imaginative than are
the other members of the family-else her
story would have been too narrow and COM
| FORTRESS for Mr.. Blacks genial art. The
| young girl-already inclined to question GER
tain of the more terrible among the doctrines
held by those around her-goes to visit rela.
tives in the Highlands, at Far Lochaber, the
| whimsical, peppery, warmhearted Aunt Gil
| christ; the handsome, gay cousin Flora
Hugh, a boy six parts genius to half dozen
hobbledehoy, and a Captain Ludovick Mac.
donel, in whom one instantly recognizes
the coming hero. The story moves on,
easily and pleasantly, with variety of char
| acters and incidents, and imaginative, agree.
able talk, when Alison by chance discovers
that her lover is Roman Catholic. Here OF
| course was an occasion for dogmatic dis
tresses on the part of heroine and hero, and
| for renunciations Of love, which is divine
| thing, in adherence to creeds, which in theiI
| differences are entirely of human manufac-
ture. Only where beliefs harmonic are
they durably true; their discords may be
useful for time but they cannot be eternal
The only personages of the story who are
much troubled on account of the sectariar
facts in the case allison of course was
greatly panied at thought of the grief caused
to her father, and Macdonell, still more re-
motely, at thought of that distress of hers
the only personages, then, afflicted at frs
hand are the old Ministers noble type Of
solemn and devoted bigotry.-and malevo
lent woman, mother of an unsuccessful can
didate for pastoral responsibiities-stic
minister was the local phrase--who had also
aspired to marry Alison Blair. Macdonel
does not wish to persuade his bride to any
belief except the truth that each denomina
ton. like another, includes good and trust
worthy people. Alison is womanly enough
to be ready to respect the faith helt
by the man whom she loves and hon
ors beyond all others. So in the sim
pie strength of their affection, thu
two walk calmly over dividing lines as ap
parently impossible as mountains-on ;
map. And after season of painful aliena
ton from his daughter, nature is stronge
than the old minister and he shows signs o.
relenting.
1t is true that in this hurried worried ex
detrimental last quarter of the nineteenth
century. there are many persons whose intel
lect is forced into disproportionate growth
as compared with the heart, to whom theo
ries are dearer than impulses. Yet perhap
there will not be lacking respectable mum
Der of those who will approve Mr.. Black
easy, liberal, and well-bred manner of treat
ing sectarian differences as an element O
romance, and will consider it an agreeabl
and refreshing relief to find novelist not il
favor of teaching little Cupid his catechism
New York: Harper & Brothers; Portland
Loring, Short & Harmony
A valuable addition to Messrs. Robert
Brothers series of biographies of Famou
Women is the volume upon Elizabeth Barrett
Browning, by John Ell. Ingram. ALTHOUGH
the poet herself wrote. in verse and in he
letters, much that was intimately autobio
graphical, the precise dates and events
her life have remained so little known tina
as Mr.. ingram observes in his preface,
mythology has sprung up around her name
He has evidently used much industry ant
care to collect material, and has succeeded IL
forming sketch of the life and genius o
Mrs. Browning which is full of interest
although-and it is not easy to say precisel.
why-it fails to be perfectly sympathetic
Perhaps the clue to this failure is in tn
same quality that permits Mr.. Ingram in
| h;ooroob,, Of Mrc Rrouniu0 IN hint OF al