New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-16
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CURRENT NOVELS.

TIE LIGHT OF HER ooUNTENANCE. BY II. Il.
Eoyesen Emo PIP. 312. D. Appleton q co.
FREDERIC sTRUTHER's ROMANCE. BY Albert
Ulmann- 16mo. Up. 1875. Brentano's
THE STORY THAT THE KEY TOLD Me. Etc. BY
W. II. IL. Murray. l2mo, Up. 4o4 Boston; Cup
pies d Hurd.
NARGKEY. A Tale Of old Nure%berg; BY GeOrS
" s. Gottsberger a. Co.
THREE YEARS. BY Josephine. Countess schworu
icmo PIP. 210. Rand McNaly d Co.
MISS EYRE FROM BOSTON, AND OTHERS. By
Louise Chandler Moulton. 12mo, PIP. 3oo boo-
ton: Roberts Brothers.
Mr. Boyesens novel is decidedly interesting though
perhaps the author has sacrificed too much 10 his
liking for types OF these, the book Is somewhat too
full There is Julian Burroughs, the type OF The young
American two degrees removed from the soil. There
is Abial Burroughs his father, type of the vulgar
money making politician. There is Della Saunders
type Of the advanced" emancpated' and generally
speaking mannsh, obtrusive but fortunately miro
ouent western feminine reformer. There Is Sir Percy
TYNE Of the rch and eccentric English miord0 known
only TO fiction aud the French drama There Is George
Talbot type Of the inhammable artist class. IheN
e thu French Count de Reault, who SymDohzeS inc
Gauc vices Of conventional Imagination. As to
Constance the heroine, She IS rather cream VI
beauty than a real person. She glides through the
story. throwing the spell Of her lovelness upon all
who come I'm contact with her, but she neither says
nor does much TO indicate the possession OF soui
equal TO its envelope, and the GOODNESS WIN "hon sn
treats so naturally agitang episode as the suiciuo
OF one of her lovers goes far to justify the susPoO
that she has not after all, much heart lena o"uN
ders is fragrant caricatnre, and not artistic because
such a Young woman must have been rredeemaoy
vulgar and offensive, could pair OF hght DUO
eyes, (of all eyes the least attractve) have aonou
Tor er ncurable vices Of and her utter lack OF
taste good sense and maidenly modesty. FOR al
this the tale is full Of interest is skluny tod ana
contains much brilliant dialogue
.Frederic struthers Romance is a rather 700
feutonic story of the kind Of thwarted love winch
suggests Wertherism. The hero is young ihaH ""o
falls I'm love with poor watchmakerS daughler' duU
after becoming engaged to her Is fascinated ny n9'
sister and abandons his betrothed, win senoi"t'
disastrous consequences. This plot is, however 'ho
framework for a rather original conception-a sA0''"
Of life in an upper floor of downtown business
burdinr-a kind of roof idy in fact. This is preHHy
and wildly described and the menage Of ola OaShco
Is SET forth with a detail and precision qute fed0'
The prevailing tone. however. is altogether 700 usSi
and depressing. The story IS supposed to DO au'o-
biocraphic and almost from the beginning the mar
rator is wrestling with gloom and 1ournaizng ms
chronic pessism That extremely Unbalanced anu
a,rabious a youth should hasten to fulfil his OVID
darkest forcbodings perhaps not unnatural bI Is
kind Of fiction pals upon world which is suilclehuE
fun of genuine SORROW and suffering not to neeu a
fetal incentives to melancholy. Ihere Is cci'di'
powor in Mr. Ulmann's work. and with brighter mouVe
be may be more successful
Tho Rev. W. II. II. Murray has added TO MS
Adirondack tales two of the peculiar Nnd Whch
he Affects In both the old hunter, John Norton VINO
IS Hneal descendant Of Leatherstochng' ngures
largely and the description of the woods and streams
hunting and fishing and sylvan sports OF all AihuS
takes up quite much space as the thread OF inc Hi
ratye The "stoy that the Key Told Me- ana
1.-THE Story Of the Man Who Didn't Know Much' are
in many respects what may for want of better den-
ton, be termed anti-realistic In siyle anu mouNo
thew belong 10 bygone literary perloa'
the period of dIdactc fiction. when goou
people, variously made-up, were uSeu dS
mouthpieces and In the most tedious ana
nter1nin able harangues prosed about difficult mofal
and social plob to pliable youths who Regarded
these casual monitors with tolerance ana even
reverence which are, 1t is to be feared quite hcohi
prchensibls to the present howard and slli-necKed
generation. When Mr.. Murray is talking hunting and
fishing and describing Adirondack scenery, he IS at
his best Then he be really eloquent and pictur
,soue But for the rest, however essentially goou II
NAV bs II docs not harmonic with the surroundings
and John Norton becomes a WEAKNESS 10 the nesn
which Nstty Bumppo never was or can be-
Professor Ebers has not scored success in Mar
rerys IL IL is TO be regarded as work OF hctoh
There ia in It no doubt a mass of exact ant1quar-
German customs and modes Of life may gather here
great deal of trustworthy information about fifteenth
century ways; but if he takes Margery's story as
fair example of tho period dealt with he can haId
escape the conclusion that those ancient Nuiem
borgers must have led drea1ully duh and coloress
existence. In MaIgery's own history there is far
too little movement and incident to justify the
telling of il. 1t is in fact little moro than peg
whereon to hang the authors archaeological lore;
and while the latter Is doubtless important, one
would prefer have in some other form than that
Of duh romance.
The Countess Of schwerln has written rather
long story with as slight foundation as could have
been employe all. The plot IS, nevertheless,
somewhat odd A young girl, left an orphan,
il protected and cared for by venerable professor,
who had been the nearest friend Of her parents.
When she grows up be find no way of continuing
HE guard over her so sure that of making her
his wife, but she declines the proposition. She goes
out TO earn her living, falls in love with a
widower whose housekeeper she has become, and
presently overhearing a conversation which assumes
his approaching marriage TO another woman PUSHES
off 10 the old professor and marries him. Hence
tribua.ion issues but tho professor is equal to the
situation and at the proper moment dies most con-
siderately. The novel is not wanting in skill, but
IL Is scarcely to be called brilliant
Mrs Louise Chandler Moulton has collected
number OF her short stories in volume which appears
under the tide MISS Eyre from Boston, and Others"
They are all poeucal and amusing, and otherwise
exhibit the characteristics which have become dent
fed with this weLknown writer.