The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-11-24
OUR LIBRARY.
Literary Table Talk.

|
mental superiority could not be dis
pu "a: If thy we've blind TO her sobtI'
excelencies. then they were dO.eist
and iDsensible. This critic j ssser.i,r
Of the historian. Ike so may from tns
same source. IS extreme and exaggefat
ro; but IL - accurate this far. IN st Dc
one but reader of The most cultivated
astes will erj ~ the exquisite flavor o.
VI ~ Austin novels. Moreover. this Ia
nous oman resembles Cnafl' Lamb. II
that she appeals most dIrectl' toaspecIa
cls-s-fbls class being in her instance
| those who have been educated. like
herself. amid all the social iuhueuces OF
a rural gently No one can enter into
her spirit fully VINO has parsed his whole
| life 10 cIlIes. Above all. 10 one Car
form q ju-t conception of her geniu:
| who is not familiar by long contact
with the cial life in the ri al paris OF
England and Old Virginia. Through
no other means have we oh
tained clearer notion OF how
essentially Euglish the old stock OF Vir-
ginisDs were. not only IN their descent.
Dut 10 their DOM slic traoitiOns. social
Customs and private sentiDents and
feelings. Making al wanca for mere
cal DIFF arerce- Emma Pride and Pre-
JUDGE Sense and Se,tsibiilty aud Mans
feid Park might easily have beeu wril-
cen by some Vrginlan lady OF the old
Regime, whose life had been pissed,
and whose observation confined to the
sutebellum society on Rap ihannccl.
N la 10 "a 4
Halifax counties.
We doubt whether Miss Austin was
more popular IN the homes OF ruIal
England than in those of the planters
If the high IT class IN Virginia before
the late war. simply because tle senll-
ments. mauuers and characters reflect
ed in her novels were sucn as the VIZ
ginians were accustomed t. amor
themselves II rummasing among tie
ODUks IN some of our old country
u uses we have frequently lighted
upon these classics ~ well-worn c9y-
ers, and they have seemed 10 us
- cOngenial TO their envlron-
ment as tue hOllyhOcks. daffo1ils.
olnks. and the otrer oli-iasnl. Fed
fl ,wers in the gardens near b.. l. ap.
peafed most natural. too, that we
should find them in close proximity 10
EDITIONS Of Hogar'h, Addison. ard
Bunyan published in London before
the revolution. and. IN cOnst quence.
stained by the hand Of Time, which.
however 1t might mar the binding and
printing. could not injIre the i'm
mortal spirIt of genius mat brs a bed
from the lines of every yellow and
moth eaten page.
MISS AUSTIN S EMMA il Coz sidered
by many 10 be her masterpiece. al
though to Us it is neither So spark
liog nor interesting as PRIDE aud
Pr, jddice. The most cursory ske.cn OF
ITS scenes and characters VIII recall %
the minds Of maLy If our readers, IS
peel lily those who came Of age before
the war. many a rural neighb )rhood in
Vireiuia. with It's circle II refined aud
cultured families
nighbuIg. the English town around
winch the uueventlul plot Of Emma
revolv d. was not more peaceful IT re-
NOV q from the world ihan Ffederlcks-
bug was in the third decade OF this
century. Within the seclu led AID
narrow precincts OF this Old Virginia
town. ard the immediate cOuDiry ada
cent. the different scenes OF ms novel
might, years ago have followed e2ch
other. viii as much truth T. tue sJ,iety.
aud in rs much accord with the local
setting. as in the EDgli,h town ia which
they were really lad. The same vlrlet
types of character that are delIueated
with such exq Ilsile art ~ Emma were
30 doubt "a often Observed Ia Freder-
long bt fore the war a IA HiSn-
burg. aud for ought we know from our
ersOual know ledge. are SUI u be
found there.
The social sentiments and family
customs OF the two towns were nearly
he same. The general cOur>e OF The
ives # their respective iuhtbnants was
iimost exactly similar. Not only the
feelings aud tastes but also the oc;u- +
Datlons aud amu-emeuis OF their peO-
Dies d tTered bus little. There was The
anne refiu meut. the same simplicity. /
he same strOng individuallties. the
,ame amusing ecceutrlcitles. the same
pride of birth. aud the same cherisuirg
# fimily traditions. the same cult Va
ION OF those social charities that soften
lud elevate exisieuCe.
Compare Emma with Marse Chan.
hat moving story by which. Of al our
native stories. We are most wiling FIR
be old regime in Virginia TO he tested.
nd who Will not say. IN spite # differ
noes in local circumstances, aud p, me
natural differences ln local cOlUriug,
nat the two tails are mirrors 40 WHICH
h. sane race and the same society q
tlected. The s,ream of VI s. Austin >
tor> flows along with "a gentle current.
ufll- d only bJ an occasional furry OF
7Ind. TneIels. too. a marked primes
ID cOnvebtiOnalItv IN the treatment
hat has an old fashioned caarm that l. ,
,
Mare Chan. on the other hand. is ar 1
nate bs far deeper lay OF emotion {
1 d sentiment l. strikes the chord, OF $
I'VE ami hat ed with a more passionate =
and, AID blows with a deeper aud /
)Dger dawn breath upon the respOn- d
We Instrument OF tragedy aud con- 7
~ but the people presented by the >
40 authors are the same. LOT only In d
scent. bat in their hearts and their [
)mes. though the one dweit under Eng n
b aud the other uUder Nirpinian skies.
oder their respective roof trees slmi- 4
IT domestic dramas. daIkeped or [
frightened " tears or smiles. according fl
the nature Of the hour, were played
7 actors upon LIES stage. who shared G.
10 same moral and social Inheritauces, r,
ough two centufi 5 of time and many i,
Iudred leae ues of sea divided the two |.
anches Of the great parent st ok from a
en- other. n
THE close resemblance between the &
clal spnit of the English and VIrgiuian is
raj gentry, respt ctlvely. several gen 6.
atoms ago. is revealed IN all the
u ks of fiction that illustrate The gen CT
al features of the two societies. We
ght mention the names Of several u