The sun., 1889-02-10
SOME NEW BOOKS.
The ereen.eyed New York Girl OF Passion.

America, there Is growing up literature {
prose fiction. equally and for tho same reason
reprehensible. Within few months past thcr
have appeared from various presses Mt leas
half dozen novels in which an afcctation Q
psychological study or tho prctenco of an i'm
patient protes. against tho conventional an,
the commonplace. suppants tho poetic motiv
rs the cloak for a deliberately morcenary pur
nose These books arc mado to sell. The
arc mndo immoral Ia the belief that they vii
sell faster on that account. They are sricet
hot for wearied palatcs. They are nut fortl
on the assumption that here. as, Tor example
In France. there is an increasing demand or
the part OF novel renders for enterprise
across and beyond the lines established by
literary self-respoct. Tho authors go as far Il.
they dare at present. With slight encourage
ment they, or their successors. will go further
still. Once started there Is no limit TO the raw
ages OF the moral decay of which books OF this
sort are the first symptom. The degringolade
has no break short OF the uttcrmost depths o
infamy. reached on slightly different but moi
morally dissimilar lines of progress by the
MARQUIS dc SADIE and Jack the Ripper.
One thing that we noto about this recent
movement in bad direction is that its
pioneers. with here and there an ignoblo ex-
eeption. are women, In that respect 1t differs
from the contemporary but further advanced
denlement OF prose- fiction in France. whore
the weight OF odlum rests upon 'he hne'
Certainly IL Is iact OF no snEnt CONSEQUENCE
that while tho Elias ana Ameiles OF America
are cultivatinE IN real or sihui"'eu ees'"cv '
,'e i.iipo.'ou , ~, c...u,,ia. ,,,,a 49,,
oo ou' wv - ~. - . IT,
oeAs s,i1.,.,,s.. IN
nv, " 49, ,,... ,
"' ,uAe % on 'N"upo Az III, 'uo 80 "ne ''e. 70.
naps .no e'',olos. VI .neso n y, r"1S,o 1Sa
. I,..'.. n'i,i,.,,.. ~" ~".,', :. ~. p.
Ien. -, us ,,ha t.;,,,,oa1 ] h.. ~. NV wv
. ~ =, ,nolssI ,",,,,i,aSs w. uI,,s,nat.., -
her sisters family. seeks and joyiully welcomes
tho onnortupitv to p;vo borsnlf to tho nr comer
- ~, ,,,l, th, live ~ illi,it n,ssior - is a
W ,s - - 80 .'',,.,..I -. ~. -.
stuus Oh ueiipera'e prostitution hor ~ ,oi money
put Tor the sake OF sensation. Inc heroine
presents herself at the doorway oil degrada-
ton. prepared TO pay her virtue as the price OF
entrance precisely as she would 90 10 a theatre
with a dollar and n half to buy n ticket to an
axcit;ne me,odrama
Such is the revolving motive OF book which
in some respects justifes what we said Of a
former story by the same writer. She has i'm
agInation, insight, and wit that catches the
right word and turns phrase very neatly. II
che were content to abide by the slow process
OF patient industry and conscientious art
which brings the only fame worth having, she
would gain it beyond doubt. She has no
more business to be writing such stuff as We
are going to quote than to walk the Bowery
alone after nine o'clock at night
..,
. Aaoi ni"' "''oi uinH W ''''i uue A'noi WI was
tue younger OF Two orphan sisters' Drought UP
by mlserly old hnfckerbocker in lower Sec
ond avenue. Her parents had swept down
the horizon OF Ne" iork society IKE meteors
on summer night Ihey had landed IN the
ouyoam iamliV vault unaer OF. MARX B.
Bessie was taneiy pretty. hermla was ugly
Sno n'oroiuiS couseiouS VI 'ne i"o''
Under her high melancholy forehead and black.
heavy brows stared pair of unmistakaby green
even that hypocrite Poiiteness would never name
snem gray. her aal' uh'h erestlng mar was orushed
sssy o. anu "r"u.u IN asn. ps,ail' anu NC,
hi,s NJ hsr ,st,r, d.i,car. AKIN Her wsr.
tnict and black. and she had tho small admirably
shaped hands and feet Of the dams but tho general
eject was unattractve. She was cold reserved child
and few people liked her.
Basaia'e ambition at thia ner,od ,vaa "to
have n nioa handsome husband ond e,.
S.,s., .I,,, ~ ., - ,..i.,
oo"utHu. ou"uron Oh ui'eeeu III "utto Will
plue sasnes. hermlas passionate desire was
TO De the most peautllul woman IN the world.
The sisters discussed the possibility OF this
tro ,o bod "Nonso; ia Possia ra,ro,f,ur .J
~, o,.o;s ,,,,, ,,oror ,ri,i 10 J,asS
~ :. - -. ,1N "..
quo ,oomS Unusually ,1,e.y ne.ssi az sns SPOKE
~ IN hsr wh,a ho,om U., ava. loot al n.os IN ~
lamps narrow light and her soft, heavy hair tump.d
about her flushed face and slender, shapey ngure
Hernia Gazed at her for a momsn. and then with
cry sprans forward and tore her sharp nails
across nsr sisters cheek.
A worthy young bank clerk wooed tho pretty
elder sister. and. by the kind permission Of the
author. married instead OF seducing her.
moroaunt as IL cnancea' was not villain.
and the role OF victim was not offered to Bes-
sie." Thirteen years passed. Bessie had
achieved three 6fths Of her philoprogenitiye
and Hermia lived with tbe family
In Rrook,vn fat Sha UNA horad "a d,oth ,ritb
A. ..I,,.i =, s., -
st s,Ao ,,. VI uotueEsto oAt''oh'e uhuei
snese conoitions anu Big nao not improved IN
personal appearance:
And Hernia Poor grill She had not found the
beauty her sister had lost with her first babyL Her
hair was stl tho Same muddy blond brown although
with latent suggestion Of color and she still brushed
tbaok with tho severity OF her childhood She was a