Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-14
THE CRITIC.

Nationalism ms Remedy-Tho Jackdaw
of Rheims.
"There is to be taught wax works of all sorts
fruits upon trees or in Dishes all manner OF
confections, flesh, fish, fowl or anything that
can be made of wax Philligree work of any
sort. Japanese work. painting on glass, sashes
for windows upon sarsnet or transparent pa
per, straw work of any sort, as horses, birds, OF
beasts. shell work in sconces or flowers, quill
work, transparent work, puff work, paper work,
tortoise work, gimp or bugle work, silver land
skips, sort of work in imitation of Japan;
tape lace, cutting glass, washing lace. pastry Of
all sorts, with the finest shapes that's used in
London; boning fowl without cutting the back,
butter work, conserving and candying; all sorts
of English wines, wrieing and arithmetic, mu-
sic ana the great end of dancing, which is a
good carriage, and several other things"
This, in the year 17OS, was the course Of
study in a young ladies' school. We have
changed things somewhat since that.
Mr.. Morgan's paper on Ladies and Learn
ing" in the Atlantic Monthly for October, is
followed by an exceedingly clever paper by
Agnes Repplier on "Fiction in the Pulpit"
Miss Repplier is not pointing her sharp pen at
preachers who tell lies, but at novelists who
preach sermons The trouble she says, with
the novelists of our day and generation is that
they all want to attire themselves In gown and
bands; they all want to preach sermons. When
Coleridge said to Lamb, ibid you ever hear me
preach?" Lamb answered, as everybody knows,
II never heard you do anything else" 1t is
undoubtedly true that the most notable of
recent fiction writers are among those who. if
we cannot say that they never do anything
else" do manage to write good many sermons.
''Great is the company of the preacher"
Mrs. Battle" the essayist remembers, ire
laxed herself, after g game of whist. over that
genial and unostentatious trifle called novel.
Fancy Mrs. Battle relaxing herself over sDan-
iel Deronda,' or the Ordeal of Richard Few
eril,' or the Story of an African FarmP" Mrs.
Repplier maintains that Mrs. Battles idea of
the purpose of the novel is the right one. In
which opinion. no doubt, the young ladies of
1709 would have heartily coincided. The bust
ness of the novelist is to please. Nobody asks
him to teach. Nobody wants him to preach.
We ask him to give us two hours pleasant en-
tertainment. And, ITO beguile Us into the
pleasant shades of fiction, as Jael beguiled
Sisera into the shelter of her tent, and then,
with deadly purpose, to transfix us with a
truth as sharp and cruel as the nail with which
Jael slew her guest, is dastardly betrayal of
confidence"
Well, so it goes one on one side. and another
on the other; l703 and 1889; the novel with
purpose, and the novel whose purpose is to
please. The truth is, we want both kinds. Let
the writer write his book; and whether it turn
out song, or whether it turn out sermon, if
il is genuinely good, if it is worth either the
singing or the preaching, what does it matter?
Only do not make US read too many sermons!
kxA
No one, think, will be likely to suspect Mr..
Bret Harte of being novelist who is trying to
ascend the pulpit stairs. Indeed there are
some who would like to argue the assertion that
he is even q novelist His novels have not
won very conspicuous success, at least Mr..
Harte's strength is in the writing Of short
story. That he can do admirably. And so he
is American not only in his subject, but in his
style; for the short story is the peculiar con-
tribution of this country to recent fiction. The
best writers of short stories live in that part of
this round earth which was discovered by Co
lumbus.
Mr.. Harte has gathered several capital short
stories into The Heritage Of Dedlow Marsh
(Houghton, Miflin & Coy Beside the title
story are three others: "a Knight Errant of
the Foot Hills and "a Secret of Telegraph
anu CdpGdln EleHu. DEeb adEto
has no need to put his name on the title page
of this book. We would have recognized it as
his property if we had discovered it with the
back off and the front pages missing in the
dustiest cupboard Of the library of the Convent
of st. Catherine in Mt. Sinai.
These people are old friends of ours. Here
are the same simple-minded and remarkably
miners whom we have known Of
old. Here is the same weIl-dressed, handsome
gambler, with his astonishing GOODNESS and his
courtesy, such bad fellow, and
yet such an amazingly good fellow, too! We
have been introduced to him more than twice
before.
Mr. Herbert Bly,, member of a San Francisco
vigilance committee. has been out all day on
man hunt. The vigilantes are after several mo-
torious gamblers and desperadoes. Mr.. Bly,
comes home.pretty tired. opens the door of his
room and goes in, and there is strange man
asleep upon his bed. The guest opens his eyes,
"'Well, Johnny, what's your nameT
"T am Herbert BY, of Carstone's bank
"'Sol And member of this same vigilance
committee, reckon he continued.
"sYes.'
"'Well, Mr.. Bly,, owe you an apology for
coming here, and some thanks for the only
sleep I've had in 4S hours I struck this old
;hebang at about 10 o'clock, and it's now 2 so
reckon I've put in about four hours square
Sleep Now look here He beckoned Herbert
toward the window. DO you see those three
men standing under that gas-hght7 Well,
they're part of q gang of vigilantes
Rho've hunted me out to the hill, and
Ire waiting to see me come out of
she bushes, where they reckon Pm hiding. Go
% them and say that Pm hereI Tell them
you've got Gentleman George-George Dorm.
ON, the man they've been hunting for week
n this room. l promise You l won't stir nor
Kick up row when they've come. Do it, and
Jarstone, If he's square man, will raise your
Ialary for it. and promote you.' He yawned
lightly, and then slowly looking around him,
irew the easy chair toward him and dropped
comfortably in it, gazing at the astounded and
notionless Herbert with lazy smile.
This is delightful. 1t is thoroughly in
darte's style, and the whole book carries one
,ack just as charmingly to the days of Poker
Fiat.
80
1t is not easy to think up any particular con-
,ection between The Heritage of Dedloao |
Marsh and Mr.. Charles w. Bakers Monopo-
les and the People (G. P. Putnam's Sons, II. |
Watts & Col, unless we find it in the fact that |
he inhabitants of Eureka Gulch were after
,old. and that that is what the monopolies are |
.fter. too. And crushing the people to get it.
ONE will say, as the miners crushed the ore. |
dr. Baker is one who says that, but he says it |
'ery temperately. There is no loss of temper |
lor lapse from fairness in his book.
The largest revelation which most readers |
will find here is the number and extent OF the |
nonopolies which surround us Monopolies in
interests, monopolies of mineral |
wealth, monopolies of transportation and COM
nunication. municipal monopolies, monopolies |
n trade, monopolies depending on the Govern |
nent, monopolies in the labor market-these |
re titles of some of Mr.. Bakers chapters And |
ach of these includes the many varieties which |
orm class. And each of these varieties has |
III saI, Il