The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-20

the most notable scents III pSO' -
Eliot. but there Is az abruptne5s ~ her
Transitions. certain up-teadlness oI
.exprts-lon that detTacie from the sus-
famed eH CT of all her cODveIsati) us
and descriptions. At one moment hei
ltsrar, spirit scars as high as Chll-
novice itself, and the next, perhaps. IL
SINKS as low a. one 4 the valleys that
nestle i'm the /, cesses of the foothills g
Inthe "Despot Of Broom edge Cove.
the last work we have from her pen,
she gives evidence of having worked
out ben rich. but limited. VEN OF gOid'
Is Thomas Nelson Page We have
literary tone. a social spiiit. and
q On, iscal background that are IN the
most striking contrast to those OF Miss
Muriree. From the lonely M untains.
with their subnme silence and vast
s.,eepand their rugged ami primitive 10
habltants. we have cOme down on the cul
tlv,ted PLAIN and entered arcient home
sleaGs, refined by the gentle customs
habits and feelings Of a people whose
inherited traditions OF an older CIVIL
zition have been modified by the
beautiful simplicity Of a provincial
lie.
In the works OF this author. all the
teuderes. charities ami humanitles that
elevate the mind aud melt the heart.
meet to give an unusual charm t. DIS
humorous vein aud soften the pregnancy
OF his tragic.
Tnere are few scenes IN the "hole
range Of English ficiion that sufpass III
this peculiar quality the comic scenes
ina Unc e EdinUurg's DfowDdin'. or the
tragic scenes in MaTse Cnan. We detect
similar comic qUalltg in Dickens
description 10 Plckwick Papers. OF the
Christmas at MIR. Wardle Is. and also IN
certain scenes OF the Spectator. only ID
the latter the humOr l. more lurking
and reserved. The very penetrating
quality that we find in the pathos OF
Slarse Chan mas probably lis only coun-
teipart ia ID. Brown S 'Kab and. Ills
Friends.
We see in the stories Of this author.
whatever was noblest in the life. love
lest IN the character aud tenderest III
the spifit of the South. He ranges
with ease from bali 10 battle. and
runs with "a soft. but sure. touch over
all the enact .ous tha1 fluctutte between
( love and hate. glycty aud sorrow.
That picture OF Southern society be-
/ fore the late war. which fingers So
/ teu3ci0Hsly IA The hears d those VINO
remember 10 from actual observation.
and which has descended 10 their
children by many tTadni II and story,
/ is ref. cted ID Page in is mO5- beautiful
and wlnnin@ details. The picture
drawn Is memorial that will only
/ grow more eudur ~ aud Attractive a
time flies. Ne~ social CUSTOMS ana
sentiments may spring up. but the
emotion. that breathe through these
tales Viii remain IN their strength be
cause they are common to all humanity
in all the ages of the world. They arc
coexisteut with human nature. and
therefore. 90 lapse of time can either
destroy or make them stale.
IL Cables Old Creole Days we Rave
a picture Of Creole society drawn witt
p etic d,lcacy and elegance. The Gre
oies themselves warmly deny the ac
curary of the dellneation, and indig
nautly repudiate its general correct
ness We can well believe this. for Ca
bie'- d squsitions Oh the race question
are mark, Il by s. httle business of IN
si-ht, although be had been familiar
With negroes from his childhood. TIA
we caa clearly understand that In
vision III looking at tue character an(
social spirit OF the creole was equal,
distorted. Tnis fact IDjlres TIL
value of his volume Of Creole tale
IA a social history of par
Of the Am' rican population. The PEG
pie III tie French quarter Of New Or
leans are after all purely exotic an,
foreign. with 10 real conne"uon witl
American social life at large. Inel
mus, II tlme entirely pass asay by be
lDg alb, Ibed IN the general population
Of New Orleans. or become dImlnishe'
To extreme numerical insIgnificanc,
by the future expansion OF that city Il
SIZE.
independently oil all this. Cables OF,
Creole Days will ietain All Interest II
itself that is likely TO endure perma
nently.
In our opinion this collection O
stories Is far more worthy OF motto
than alt the remainder OF his tale
taken together. In these stories h
poured out from the fre.h springs o
his mind all that was really valuable il
his social observation Of the class b.
describes. Ever, thing else that he ha
written is injdled BY verooseness, pre-
tenIlOusness aud an inability To CIV
strong dramatic interest 10 story OF an.
length.
IL also smicks more or less Of tn
coDcei' of ,he man. which is more in
suffrrsble than thai OF any writer o
fiction now alive.
DR.. Sewer is tediols in the extreme
ha,nn nrx. Af fha ka.t .a.,ors loo for alt.nt