New-York tribune., 1890-08-31
AN INTERESTING BOOK.
THE ROMANCE OF a DIPLOMAT.

A DIPLOMATS DIARY. BY Julien Gordon 12mo
PIP. 233. Philadelphia j. b. Lipp!ncott Company
Under the guise of a somewhat tragic love
affair, the writer who has assumed tie pseudo
nym Of Julien Gordon" gives graphic and vivid
description Of life and manners at the Russian
court, exhibiting uncommon keenness Of OBJ
servaton and decacy Of touch IN the course OF
the work. A Diplomats Diary is not pure
fiction The strong story OF the envoy and the
beautiful widow may may not have been in
vented II is realistic enough 70 hc either n
clever work Of art a record Of fact observed and
modified to save the "convenances. But the
stage upon which the little drama is played, tie
people who pass over it. the customs and manners
these are assuredly taken from life, and by one
who has occupied position within the diplomatic
circle of the court in question. The diary, more
over though supposed to be written by man, Is
probably tle work of q woman, and there are
many slight indications of this in the book Itself
Men do not often succeed in drawing women
BalZac is perhaps the only man who has fene-
trated the subtle Protean feminine nature 10 the
extent Of putting genuine women upon his canvas
Women are, in the same way and for the same
general reasons, apt 20 make strange mistakes in
diagnosing the masculine nature. As n rule they
are unable to refrain from endowing il with an
excess of womanly characteristics. Not that men
who are really good for anything ne ever without
those qualities for the best men unite the traits
Of both sexes, and the best women also But
women when they create men in fiction are prone
I, overdo their Termination, just as men without
genius make their female characters mere boys in
petdcoats.
In a Diplomats Diary" the diarist. il will
be observed does not always write act like a
genuine man. The intention is TO make him
Il.
tional and very sensitive Now man would not
consider this happy combination of attributes.
He would shrink from any suspicion Of the relo-
dramatic in the representation of his hero, and
above all. in portrayng veteran diplomat. he
| would insist upon his absolute sclfcontrol and
external impassiveness. Then, too. we seem to
distinguish kind of delicate malice in the picture
of Mrs. Acton which would he quite beyond the
reach Of a man writer. The really outrageous
| coquetry Of the lovely Daphne is quite master
piece of study and expression, and its subtlety
| is truly feminine. In the close and shrcwd de-
| scription of Russian diplomatic and court Gus
| toms the pictorial tendencies and the point
| of view are equally reveatory Of the writer's
sex. All this part Of the work is done with
| ligltness Of touch and strong sense ofswhat
is picturesque in the splendid and stately functions
| concerned judicious cynicism is employed Ia
| favor the character OF the diarst-and, by the
| way how is it that i'll all fiction diplomats are
| ted as cynical? Have we here an un-
conscious recognition of the dominance Of IIumbug
in state cercmonals and all the modes and methods
| of intergovernmental procedure which mark self
| interest under a score of high-soundng phrases ?
| The diplomat of the novel is supposed 10 have
seen so much of the seamy side Of things that
| il is difficult for him TO believe in anybody
| That view involves very. uncomplimentary hy-
| pothess of human government. but it might be
| going too far to deny the truth of the inference
Moreover in the present instance there is internal
evidence that the author, if not diplomat her.
| self is very near TO one; and therefore the less
likely 10 be mistaken point Of this kind.
| The love stOry-the prolonged and energetic
Irritation perhaps it would be strictly accurate
| to call it's recorded with unmistakable clever
| ness and with sort Of malicious satisfaction in
the extent 10 which the cOquettc ravages the heart
| of her too devoted lover. The fair Daphne is a
very fascinating and undeniably dangerous Great
ure, and we at least do not believe that tie man
| for whose sake she threw the diplomat over had
| the best OF the bargain after all. woman who
| has graduated j. coquciry and ended by betrayirg
one she really considers the bcso She las ever
| s.nown, is not likely to remain true TO a husband
| she has married from a sense of duty more than
| any other motive, and we imagine that the dpo-
| mat would have been du.y avenged in the natural
| course Of things
| If A Diplomats Diary is a first essay in lit
eraturc TO be the case ii must he yardcd
! as full Of promise. One Of its best qualities is