New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-20
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
SOME MINOR NOVELS.

pp 800 D. Appleton & Co.
THE MERRY CHANTER. BY Frank r. Stockton
l2mo. PIP. 1872. The Century Co.
yryIER, OF vIvIER, LONGMAN CO., BANKERS
BY W. G; Hudson. 12mo. PIP. $780, Cas'eli Pub
xENIA REPNINA. BY B. MacGahan. 1emo. PIP
285. George Routledge sons
AN OCULAR DIFFUSION p, BY Fran, Frank III Harvard Howe
'"H mann ANN. II. D. Emo PIP so7. John ". Lowell
LOVE IN THE TROPICS. BY Caroline Earle White.
l2mo PIP. $50. Philadelphia: J. b. Lipplncott Co.
real Dutch novel is rather uncommon in this
latitude and Joost Avelingh" is story OF decided
force and merit with a sufficiently exotic favor TO
lend piquancy TO it. 1t might be called study IN
conscience. for the whole motive really turns upon
the construction to be put upon very peculiar situa
ton. There is indeed, quite remarkable likeness
between this situation and the central one IN the Earl
OF Lytton's newly arranged tale The Ring of Amasis"
In both blood guilt is incurred not through any
overt act, but through the REFUSAL or at least the
failure, to act In the English story man sits still
and his brother drown not lifting finger to save
him. In the Dutch story nephew sees his uncle
attacked by apopexy, and permits the sufferer to fall
and then TO lie in such way that he IS ssngled by
his own cravat The nephew, having been educated
as a physician moreover, cannot pretend ignorance
Of the danger which he has made effort to avert,
and he is also the heir to the dead mans fortune
The analysis Of JOost Avclngs mind and the develop
ment Of higher moral sensibility in him is wrought
machinery Of the novel is unhacncyed and fresh, the
situations are strong, and there is much quiet humor
and keen observation in the book The steps cvcntu-
ally taken by JOost Avengh to expiae what he con-
sders his crime will doubt be variously judged
Perhaps most readers Will hold, with the Hollandeis
In tho story that the man only made fool OF himself
in putting into practice so sweeping and great
remuneration. Yet there may be some who will rise,
as JOost did, above the Mammon-worship Of the age,
and recognize in the sacrifice not only an act OF
justice, but Of the highest wisdom also 1t would
be almost libel upon mankind to assert that the
character of Joost Avelingh is impossible. Rare 1t
may be admitted to be- for this not the world
would be better than it is. But the man and his
course entirely thnkabe and If most of us would
shrink from such ordeal he passed through few
Of us are incapable of pcrceivng that the power to
stand such test must be admirable.
From so sombre. almost tragic and essentially
serious story TO Mr.. stockton's Merry Chancr' is
wide step, though not exactly from the sublime to
the ridiculous. One is tempted TO suspect that though
tho stories are not alike. vague memory Of Lewis
Carrolps Hunting of tho Shark" may have been
lingering In Mr.. StockOn's mental aura when he con
ceved the idea Of the Merry Chanter.' The central
urollery OF this amusing novelette, Is, of course
original the idea OF a voyage which is no voyage
of party gravcy living for weeks together upon
schooner which hard and fast upon i sandbank in
harbor; the crew entirely composed OF captains the
English lord to whom accession to the title brought
nothing but life imprisonment 10. ancestral deb's
the pie ghost, the young woman who paints memories
on the walls of the dning-rOOm: the enamored
butcher, and all the rest-these are undeniaby ana
nimitably Mr.. Stockton'S inventions and creations
The subducd fun Of the story is capital, and we 90
not think the author has been successful IN
this element since he wrote the diverting history OF
"Mps Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine" 1t is in fact
kind of fantastic dream world in which such thngS
as are here described occur and Mr.. stockton
tp.am at
which renders the most cXtrovagant and inconsequen
doings seem perfectly commonplace and natural
There Is doubt much more than TINS ID MI Sioch
toms lmmor; but this peculiarly has much 10 40
with the oddly and the fascination Of his humor al
its best. and he has seldom yielded more completely
TO the fantastic than In The Merry Cllanter.'
vivicr the banker belongs 10 that always inter
esting class Of characters in fiction who unite eXraor
binary energy and mental capacity with thorough
going unscrupuousness 10 carry them very
far In this the strong wicked man Is IN deadly
rivalry with another strong. wicked man. who now
ever is less abundantly furnished with the sincws OF
war Charles Eeadc fond Of this kind OF plot and
character. In at least two Of his books he fairly
reveed In their craft and nidui,y, and he made them
do things which, could he have achieved them him
SELF would certainly have made his fortune or landed
him in the penentla,y. In real life even strohe
bankers who go wrong do sometimes come 10 oecp
grief and that in New York but in sensational
novel people of this type must not be crushed, but
must be allowed 10 trrynph over obstacles, legal ana
otherwise TO condcnc feones, TO buy all who possess
awkward evidence against them, and to cXpiatc all
their sins BY liberal cash payments. This Is what
happens in the case OF Vlver the banker aud tee
other villain, MollcsOn, who gets the better OF ~
great vivcr in the long tusslc between them, rercs
into pecuniay clover, has endless pulls and Is VIC
are assured by the author portrait from me- as Is
also James Viver. II is truc that one does not ofcn
encmnter in actual life the mcodramstc combinations
in Sfc buf
more interesting on thai account Mr.. HUDSON mas
certainly written dull pages and for readers who
prefer the psy colosic novel, there is plenty OF choice
n other directions.
The widow Of the traveller and correspondent
HacGahan has written story of the Russia 81 10
day which shows not little power though IL Il
uneven and sometimes rather tircsomc Several types
of the young Russian men and women "h0 nave
been nurtured upon Nihiis'c literature are Ill.
troduced; and social state Is exhibited In whclH a
fcvcrsh rcstlessness and yearhiag TO be DONG SONS
new and good and patriotic thing contTastcd with
the prevailing reprcssve systei-a system whose an
pinistratois regard all reform movements Us rcvo-
lutonary and punish even philanthropy, while shutting
their eyes to corruption. The heroine Is young
Russian who may he CLASSIFIED "a femme incon-
prise not know herself and is full OF caprice
alternating with strong emotion. To put lie" III a
convent at last however strikes us as hut poor art
The end is one which solves social problems, and
Is virtually confession Of defeat. There Is plenty
Of interesting character study in the story, but The
movement Is languid and the dialogue, are some
times too much spun out. For first novel. neverthc
less, "Xcnia Repnina"" is creditable ana promising.
Mr.. Howe's novelette,, "An Ocular Delusion," cen
tres upon rather audacious deception about tho
possibility of which good deal might be said To make
young woman believe that of her eyes has been
taken out and that of dog substituted for it IS
strong order" beyond question but the story which
hinges upon this remarkable pretended operation f
lively, ingenious and well-wrtcn, and the ntcrs
is maintained without Tagging from beginning to end
nr IN "