New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-24
HOLIDAY BOOKS.
HAZARDS SPLENDID WORK.

DICTIONNAIRE DE ACKNOWLEDGMENT dsP gsxs,E 70
KLINE Steele iusqua ,ous Par Henri u Hay ARTS
New.York T. ". Bouton
THE CHOUANS. BY II. de Balzac. with iOU en- en-
ng On m. wood by reEss e0m into English
George saintsbury. Small folio' PIP >io' N"'''"
d Co. oo
THE SUN DIAL. BY Austin Dobson. svo' pp' io''
LA MARE AU DIABLE. From the French o. "s nnSS
Sand, by Frank Hunter Potter illustrated D'Ou
LONDON STREET ARABS BY Mrs II. NJ. Stanley
dorothy Tennantl. Csssell & Co.
A SELECTION FROM THE SONNEIs or w pnothers
WORDSWORTH. evopp w. ha'pe' '
II ever an author has been entitled 10 eAciailii
sExeri monumentum!" it is certainly NJ hehri
Havard the eminent official OF the 1oVcrnmen.
Dcnart,nent of Fine Arts at Paris, who has just
xSd,,rh, ont the fourth and concluding volume
- h;s suncrb Dictionnaire de PAmeubeinent ct
a. Ia Decoration depuis lie KLINE Steele iusqua
ros ,oursr The work, although then I'M
sr;shed WAS awarded, last year, the prize OF
honor nv the Academy of Fine Arts IL IS one
vh;ch Is unpreccdented Of its kind and represents
En-. labor of no less that fifteen gears on the par.
of the greatest living authority In Europe OIL a.'
questions of modern and ancient decorative ",''
. The present volume runs from T TO H. ana ae-
,;h.s NOT only things which are in current use,
but also many objects no longer met with IN our
a.rs t. contains over a thousand vignettcs, IN
Gliding sixty large plates. executed by celeora'eu
artists A study of these plates REMIND Ole VI
che massage in "Lamartine's Commences -,
which he denies the progress OF human ir '
renee and admits only it's transformation ""en
alancing over the pages OF Nj. haVaIos si"n'
work IL will certainly be admitted that the
drawings and sculpture of olden times have never
hcen surpassed. The sight of the many Dea""-
stimulate the imagination of any artist. anu Is
aost;nad IN render immense service 10 INC III
dustr;al and decorative art of the present. "i'e'
The French Government has recognized the value
~ tho Dictionary" by literally SUBSCRIBING ~
ward the enormous expenses incurred Wy '
author in its publication, and the Guy vi "'i'
has likewise contributed large sum 10 uc o'N''
purpose. on,orr+ Of
In order 70 give an idea of the vast amount VI
ground covered by the author, 1t is sui'cieno ~
state that the letter includes the heau,ne'
Paper. Panel, Pastel Persia, PerspecuNe' -
Pedestal Portal Portieres, Porcel"in' 'O.'
The book is got up in faultless STYLE Is WIZ w.
which French art and literature may ".n
proud. and will, without douo', III"
.aLe its Mace among the classics OF art. III a
I'm -, every one endowed with taste ana
.rtistic instincts should include IN MS h''"i9'
A "a form this handsome edition OF baiNso
sChouans" is a reproduction OF .ie ie'' 40
-, .-,;s,;oren issue. and is illustrated by the
,,.ood-cuts from the designs of Julien Le
d. II has in addition an introduction oy Ine
.~ans,.+nr Mr.. George Saintsbury. wherein
rather cold and inappreciatIve vie" oi Dill.
10 nresented together with some evidence ".''
AZ, Soir4sbnrv has not studied his sup}ec1 WIFI
.horougbness The translation itself Is however,
yrToc
generally excellent The "Chouans was 'ne
&rxt of Ralzac's novels to arrest puonc au'eh'ion'
and Mr. Saintsbury is quite right In saying ',,'s'
n marks a formative period IN MS CAREER LIS
manner and his method were alike lncnoa'e' any
the composition of the story suhclen'iy ihuio"'
this. But taking fully into account oil ITO LIN
..rf.ct;ons the "Chouans' remains very power
iu and impressive work 1t can haroly NC oou" ~
that Victor Hugo owed some Of the ideas Oh NIB
sN,u.., +broer 70 Balzaos story, the relations he
.,r..n Hnlot and Corentin in particular, being al
..+ raraJlel in the later tale. The scene Is laio
T., pr;ttanv in the wear 1899, and the motiVe Is
81. last attempt of the emigrant MOBILES 10 rouse
.rd maintain an active insurrection against uie
Renublic. The study of the Breton peasants WIN
comnosed the Chouannerie is wonderful Peee
~ work. Balzac wrote the book at fongeres' ~
tho heart of the country he describes In H. anu
.verv local touch in its pages is mlnuely 1althiui
to fact, -. oil
Tho Chouans were the most backward OF all
C.noh naasantrv. Bindly superstitious,
d.nselv ignorant and marked by an animal cour-
ou. and a do9ced endurance capable of almost any
4hine vitality to facilitate insurrecuon' oy making
IL impossible TO empty masses Oh troops III '''
work of repression The whole cuitlvaoie area
was cut I'D into small fields. divided one Iro"
the other not by ordinary hedges puC oy s'ou'
Gnl6 cnlG O
CLAW walls six feet high In the nelos aso 'iieie
were abundance of birch bushes, which were Jus'
The thing for ambuscades. and the enect OF 'ieSe
arrangements was that thousands OF armed men
might be scattered about, yet wholly lnVlsloe' anu
,het at, attempts to bring the Chouans to open
NTH. were foredocmed to failure. The nnger-
;no character of the civil war in La Vendee was
..,a;.Ir due IN these circumstances. The Vendeans
uere however. more chivalrous than the Chouans
Tho latter fought in calculating spirit notwith-
standing their devotion to their priests and lead
.rs They always sought to economic lie.
% kin without risk to themselves, ana 10
obaa;n thunder The war savage In the eX-
.reme No quarter was given on either side, as
rule and both mutilation and torture were freely
practised by the Chouans Balzac gives a mar
yelousy vivid picture of this sangulnary strug-
ole. in which the Blues" or troops OF the ke-
public. were often at great disadvantage. But
the chief interest of the story lies in one OF the
most singular contests in fction-a kind OF pro-
lonred duel between two women, both Of whom
are in love with the same man, and he the Chouan
leader, the Marquis of Montauran'
The character of Mile de Verneuille is eX-
tremely complex, as her career has been extremely
checkered Sent from Paris by Fouche to ensnare
and betray the Chouan chief, she begins by falling
i'm love with her intended victim, but being re-
pulsed and thrown back upon herself she resolves
to carry out the original programme only to be
halted by fresh access Of tenderness, and again
rcvolted by rebuffs and Observation-Disclosures The
other woman, who goes by the name of Madame
de Qua, is more simple. She hates and repeatedly
tries to kill her rival. The drama increases II
excitement as it draws to close. The Chouar
campaign proves failure. Huot is too stront
and yigilant for them. All through the movement