New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CURRENT FICTION.

Janvier. Illustrated l2IEo, PIP. 44o' h"iP''
IN TIE VALLEY OF MAyILAM, Fy F Ere aevsli
Thickstun Clark. 12mO, PIP. ISL f. = Ao'on
PEARL POWDER. BY Annie Edwards. 1@mo, PIP.
Ala. Philadelphia: j. b. Lippmcot company
A MODERN MARRIAGE. BY the Mar9ulse Cara
LAMA. l2mo, PIP. 344. John w. Lowell
THE RAG PICKER OF PARIS. by Felix Pyat; Trans
lated IN b. Il. Tucker. svo, PIP. 3l7. boston
Benjamin X. Tucker.
LABBE ROITELET. Par Ferdinand FaDIe' r"ii'
ChaTpentier. Ncw-lork: +. W. ChfslcTh'
Mr.. Janvier in his Mexican romance may DC
said without exaggeraton 10 have run Rider HaGsaru
hard In fact, "Thc Aztec TreasureHouse Is d
capital story of It's kind and in one respect IL Is "
better than the average run OF romanceN' ~ i"-0
the interest Of these depends rainly upon s'uatoh
and action while the study of character Is neglected.
Mr. Janvier, however, has created group OF sharply
distinguished and consistently developed characters
each of marked individuality and refreshing OrleaA!
The Professor, who tells the exciting Story VI us
groups adventures; Rayburn, the engineer 1ouhs'
the Lost Freight" Agent; Pablo, and last DUt ho'
least Ell Tabio the truly delightful little donhey-ae
each and all as real and natural possible Oh thch
all the Professor and Young are perhaps the most
ORIGINAL: the former with his archaeological passion
and his philosophy which yields TO hard KnOcKs ;
the latter with his strong flavor OF American
ISM his utter iTeveenCe, his quaint and picturesque
slang his sterling qualities. There Is another hsue
handled very tenderly and delicatey by the author
at the hands of the heahen and finding 1t at last lie
ls drawn with sympathy and reverence and his rc-
lations with the explorers set forth with no mean
skill The adventures encountered in the search for
the walled city of Culheracan and the IcaSuTclousc
built by King Chattzantzin 900 years ago are such
as must content the exgent IN matters OF scnsa-
ton.
"Kipg SolomOn's Mines" may very well have sug-
gesed Mr. Janviers story. but there is no sembance
between the two beyond The general idea OF seeking
for long hidden treasure The archaeology OF the 10
nance is cleverly handled, and satisfactory air OF
eruduon has been given TO that part Of it, The reader
comes to know all the dramats personac, and to take
deep interest In their savings and dOingS The ac-
count OF their journey the walled city is full OF sur
prisng and strongly told episodes, one OF tle most
striking being the discovery of the submerged city and
cf the terrible vengeance which eliminated in It's mum
daton. The whole story is spirited and ingenious
Mr. JanviePs imagination has indeed served him WELL
and he mas written book which must take high rank
in the literature of romance.
ain the Valley of Havilah" seems to he the work
of an immature mind gifted with strong analytic
and creative powers. but undiscipined and ineXpe
renced in the art of fiction. There are here the ma
terials for @ powerful novel, but they are managed
unslilfuly. The author has the bad habit OF With
drawing from his characters too much and too often
and exhibiting them, it Were III little eApOsllorY
lectures The central idea of the study of the
Pugsley family is prasewory, but the study itself Is
over-elaborated, and so tends more than once 10
wearisomeness. The final catastrophe is forced and
unnatural. One cannot believe in the spirit Win
which Hulse meets his death. and indeed Hulse is
altogether too LaTalke mystery to be accepted as
faithful portraiture The worst thing that could hap
pen 10 Mr. Clark would be for him to believe that in
this book he had achieved worth attaining
Ii is really only evidence that he possesses powers
which, If patiently and steadily cultivated, may enable
him to do excellent work. The Of the matter is
i- OF ,,raIat alftfoT
Annie Edwards has given a sinsularly infeicitous
title TO clever story. Pearl Powder is study OF
the end Of the last century and the first quarter Of
the present one. The is laid in England, and The
society pictured is that Of O little country village
The loves OF a charming girl Plhlppa Hardness, and
tie last scion of a moribund race, Liston, or Ger
maine. are chronicled with racy quantness which
carries the reader back TO the old times described
Lady Joan is delightful conception; one Of those
wicked old women of blue blood who, having seen and
known and done everything in their youth, try, in a
hardy old age, 10 get all the amusement still possible
out Of life, and examine and crticise the society IN
which they with frank cyniclsm full OF SAVIOR
and piquancy The fate Of LstOn in the end strikes
us as rather disappointing, and Phlrppa would have
boon more romantic figure had she not returned TO
her first love But for all that the novel is genuinely
good and reflects much credit upon the author.
II the Marquise Clara LAMA wrote A Modern Mar
RAGE from actual observation, her opportunities have
been Iamentably narrow. II she imagined the motive
OF the tale be regretted that she should have
drawn upon SO full fund OF social pessmism. To
call this story one of modern marriage is of
TO imply that IT is typical modern marriage; and as
it presents to young woman who begins married
life without religion, morality, cOnscentiOusncss,
this broad generalization must be dcmuITed to. That
there are such women is no doubt true; and equally
true that they serve 10 point scandals and furnish
cynics with material But they certainly do not fairly
represent modern any than ancient society. They
arc in fact notable exceptions and nothing more The
heroine was plainly thoroughly bad young woman,
who would have gone wrong no matter how situated
for the sufficient reason that self qualification her
sole rule of conduct Such women Invariably come
10 grief sooner or later, and generally For
the rest it must be said that all the people IN this story
gre dlsageeable, vulgar vicious, and that the book
as a whole docs not leave a pleasant taste in The
mouth
One knows in advance pretty well what a novel
by Felix Pyat must bc-a combination Of IIugosm and
Communism and this is the character Of the " Rag
Picker of Paris" which Mr. Tucker has. quito need
lessly translated. As to the narrative, nothing car
be cruder or less artistic. 1t reminds one Of Eugene
Sue at times. but Of Eugene Sue run TO seed and il
an advanced stage Of brain soitenng. At brief inter
walls the writer drops the story altogether and launche
into a perfectly frenzed diaribe against the church
or the throne, the middle classes, or somebody Of
something tile rcspcctabity the prosperity Of whom
or which lankcs in the mind Of this champion Of th
Sums this defender Of the filthy and bloody Commune
To speak of such work literature would be absurd
1t has moreover, no other interest than such at
taches to an illustration of morbid and malignan
feeling 1t is not from the Felix Pyats that the wor
will ever have either instruction wholesome amuse
ment
NJ Ferdinand Fabre's story al liable Rotelct' is tn
first issue of La Nouvelle Collection series pro
1ected with the purpose of supplying choice and thor
oughly pure fiction The initial tale is Of the fortune
of all innocent pious and highminded country priest
whose relations with his flock constitute the chic
motive of the story 1t is lightly and brightly written
and entirely ft the prospectus of the collection
promises, TO be placed in the hands Of young girls