New-York tribune., 1891-02-05
NEW NOVELS.
AUSTRALIAN LIFE.

A COLONIAL REFoRMER; Dy E Eoh Boidre~ood'
12mo. PIP. Al. Macmillan q Oo
URlTH By 5. Raing-Gould. 1@ho pp' 900 oi'''ci
States Book Company
LADY MAUD's MANIA: BY George NJ M9nvine an vr rehh'
12mO. PIP 277. United states BOOK C'nP"H'
A sFCpET MISSION 12mO. PIP. 90. Harper d
WHEAT AND TAREs. BY Sir Henry, Stuart Cunning
ham X G. l. f. 12mo PIP 80. Macmillan "
TrI,s Par Anatolc France. 12mo. pp. $50 Paris;
Cai.nann Levy. NewYork: +. w Chnstern'
po,f nodrewood's novels are gradually building up
hodv Of knowledge about Ife and manners in Austria
liza which before long will apparently make that
distant colony familiar to all the world. His latest
torv Is a carefully written and realistic study OF the
fortunes Of a Young Engshman Of all old country
family who. finding the prospects at home disconiaS
ing takes his courage in 9TH hands, and with snah
capjtal seeks fortune in Australia. What diierent
ates Ernest Neuchamp from the average younger son
IN search Of adventure Is deeprooed conviction that
no has a reforming mission II IS borne in upon him
that he can teach the benlghed colonts how to con-
duct their affairs and in this belief he SETS out upon
his voyage with the confidence OF lneNpen'hce' Hc
has not becn three davs in sydney when he is within
an ace of being swndlcd ont OF his little caplttI py
an extremely smooth and plausible rogue who tries
IN sell him station" which has ruined all VINO nave
had 10 do with IT, But the verdant rcOriner Is lucAy
enough possess letters Of Introduction 10 JoiN anu
honest old mcrchatn, who protects MN from si''rhS
and gives him good advice. Then he enters upon Il
which Is 10 bflnP MN OuO at ''p N''" Va
yeas rich and prosperous, but which leads nm through
.ome dar, and troubled times one of the most IN
icresng episodes of the story Is that whlch embraces
The experiences Of a prolonged drouth' ourls VIM"
the herO's fortunes about to dry up ana Dlow
away Neuchamp comes out all right In TIE ehd' Dnt
there is certain unsklfulness in the use OF advent
,ions helps and props, the like Of which seldom ap
near i'm real life The authors descriptions OF station
Hfc of mining camp, of life among the weEtodo ana
longestablished settlers. and Of the scenery anu
climatic phenoemna, strong fresh and Vvld' Inc
Story is however. drawn out too long and seVerdi
fines is in no slight danger OF becoming tedious. Inc
characters are generally well and clearly marked ana
consistently maintained. and enough types are eA
hbi;od to furnish tocrably full picture OF coiOhia
society, which is sufficiently distinctive to justly '"re
fll and thorough study A Colonial Reioinei' lachs
fhe energetic and continuous narrative force OF some
Of the authors earlier novels, yet it is decidedly well
written and perhaps needs only comparison TO lehuef
Il tie peer Of any of its predecessors
Mr. Baring-Gould has gone back two hundred years
for the scene Of UIilh" which is tale of Dartmoor
at or about the period of Monmouth's rebellion That
event has curiously enough figured during ne pdst
tvrelvcmouth In 50 many works of fiction 10 suG-
gcs a kind of epidemic influence. Here however 1t
only figures episodicaly and not as the main motive
The dramatic power which belongs to all 'hls auhoi
stories is in the present instance not associated with
that subcurrent of superS ition, legend and the super
natural which lends 50 eere and piquant aspect 10
mos; of his tales but he cCntrived to mould his
carace that almost weird effects are produced DN
The play of purely human passions "UHh' herseh
L. a strangely faciRa Ing mortal half-Wlld lmpul>Vo
girl whose beauty is distinctly "sulen,7 whose un-
tanned passion d9ves her very TO the murder OF
the man she loves, and whose actions are 50 wholly
unconventional that the reader IS kept III constant
state of wonder as TO what she Will do mex. An
other interesting person is Fon CrymeS, the Iago of
this dream whose craft and selfish vilany are only
frustrated in The end by DESPERATE and most law
od .v lave Ear =
Gould sometimes creates monsters no doubt; but he
cannot be charged with crea ing weak mons ers All
his men and Overlooking with HE, ana
all of them show forth their characteristics PLAINLY
and strongly The reader naturally responds to thl'
impressive energy, and finds in such cohscehiou'
,yorl, singular interest and satisfaction.
Lady MauGe's Mania" is novel OF quite another
character. Mr.. Fem always he relied on. 70
far as the story is concerned. His combinations are
Ingenious and his situations excite curiosity and
attention. But in the long run his tales exhibit a
deficiency of Strength in motive. lie fnters away
his skill and his inventive force upon trivial plots
and feeble characters This book Is fair example OF
what is meant 1t i. weilarranged story. far as
1t gOcs-Of love Ory; but 1t deals with
very small people and their frvoity and utlty are apt
10 fatigue readers who have accustomed themselves 10
stronger mea;. With Mr.. Fem, too, everything is
the surface, and his supcricality happens u this
novel to be more than occasionally vulgar. Ills
specimens Of ar,tOcracy painfully caddish, and his
description Oi the mcndgc' OF thc Ear OF idlhOGth
S wildly impossible. There is indeed not much 10 be
lad for hi, kind Of fiction, which is only trhe
superior to the average shilling dreadful" and has
but the most distant relationship 20 art
a Secret Mission IS published anonymously. If
Il is the first work of young author, it must be re
garded as promising The story is concerned with the
adventures and tragic fate Of young Pole. who has
become a sta1 officer in the German army and who
Is sent on a secret mission to his native country 10
obtain INTEL sence OF Russian preparations for the III
vason Of Germany lie goes to stay with his brother
Polish farmer. and he inadvertently cause, the arrest
of his brother suspicion of treason. The innocent
man is sentenced 10 Siberia and the hero who has
c,caped the Russian police and Tcgalned Berlin safely,
resolves after a prOtr3cted struggle with Mmselt-l0r
he is engaged the he loves. and has bright
future before him-tO return to Poland and suriendei
himself in order that his brother may be restored 10
his family. This story the elimination Of which Is
sad and impressive. is written from fun knowledge OF
The country and customs described The author mas
vigorous and attractive style, and his situations are
the more effective because the pahos Of them Il moi
artfcially heightened by any defamation. The
Russian methods Of government simply described,
without comment epithet There Is much inter
estng description of Polish customs and manners. and
all is evidently drawn from the life. Ii is modern
story and yet it deals with condition Of barbarsm
such as might have shamel the Middle Ages.
Sir Henry Cunningham has written seveTa. eminenuy
good novels. ard Wheat and Tares' is one of the
best of thcm II has not much plot being rather a
gallery of character studies than an orthodox novel;
but these studies are full OF insight brilliant aud enter
tanning in an unusual degree. The "mleu7 is English
ecclesiastical life. Deans. archdeacons Tect0rS and
Wears appear in numbers, and the conditions OF
thoucbt i'm a cathedral town are described most clev-
erly Sir Henry eXces in dialogue His men and
women are not always witty bat they always explain
themselves, and they frequently piGuant and
bright The authors style has almost Old fashioned
polish and he has mastered the art Of condensation.
I'm .. U1iaie has grp1 Ia
reproduce the life OF classic antiquity The experiment
IS not more successful than IS usual in such but