The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-08
LITERATURE.

I SH1A,HE GALLANT LORDS OF BoIs-DoRE-
| FIX BY George Sand, translated by Steven
| MN Clovis. New York: Dodd. Mead &
OK Co. Cloth, two volumes, lis pages. J
In these two volumes is presented one Of
| George Sands strong stories. 1t is probable
that all OF George Sands stories Gf peasant
| life are interesting TO those who care for
| her style. There is always broad vein Of
kindly human nature, tinged with romanti-
| clsm. which taken with naturalness that
never fails, is always charming. This man
uer OF telling us of the everyday life Of the
| peasantry of France is so interesting that
one follows 1t with unaloyed pleasure.
| However, it must be acknowledged that the
| story of the lords of Bois-Dore has even a
| greater interest. To the beauty of George
Sands style, and her scenes OF rural life,
| are added more varied sketches. D'Alyi-
| mars personality, taken as an Illustration
| Of the Spanish Catholics of the first part of
the seventeenth century, Is very interesting.
| Although an adventnrer, his religious belief
was strong, aud he possessed exactly the
| spirit that ruled his country for centuries
| the spirit of Intolerance OF that age is drawn
| extremely well in his character; and his
! idea of an uumeTciful God never leaves his
mind, but rather hauuts than bleSses him.
| How could there De a greater contrast
than Bois-Dore. Il is true that in his eff
| 1ortS 10 appear young he is grOteSQue and
| very amusing. On the other hand, although
| he Is able to become child in spirit, he
does not lack dignity when it il. required,
| ana he has passion for his honor that is
| something higher than a prejudice. He
loves Mario so truly that all his thoughts
! ard ideas are for his adopted son, so that
| he forgets hmsef-eYen ceasing 10 wish to
appear young. There are numerous touches
| here and there showing wide appreciation
of many things. Nearly all the incidents
| are protest against intolerance i'll every
| form-hrSt, against the persecution of the
| Mo0rs by the SpaniaTdS, in the history of
! Mercedes; then the scientists of Italy,
| drawn out in the terrible story Of Maitre
| JoeVelin, and last. ;he Huguenots of France.
| All this Is brought out with an interest that
| Is fascination. Then the pictures of life in
| the provinces during the first part of Louis
| AIlIS reign, with the many uncertainties
| Of life and property When the Prince OF
| Condo visited in person a country squire to
| relieve him of a small treasure. what could
| be considered safe. Romance is not want
| ing and in closing the book the reader
| feels that Mario, though so young, will be
| as constant husband as he has been a
| brave soldier.
WAS IT LovE?-By Paul Bourget New
York; Worthington & Co. Cloth, 2j4 pages }
| Ihs work of fiction translated from the
| French by CoWden Curwin, and embellished
| by numerous photogravure Illustrations by
| W. Ii. Goater, is one of the better class of
| French novels which have been added to the
Rose Library" of selected fiction II is a
| story OF life in the upper lank ks OF French So
| cletX, unusually well translated, for it brings
| out with 1ull force the ideas of the author
| as expressed in the original. 1t is a work
| That VIII entertain the reader from begin
ming to end, for the plot is good one and
| the events are narrated in a manner that
| enlistS attention from the first chapter I'M
| I'll the last is read. In this story the ques-
| ton arises, " Is it possible for lady to be
sincerely in love with two SuitOrS at once 3"
| ms delicate and crucial problem is well
| worked up by the author, and in it there are
| no lne-spun fantasies, as in another Quick
| or the Dead"-the men are not only write
realities, but they concentrate their suite on
each other in duel, while the lady plays
out the dangerous drama to the bitter end
on the field of her Inner consciousness"
AS tile inner history OF good and charm
ing woman's heart overtaken by one of
those infatuatlonS that will sometimes be-
siege the noblest, it may well rank in living
interest with ANYTHING that has appeared in
late years. Offered by John n. PhiIan,
Suffer street.
The LIGHT THAT FAILED-By Rudvard
Kiplng. (New York, United States Book
Company; Cloth, gilt; revised, enlarged
edition, 81 25) This book was the first
plunge Of this somewhat peculiar author
into the literary field outside of his short
stories. The Light That Failed" was pur-
chased by three firms in the United States
by one for syndication in the newspapers.
by another for publication as novelette, in
monthly, and by the third for book publ
cation. This peculiar author concluded that
the ending Of the story did not please him
and he wrote another denouement, so there
Is now story with two examinations. The
revised story. enlarged, was placad in the
hands OF the United States Book Company,
and ii has been issued uniform with Kip
ling's Departmental Ditties and Barrack-
room Ballads" In this revised edition the
author has added some fifteen thousand adj
dItional words of fine descriptive work. A
ride on the back of a drOnedary across the
desert, near Suakim, forcing the driver
through the hostile country at tho point of n
revolver, is piece of worl-painting in very
striking coloCs. This story has also been is
sued IN paper as number Of the Lowell
Westminster Series.
A DELsARTEAN AP-BOoK-Compiled
by Frederic Sanburn. (New York: United
States Book Company. 80 pages) This is
a collection OF many very interesting arti-
Giles IN reference to health, personality,
beauty, house decoration, dress, and so
forth, as eXpOunded under the Delsarte
system by the well-knOwu opponents, Mr..
and Mrs. Edmund Russell, and is intro
duced by preface written byWalter Crane,
who says: This awakening of the sense of
art, this increased sensibiiity to beauty
this new Renaissance, shall we call it?--that
We are witnessing in our time, that has been
silently and slowly growing these last ten
or twenty years-What IS Its meaning? The
uniformed ossessiOn of riches generally re-
suits in the smOtherinE of the sense of art
in luxury and vulgarity. No! I believe
this awakening search Tor beauty to be but
part of another movement-a rising wave
on the earth OF aspiration Tor a fuller,
ireer, more humane, sympathetic and beau
tiful if simple life"
THE INSTANTANEOUS ART OF MEMOIR
IZING-By Robert II. Elder (San Fran
cisco: The Bancroft Company. Paper, five
parts, 81 In five little books of thirty-one
pages each the author presents method of
memOrlZing which, if carefully studied and
followed, will be Of graf advantage to those
who have to memorize. The system pre-
sentS many new features in memory training
in addition TO all the useful thoughts i'm
bodied III previous works on memory train
ing One of the features of this work is its
simplicity, and the author claims that by its
use, or rather by following the rules laid
down, it Will increase the natural memory
to such an extent that nine-tenths Of the
time usually spent in mastering any branch
Of study viii be saved, and that it will de-
velop the Imagination, and, by doing So will
give a ready command of language-eo-
quence. For sale by the Bancroft Company.
SCUM-By Armado PGlacio Valdes (New
York: United States Book Company, 3i6
pages.) This novel, written by a Spanish
author whose reputation in the world of
fiction writer's stands high, has been trans
lated into English and carefully edited for
the Lowell Series of International Litera-
ture" by Edmund GoSse. In La ESpuma,"
which Is the Spanish title of the novel, the
author presents strong satric picture Of
the trUtby surface of fashionable life in
Madrid. In this work the author displays
his great talent for pOrtraiture, and the sew
eral characters he has drawn stand out with
boldness as if painted by master hand
on canvas. 1t is powerful book-one that
gives correct insight into hoIlowness and
parade of show in the city of which Valdes
writes.
CHURCH AND Stately Count Tolsto.
Boston: Benjamin Il. Tucker. Cloth, 169
pages) Under this title the publisher has
issued i've of the writings of this world
renowned Russian writer The first is
''Church and State" which. in consequence
of the censorship over publications in Rus
STA, could not be published in that country.
1t having been translated for Mr.. Tucker
from tho authors manuscript it is now pub
lished for the first time in the United
States. This is followed by Money"
MAN and Woman; Their Respective Func-
tions," The Mother" and Il second supple
ment to 'KreutZer Sonata"
uNre Moyhuru'c TSvinc nv Johp Hob