New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-19
NEW NOVELS AND TILES.
A FRESH AND INTERESTING WORK.

A FRESH AND INTERESTING WORK
JERRY. by Sarah Barnwell Elliott. 12mo, PIP. 473.
Henry Holt & Co.
HE FELL AMONG THIEVES. By d. Christie Murray
and Henry Herman IL mo, PIP. 254. Macmillan
MY ad EADS S, S1f0 Publishing Fy g. NJ Barrie 13"o pD
MADAME D'oRGEyANT'S HUSBAND. by Henry
Rabusson. Translated by Frank Hunter Potter.
12mo, PIP. o55. DOdd. Mead G. Co.
AN ANTE-MORTEM STATEMENT. Ply E. W: Howe.
16mo, PIP. 15s. Atchison, Kan.: Tie Globe Pub
DREAMS. BY Olive schreiner. 1emo, PIP. 1oo. Bos-
ton Roberts Bios.
A MYSTERY OF THE CAMPAGNA and A SHADOW
ON 4 WAVE. BY Van Degen. 10mo, PIP. 2o3.
Cassell Publishing Co.
"Jerry" published In magazine anonymously.
and even in that form-wlich lessons the merits and
magnifes the defects OF story moe than all others
ii excited much interest ana curiosity The character
of Jerry, the poor Southern white trash" walf and
his curious development under the joint influence OF
Joe and the Doctor evince care thought and unusual
creative power Perhaps the author has hardly shown
with sufficient force the extent OF the underly Ing ego
tism in JeTy's nature fOf had he been the boy he
appears at the beginning it is questionable whether
he could have become the he Is at the end. The
story however, is that Of originally crude and
nature, altered, but not clearly improved BY partial
education The effects of this partial education of
a compassionate Of the degradation ard misery
of the mining population arOunl him. and Is moved to
attempt socialstic reforms Then the naive conspir
acy Of his patron and friend joe awakes in him the
greed Of gain and he pursues aims which bring him to
the second and final stage Of his development. Tie
contributory incident is generally well described,
though there is hszness to the dialect Of the
miners and error concerning the habits Of mining
camps in the West The idea that Jerry could have
gained the reputation Of fighter by merely knocking
Morris down with his fist, and by constantly flourish
ing pair of pistols is certainly rot realistic. To
obtain such position in such a community he would
have had TO kill man or two We think many read
ers will be more sympathy with Joe than with Jerry.
The former Is in fact, the higher nature of the two
man capable Of the most comprehensive sefsacri-
ce and quicker than his better educated protege to
discern the fatality of the pursuit OF gold which at
first lie had thought the worthy enterprise. All
tho scenes in Durdens mine are excellent The mys-
terry and the terror Of the old workings are indicated
with decided power and the description graphic and
impressive. The fulness with which the processes of
Jerry's mind examined and recorded sometimes
lends air of pcoxty to the tale and nterferes with
the movement, and this Is a defect I'm work of fiction
Psychological analysis is god in its place. but 1t must
be in due proportion, and not 50 dominate novel as
to make it heavy After making allowance for all de-
flcencies, however, it may be said that Jery' Is
really fresh, vigorous and highly interesting story.
Gle Fell among Thieves" is one of the new CO.
partnership novels, Mr.. David Christie Murray and
Mr.. Henry Herman sharing the credit for it, 1t IS not
a work of genius, and hardly worth so elaborate n
machinery TO produce it. The hero, who falls among
thieves acts at the beginning as to suggest doubt
whether the company may not have been congenal to
him. A youth who, having no means, CANDLES and
incurs debts he cannot pay, and who then jumps at
proposition to raise funds by buying expensive jewery
credit and pawnng It, is not far removed from the
-Ao4..1 IT IfoAl
Quent course in retaining the OF dead stranger
for whom he has been mistaken, much more upright
and Straightforward. The catastrophe introduces a
really idea In the shape OF means Of murder.
and perhaps the lovers of sensation will consider that
this atOnes for all shortcomings The paralyzed con-
Wet who figures as the principal villain is rather IN
teresting, and has touches about him which recall
Willhe Collins now and then. The story as a whole
however, belongs to distinctly low grade Of fiction
1t is essentially novel Of action and not much
superior to the average shilling shocker."
Mr.. Barrie has written book about smokers and
smoking which 1t is rather difficult TO classify. 1t may
be said to embody Sort Of comic philosophy OF to-
bacco in series Of short stories, all Of which spring
from and turn upon the weed. 1t can hardly be ex.
pected that women will appreciate these lucubratlons
though there is really much that is amusing in them
Perhaps the most skfu touch is the authors PREDATORY
assurance that he has given up smoking: whereas
every line in the book shows him to be passionate
lover Of My Lady Nicotine" The sketches of the
Arcadia Club, with It's marvellous smoking mixture
extremely good and the general idea and It's ex
ecution are praseworthy the Of originality
Rabusson's Madame d'orgevant's Husbands "a a
study In morbid pathology Of certain kind being the
story Of young man who, while not being what is
commonly called bad man, yields 10 strong tempta-
ton in early life and commits an embezzlement.
There are, Of course, many such In real fe and
IL demands cirrumsta how they nafa
ton commonly ruin and life of crime. Escape
from detection may result either way according TO the
character of the malefacor In the supposed the
nascent scoundrel secures immunity but none tho
less does disaster follow his offence and the author has
used much art in showing how and why this disaster
befell. OF there is a love-story-ln fact,
there two. 1t is moreover, novel which leaves
nobody happy unless 1t be those who had taken such
positions beforehand to be able TO say told you
So" TO the sufferers from their own blindness and
weakness.
We do not like Mr.. f. W. Howe's "An Ante Mortem
Statement 1t is supposed TO have been written by
man who kills himself as as he has finished 1t,
and who must have been mad a March hare.
though he IS continually insisting upon his sanity-a
common trait in madmen b. the way. The whole
burden OF his complaint is that his wife had been en-
gagged TO another man before she married him. The
thought Of that engagement Of her having been made
love 10 by another, 80 works upon him that though
according to his own statement she a perfect
wife he drives her from him after two years Of morbid
misery on his partand after she has gone aments her
absence until he concludes that life IS not worth living
All the rest Of the book is taken up with homily
addressed to women aduring them not 70 be engaged
more than once not 70 let their lovers be In the least
degree familiar with them, and so forth II Is a
strange, weird, halfcrazy book IN short and not in
terestlng in spite of its absurdlty.
Olive schrener's Dreams" Is a collection of very
beautiful and tender little sllegohes. Ia which the