New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-15
NOTELS AND SHORT STORIES.
BRET HARTE'S NEW BOOK

4 sAppIo OF GREEN SPRINGS. AND OTHER
STORIES. Ey Bret IIartc. lGmo PIP. 29i. llouSh
ton. Nllin q GO.
ALEPII THE CIIALDEAN. ~ f. +. Burr ID. D.,
IL. u. 12mo. PIP il3 Wilbur i. kctcham.
MURviLE EASTMAN. CHRISTIAN SOCIALIST BY
Albion ". Tomece. l2mo. PIP 90. Forl'' How
ard Il Hubert.
NADENOI,FLLE NE By Lanae Fsconcr. 16mO,
PIP. ID. Ca>>cIl Publishing 60.
Altman. ~ Franc. Howard Williams Emo PIP.
303. Ca~Ncl Publishing GO.
In the volume bearing the title a oappho Of
Green Springs Mr. Hart" has returned u the KIND of
literary work In which he has obtained the most
marked success namely. the short story There arr
four i'm the present volume: a >appho OF Green
springs" The Chat'linc Of Burnt Ridge Through
the santa Clara Wheat and "A Maecenas OF the
Pacific slope All Of these good aud all bear
marks II the authors Old and first manner. They
have his descriptive charm, his felicity IN the cvo'
mtipn ~ quaint or pcccd situation, and his FRI
4ucnt ricy turns Of expression Hut-or 20 it seems
To- Us there j. in all II them flineoH in human
poririt.rr. q b:rrius oi outline, aud ml-ilnc,' ~
General characterization, which dctrtd, from tn
interest of the tale Prrhap, it i, because we ar
used 20 expecting ihc best work In S kind from Nr
llitc perhaps i, that De himself l",- interested
than usual in these people. In either case the result
j, the same. and 10 i, g. be- regretted i1r there
3 great deal 81 work here the level OF which could
hardly bc reached by writer Of less ability than Bret
larc. and 1t i, pity that this excellence should not
extend throughout these otherwise brilliant sketches
The o,tcn-blc purpose Of Dr. Burr, story /, to pre-
sent view ~ ;hc Messiah seen from Alexandria, =
decidedly Icrilous programme for work Il fiction.
Iut II must De acknowlcd god that tho danger and
Il hcrl;c- ~ the case have been very adrrty c"dcd
D, the author. and Chat hc has succeeded In writing q
romance good 10 rank with IN" best of its Kind.
not excepting General WilIcc'S notable tale. Acph
the Cmdcau7 pfc.onts spirited, highly c0lord settles
II PICTURES of life In Alexandra during the first half
OF tue first century pf There ], abundant AMI
Interesting action. a spice ~ ms story 10 Whct the
rid.t- app itc; Archaeological cruI u >uhc emf =
make the local setting dcGn," ard lfciihc; plot
wi.. q hold, tie attention lrTl from beginning 10 end.
Acph the hero. 2, pcIhap, Gather too perfect In ply,
icai and mental cncpvn,Lt- Eut hi. magnificent fcats
IN the Appodronc ana gymnasium Of the Museum are
described ia ~ stirring vav TINT ono, >ymplthlc %
ont molly 10 the young Hercules against whom such
malignant plot, laid The book /, fall Of MOVING
Scenes Of th, kind, and one likely TO produce vivid
imprc> ION Is the magical exhibition Of simon MaeuS
I'm which the ralitv of unseen world Of spirits anc
comrnti, appears to be assumed. unlc,. indeed. the
author depend, for explanation upon the theory Oi
collective hallucinlton large scale. The gather
c o. the Powers Of the Air In hi, scene. however Is
de, crbcd with force Of magiuat aud skill which
recall the closing charter Of ulwcr's strange story
whcfr Margrayc IS making his final attempt to brew
the IXr Of life upon the Australian plains. aud Is br,ct
by the grim nhalitant, OF the unseen universe The
rfrcuco, to Jcu, thrown into the form Of letters
and cital, from Jerusalem by witnesses Of the
Miracles I'm instance the author has gone outside
Of the Gospels for his thaumaturgy. preceding which
some may think to have been unnecessary. The vary
lng opinions among the Jews Of The period to the
zeal position and significance Of Messiah stated
with much skill. and the prvailng tone Of easy super
son among the AlcXandrans, Illustrated in the
ca - of simon Magu. is clearly represented. In short,
the author has given tn" local color with historic
fidelity and his Ale xandria Is living. not n dead. city.
The reader IS introduced 10 the Scrpcum. to the chief
synagogue. to the fortress palace Of Alexander the
great Jewish banker Of Alexandra, and t. various
klans stores. dwelling houses. etc, each exhibiting
some distinct phase Of contemporary IT, pursuit, or
amu-cmcuS. The characters firmly drawn and
sharply differentiated. and all Of them natural and
interesting. The old Egyptian high priest Scti the
banker AlcNandcr. the Grcc companion Of Aeph the
beautiful Rachel. each and all very genuine per
sons, Or. Burr has indeed done exceedingly well, and
his romance IL decided success.
Judge Tourgcc has spoiled what might have been a
good story by INTERPRETING volume Of sermons and
-crc, Of social essays into IT, IT Is not tn be expected
that novel readers will tolerate the intcrmnablc pulpit
discourses Of the pastor OF the Church OF the Golden
| Lilies or that they Will have greater patience
with the authors own disqusit!OnS upon social
nrobems The Rev. Murvale Eastman. moreover.
| is by no means thlnkabe minister. As a Christian
socialist he had 10 business Whatever IN the
Church Of the Golden Lilies which is the fashionable
chnrch-a mionaires' churcito take up Christian or
any other Kind of Socialism. Then too, the Rev Muir
val, Eastman's doctrine is exasperangly vague and
| crude His Christianity and his Socialism contradict
| one another. His ideas of reform are most imprac
tcabe and moonshny, and nothing could be less prob
oblc than the influence he is represented cxcrting
over men Of affairs and Of tho world. SIR. Tonrgee
characters throughout this too ddactic story. II story
# can be called partake curousy OF the heros nnearth
Illness or other wOrldness, a. ID may be termed IheS
din not create the impression OF everyday living men
and women. but seem 10 go through their parts III
! kind Of continuing dream. II may be owing to the
excessive sermonzlng and moralizng generally that
the story does take hold the reader but such
| IS the fact. and such, we may add II commonly TIC