New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-07
DIR, MITCHELDS NEW STORY.
STUDIES OF CHARACTER.
CHARACTERISTICS. By S. Weir Mitchell. PIP. 3o7
The Century Co.

CHARACTERISTICS. By S. Weir Mitchell. PIP 3o7.
The Century Co.
In this uuiqne story DR.. Mitchell betrays very
naively indeed some of his most important limitations
The little world which he reveals to US Is MS indc-
nendent Of the law Of causalty even Hume could
bovo wished When the auoblographc hero Is stricken
down by stray bullet and lies for months With active
brnin and paralyzed body, the scientific fidelity 10
details with which the effects OF his wound are
described leads one to expect that all subsequent
incidents OF the narrative will be developed from the
one definite starting point. But II woniu
taie a medical scholar penetrating and learned
rs the author himself. and dexterous
master Of casustry besides TO analyze the uic
and to produce adequate proofs that the character OF
Owen North In middle life due In any degree 10 his
Youthful experience as an army surgeon. 1t Is only
when the lovc-maing comes In at the end OF Tie
book like something forgotten till the last minute
that he betrays that neuralgia irrabilty which one
would naturally expect TO be The Keynote OF lie III
tcrrupted by so long period OF nervous suhe1ns
one trait however, which is attributed In so many
words to the painful EXPRESSES Ct bedridden man
,r,osee tho book-a tenderness toward others which
may characcrze some persons who have suffered aio
recovered their health but which Is certainly by no
means Il universal characteristics
1t Is In tho gllmpses OF generic chaiacler 'n'' "7
hook excels The sentences that mark the peculiar
tiles Of surgeons and doctors and youthul resiuch'
DhysCi1us and nurses ana pdtltulS, Tue cii"'i'
tho det yet delicate, touch Of the weD-brcd lawyer
the good .natllrcd clumsness OF the man oil learning
ors bi, off with n skill rarely surpassed. And TINS
T. done mostly from the outside and not from the
in,de-that is the result IS apparently due 10 oDser
walton and not TO q painful ihtro'pNuoh' i.''ie
are some omissions In Claybornes conversation "i'
betray a scholarship not up to date. for eHailPie
when the errauc genius It. Cair bursts out "it''
would you as lief read paper Lepsc Horace rs
,,t,h .ho IN
Rrowne1" one waits in vain for the reply when
an alert scholar would be sure TO make" My dear
boy the thumbmarlls OF Sir Thomas Bro"he nave
nothing 10 do with the case. ElzeVlrs are eoou 10
look at when | read Horace, ! want text mat
can trust But at this point Clhyoorie Is u''"'o
and we have the rather tnte answer OF the weh-Drea
lawyer Vincent that "the book is book and that Is
ALL Nonsensei The print should be clear anu '"e
volume clean. ! ask no more"
There is n fling at the Browning societies In one
Mace which should do good 10 many poor SOUL tor'
m.nted By useless information. "Once went 10 a
society," SAYS OF the persons IN inc Story ""u
gentleman in the drygoods business unrolled ior us
n mummy. lie explained the processes OF emroiilihR
and the spices used and then the object OF It and It's
relation TO the solar system and to the manufacture OF
oleomargarine lie told MS. too. how the Egyptians
eu,,,almed geese and rcvering 20 his mummy, made
Main 20 us that having exposed the BODY ther'oi'
was found that II WAS always possible TO decide us
sex or nature / think must have been hall asleep.
because lust rs he assured uS that this STATE o.
hewildormsnt was the main value Of the study oil
mummincation. and that 1t wise invention OF
benehccnt priests TO train through vexatoh the III
,eIlct Of the future woke up and knew that ne was
discussing Sordelo. with occasional illusions 10 MF'
Sudr. These societies ior the inilnltcsma diiuuoh
of criticism are exnsperatng. My only comfort Is that
we did not invent the craze There Is true story
that an Encllshwoman broke OF her engagement Win
sturdy cuardsman because he did not know "uo
browning WAS. She took the man back again ih'o
,,.or when Il. WAS able 20 stand an examination IN
~, rlirl of the Duchess. ana The Red Cotton Nsht-
,.ttt