Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-24

| Out OF such materials, and others OF a
like nature, is the story of The Naulahka
fashioned. In less boldly skillful hands
1T would have sunk dangerously near
the level OF dime-novel extravagaDza.
But these two are writing OF well-stud-
led types OF character, amid familiar
scenes; and the firm touch of expert
ence tempers the bolder strokes of the
imagination. Then, too, this is. inten-
tlonaiiy, story of great contrasts. and
where, at times, some of the Characters
may seem overwrought, we will find
that it is only an artistic deepening OF
the colors to produce the desired effects.
Flow Iarvln. again and again, foiIed
SltabhaIs well-intentioned efforts Ia
send him and the young prince to a
better world; how be finally discovered
the whereabouts of the Naulahka. and
actually got possession of it in the most
startling and dramatic manner; how
kate's plans suddenly crumbled awav
into failure just as they were beginning
to succeed, and how she came to Tarvin
tor comfort; why, even at the moment
he had gained both his prizes, he was
forced to choose between them; why
the Naulahka never graced Mrs. Mutrie's
pretty neck, and the three Cs (presum-
ably) went to Rustler, 1 haven't the
space to tell. But can conceive OF NO
pieasanter summer amusement than the
finding out of these things.
CThe Naulahka: A Story of West and
East, by Rudyard Kippling and Wolcott
Balestier. For sale by Stoll & Thayer.
No. 139 South Spring street.)
x*x
La Debacle, The Downfall. literaJlv
The Smash-up-this is Emile Zola,s
latest work. 1t is a story of battle. Of
murder and of sudden death. It is
Frenchman's apology to France for her
crushing defeats in the Franco -Prussian
war. Ii begins on the frontier with the
beginning of that famous struggle. and
sweeps us back. back, back, from disas-
ter to disaster, before the bayonets of
that marvellous, invincible piece of mill
Itary mechanism, the German army
back, back, sternly, steadily. irresist-
IDLY, to beautiful Paris. In one brief
sentence-scarce half a dozen bitter
lines-it tells of the German occunation
OF the beloved city; and it closes with
the dark days of the rise and fall of the
Commune - "that fratricidal conflict.
that wretched nation completing the
work of destruction by devouring it's
own children ]"
Upon this book M. Zola has been en-
gagged for some time; and it bears inter
nal evidence OF deep study, diligent
research and much thought. 1t Is a
peoples book, and tells the story of the
war from the point of view of the pri-
Ss ya.e @ soldier oa We are csEgisa i Is ;stn the
with them and are of them; we see how
terribly they were mismanaged. sub
Jected to reasonless, confusing orders:
now advancing. now retreating to no
purpose; starving today, gorging tomor-
row; badly armed, poorly disciplined.
worse generated; story through
out OF vacillation, Incompetence.
laundering ignorance in high places. ali
as seen and understood by the common
soldier to his complete decentralization.
This was the condition of the army that
the third Napoleon sent out to meet the
best equipped, most thoroughly organ
lied military force that the world has
ever known; and this is the novelist'g
excuse to his people. He draws vivid
pictures OF much individual bravery
among the men; but his arraignment Of
those who commanded and mismanaped
the army as whole, and brought defeat
and disaster upon their country. is full
OF bitterness. He only emphasizes his
tory.
To this book M. Zola has brought all
the intense power of his vivid realism.
lts pages are red with carnage. The
bloody panorama passes before us in
heart-sickening detail. He dissects each
separate and particular horror with the
accuracy of a specialist. Now it is the
battle field itself, where men and horses
are dying in agony; now it is the inn
provised hospital, where we are shown
the exact process of amputation to a
nicely, naming each muscle and Joint.
bone and sinew, as knife and saw cut
ruthlessly through, among the shrieks
and groans of the unfortunates: now we
see men in the throes of starvation.
committing the vilest atrocities and un-
speakable crimes for the sake of a loaf
of bread; and again we see murder.
coolly and calmly perpetrated, inch by
inch, to crafty an artistic sense of re-
fined cruelty. This is all put before us
with such faithful attention to details
as only NJ. lola knows how to give. n
is q grim, ghastly book-feafful and
fascinating,
That MIR. lola should write a novel
even one dealing with history and
bathed In blood-withouG some touch of
the sensuous in it, is not to be expected.
But here the trail of the serpent is yery
dim; and the frailty of weak and pretty
little Madam Delaherche is more than
eclipsed by the beautiful friendship that
grows up between Corporal Jean and
Private Maurice, soldiers of the One
Hundred and Sixth of the line.
that remains unshaken even
of nothing in literature more exquisitelv
touching than this great, tender love Of
these two men, which time and again
prompted each to forget self for the sake
of the others safety and comforts
pure, unselfieh, manly love. Certainly
Zola, in all of his novels of passion. has
never before crept so near to natures
heart.
The Downfall, by Emile Zola. For
sale by Stoll & Thayer, No. l39 South
Spring street.)
x~x
The following verses from Kippling'a
Barrack Room Ballads, etc.. would have
served admirably to grace the title page
of The Naulahka:
"oh, east is east, and west is west, and never
the two shall meet,
TIL earth and sky staEd presently at Gods
great Judgment seat;
But tnere Is neither east nor west, border nor
When two strong men stand face to face, tho
tney come from the ends OF the EARTH
Father RriOhtbopaa fba & raf y,ooI ~