New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-13
NEW NOVELS.
BY AMERICAN AND FOREIGN AUTHORS

THE IVORY GATE. ~ Walter Ecsant. lemo. up.
$50 Harper & Brohcrs.
A SPOIL OF OFFICE. ~ Hamn Garland. Emo
ID. a5i Arena Publishing CO.. Boston.
CuARNINCi To HER LATEST DAY. Ey Alan Muir
Emo PIP. 2G2 Harper Brothcr-
A soN OF OLD HARRY. ~ Albion " doursee
illustrated by Warren b. Davis h'o'r' S'""'F
MARcFRy or orErHER. AND oTllEE sT9ElE,
~ :. RaringGoud. l2mo. PIP 236. Lowell ""''
a i5T'hf b ' .ppiSton < < Co. rt"''''"
CHARGE FOR FRANCE AND OTHER sroEifS
~ John Heard j.. 7vo. rp' '-'' harper q"
TIE wo9pMAN y Jes de eng oS G"s slmS.o de-
l2mo pp 223 Harper 4 Brother.
Mr. Bcsant hns th, time taken for his msln motive
one Of m. most obscure OF pathol'sl' al problems
namely hat Of villa, may he called mixed per-onal'ies
OF late year tie researches oi fr'u'm"h 81 science
such a. CHARIOT Ann. Kiblt and MANY others h''"
ihrogn much nev lcht upon rl- subject. tAougA u
cannot De aid that mnca II any advance has boon
made toward tho discovery % tn central secret II
has however been positively demonstrated that n
sipgs human being may possess. or Doc possessed Nv
sevoral distinct personalities. Noi o. course. colnd
IDENTIFY bnt Alternately and that neither o. those per
sonalIiIos need have. or appear go have any c)sIf
ancs Of the existence 81 tie oth'-'. r" result j. ta
the per.on 50 affected actually iv'@ several ll''' in
onc and tAnt In some yct iuc0mprcA'n-iu" manner
these lives are marked OH tho one from iAo other ana
kent entirely apart. TIE memory II The subject Dc"
come, a blank Is 10 lie 4 The moment HE i super
venes and 20 on throughout nor do tle lives ever ap
pcar 70 become mixed or confused. In effect. M each
change Of pers ai!t II Is as II fresh individual And
come upon the stage and the lat personality snks into
oblivion. Now tbs In Mr.. Bcsants deeply interest
ine and clcverly told story. IS what bcia5 rich Lon
don solicitor IN his old age. At Intervals he ass unes
another personality. figures under another name, and
,f.. rfavs Inn
pos.iblo from those Of his normal condition. For In
stance as the "a .hly respectable solicitor he Is pro
found believer I'm the rights and obligations Of property
In hi, second personality however he j. stark Social
is gives lectures The subject and breaches tioplan
doctrines With enthusiasm wholly foreign to his or
binary ideas lie knows that he Is wealthy, ana he
has conceived the notion that Mr.. Dcring the solicitor
Is his business agent and hence arise the compl-
cations Of the story 1t Is at once apparent that
such a motive afford, opportunity for all manner
Of perplcNing Situations, and Mr.. Besant
has made very slilful use Of his materials. In"
novel Indeed Is distinctly a breaking Of ground.
though the tendency the part Of novcllsts Of late
TO enter tho psychological field + already well
marked Mr. ncsant is always sympathetic. lucid
and charming writer, and he has here dealt with
new and difficult subject In what deserves to be called
a mastery way. Those who take up "'rhc Ivory
Cate will not be sati ;Hrd until IT Is finished.
Mr. Iamln Garland'> tory. entitled a spoil Of
Office Ia on a familiar theme and iri,- The
pictures OF political corruption are. usual greatly
ovcrdouo. aud the general tendency Is 10 foster n
dstrust Of republican government not warranted by
the facts. Tie characters IN the book moreover are
in no respect interesting or attractive. The condi
ton, OF faI-wotern civilization are har-hly described
and the unovciness of He on the prairie, Is strongly
presented. Isn't IN" shadows too black TIE com
pcnsaiions arc too generally ignored the coarsencss
and ronehncss Of grain are put too much in evidence
There Is som" power In tie book. but II does not
please nor I. If marked By any real originality
MIR Alan Muir has written q very pretty sfo-y Of
English lifc In the last century. ana IT centres about
charming woman, Who is however a terrible
mondainc' Tier" /, nothing in The least ecnsa
tional In the tale. bW II Is well conceived ana well
written. being heightened also by perhaps rather
thin vein Of wit. which, however. accoids pleasantly
with the subject.
Judge Tourser's "son Of Old Harry is a vigorous
and romantic novel Of Ia" soil In which horses
and racing play conspiclou, part II concerns
young man, who l. o." subject or tho victim of Ar,
hereditary transmission OF qunlltios such n, the Iotct
German theory Oh tie subjec' scouts utterly Certain
members Of this family bear a birthmarh which has
the peculiar quality Of conFgnng them 10 On Moi.
and the story shows how one such dark DESTINY vas
worked out. There is good deal OF bower in th
tale. which does not flag In interest bur prohshn,y
Is violated with perfect rcklossness and tho
readers credullty Is subjected to heavy fax
in "Marsery Of onether" Mr.. Barring Gould has
produced one Of Ms b"st stories. those namely IN
which his olk-cr" and archaeology arn used IN q
Mstra'e and WHY some quaint or weird old loc.nd
OF semi barbarous times aad places. Nothing coild
bc more unCanny than the account Of m. eldr,oh
creature that lives in tho bclfry until II transfers
i'scf 10 the home Of the poor young farmer upon
whom its wicked cnclantments are directed i, ,s
50 thoroughly un-nlnctccnth century from bcginnrc
70 end US 10 convey OF positive freshness
Ihcre are other stories In the volume. bu, none II,
compare with Margery of Quethern
"A Little Norsh; or. Psps FlAxen.H IA a hotter