Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-14
BOOK TALK.


then has ranked with the half dozen
fashionable tale tellers. The Anglo
maniacs'' struck the observing reader "a
most enjoyably psrmeated by vein of
Thackerayian clearnesa; somewhat fu
de steele of course, but marked
by the same kindly cruelty in
smilingly slashing away at the moral
cadavers OF the characters and exposing
each lesion and tester. 1t was a de-
hghtful book. truthful as photograph,
and as art-fuli as picture BY Millet.
Mrs. Harrison belongs evidently to
the newest school of Iictionists--those
who perceive the value OF certain fea-
lures of the old romancists, and who
have grasped the only good qualities Of
the two prigs. who for a few Years have.
by sort of Oscar WiIdesh self aduIa-
ton and mutual advertizing, kept them
selves before the public Henry James
and William Dean Howells. In fairness
it must be said that these two leaders.
with their followers, must command re-
spect for one quality in their work the one
IN fact which makes what they write at al
bearable; that is, their patient, careful
picturingsof detail. An instance OF q
surfeit OF it is in one Of Mr.. James's
stories, where ne uses several pages in
describing the wall paper in a room.
The later writer, or many OF them.
have acquired a 'aIf and 'alf quality.
which avoids the diffuseness and the
traditions OF the noveiste of genera
tion ago.as we'll as the tedious tennitv
OF those OF the juet past. 10 these be-
longs Mrs. Harrison.
The occasion Of this ATTEMPT to clas-
sify her is the little book OF tales lately
issued by her, headed by "a Daughter
of the South. which, while light in tone
and not up to the excellencies Of the
ADglomaniaes, is charming stor-.
All of the sketches are worth perusal.
and besides entertaining the reader, will
pleasantly stimulate his thoughts, for
in every page will be found sentepce
or so which will be enjoyably wise or
novel. Little attention is paid to locale.
though the scene shifts from the aouth
to Paris, and then to New York. The
plot is a sort of Held by the Enemy
story, but the characteristics are enioy-
able to a rare degree.
The other storieH are equally eDjoy-
able, the volume containing variety
enough for the most jaded summer
reader.
Daughter of the South. By Mrs. Burton
Harrison. For sale by stol & Thayer.
There is always temptation to make
comparisons, in considering literary
character; this trying to find a counter
snt na Il u nager a s satissscfBSr is fBrrg Bh M es Re
way of clearly expressing the salient
traits of the parsonage under considers
ton. An exam ole Of this tendercy ia
found in the alert way in which the
mind of the reader of Colonel T. w.
Hgginson's essay, turns at once to Ad-
dison's clear, smooth English. It ia
true though that beyond the purity OF
the language and the cleanliness Of
ideas common to both writer's, there is
little resemblance. The .celonel is q
reformer, a member of tAe advanced
guard OF thinkers, q pr6pounder of
theories which are shared by that fatigu-
ing class called cranks, but these radical
ideas are treated go logically. with such
a scholarly command of language and
argument, that before the reader is
aware of bis conversion, he will lose
much of his Philistine ideas, and is
almost certain to become an ardent adj
yocate of woman's euffrage-and the
other reforms which the colonel cham
pions.
The book under consideration, Com
cerning All of Us, is collection Of es-
says, on variety of social subjects, all
of vital interest to clean nafured people.
and which would form excellent mis-
sionary literature for the elevation of
the trivial minded. The subjects are
those about which everyone has more
or less diffused ideas, which are certain
to be somewhat crystallized by a perusaI
of the matter. Each essay is brief
sermon, but is so graceful. witty and
wise that not a suspicion of the tedious
ness of good advice is to be found.
Concerning All Of Us BY Col. T. w. Hig-
ginson For sale by Stoll & Ihayer.
x*x
They know very little OF US, these
people on the other side OF the Atlantic.
They evolve some fantastic, Impossible.
grotesque proposition, and at once style
it American" Here is book bv Dor
ethea Gerard, the author Of very lively
story called Reata, published sevesaI
years ago, which pictured one Of the
most charming young women of fiction.
1t is taken for granted that Mics Gerard
is not an American, and knows little of
America, for tha base OF her last
5tofy, EtofkhS , VOW, ID WlaC Hn0
styles an American duel" No Amer
ican will know what is meant by thia
kind of an encounter. as none OF them
are q matter OF record. Mics Gerard
makes the mainspfing of the novel q
duel, in which the two contestants
draw lots; the one getting a black pellet
is to kill himself by q certain time.
This Is supposed to be the way in which
Americans settle their difficulties. Put-
ting aside the abeurdity OF her
premises, the author has pro-
duced a. very charming story, and
has portrayed most interesting hero
ine. The tale is sombre, but at the
same time not dispiriting, and ia strong.
The latter quality is one which should,
in these days of eickly fiction, excuse 4
multitude Of faults, while in Etelka's
Vow there Is only one--that not at all
typical American duel. Miss Girard may
be an American for all the writer knows,
but she ought to be Russian. an
Italian, or Prussian, as far as the duel
travesty goes. BEYOND that, she has
written an nglyinteresting story,
full OF vigor, life and action.
hteika's Vow. By Dorothea Gerard. For
sale BY soil & Thayer.
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