The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-22
THE CRITICS CORNER.
WEEKLY CHAT REGARDING WRIT
1RS AND BOOKS
The August Forum-Ths Arena for july
"The Coast Of Bohemia" by How
el1s-Litsrsry Notes.
THE FORUM August. For sale by west
Johnson a. Co

The August number of the Forum
contains three striking articles relative
to the three startling manifestations y,
crime-The Great Railroad Strike anu
its Causes; The Assassination Or -,
not: and the Police Revelations III NC"
Discussions OF these subjects are group
ed under the general title, The Senti-
mental Dealing with Crime. ana its ~, rn
crease; and following these Is 49, auGy
wide increase Of crime. by Mr.. Henry Henry
Charles Lea, OF Philadelphia: Ihese
make one OF the most noteworthy groups
OF strong and timely articles that nave
ever appeared In our periodical hiefa
ture. .
other subjects treated in the August
issue are Laboratory Mind-Study, Inc
Beginnings of a New Science" HOW
1.-THE Pay Of Preachers" The hrst OK
these is by, two writer's President w.
Stanley Hall explains why the new psy-
choiogy, or mind-study, is the heces,
the education of the future; and Prof.
Il. w. Scripture, of Yale. sets forth IN
detail the methods Of experiment ana
training followed in his own laboratory
for mind-study.
The second is by Mr.. Sylvester Baxter,
ing issue Of the Forum" on who VIII
Pay the Bills of Socia lism."
The third is by Mr.. II. X. Carroll, the
Superintendent or the collection OF
Church Statistics for the last census. and
his article shows the income Of different
grades of preachers, OF all sects and In
all sections Of the country, as compared
with that OF men OF other calllngs.
AS a whole. this August number OF the
Forum is second TO no issue Of that ex-
celent monthly that We have seen. It's
contents are uniformly strong
THE COAST OF BOHEMIA" BY VIM
Dean Howells. Harper & Bros. For
sale by West, Johnson & Co.
Mr.. Howells. says the Critic, apropos
OF this charming story, likes to sur
prise his public occasionally; wherefore,
after carefully training US TO expect one
kind of novel. he suddenly branches Oft
and gives us another. And IL is often in
these unexpected utterances that he is
most interesting. They seem to be in
the nature OF recreation TO him-refreSh-
ing interludes after his serious and dill
cult work; and they sometimes reflect
this cheerful gaiety. 1t is when he for
gets his theories in measure, and writes
from the heart. that he is most conyinc-
ing and delightful He does not often,
however, permit himself this liberty; he
generally works in harness and leaves
emotion out of his calculations. But in
a few books. like Indian Summer" and
The Shadow Of n Dream" different as
they are. he has laughed and wept
lowed himself to see some OF the bright
realities of life, and its dramatic sOr-
rows. In the present book he has done
nothing so fine, but, after leading us TO
expect some record Of weak and fruit
less endeavor as an unsuccessful dash at
social problems. he surprises us with
mild and pretty little love-story. end
ing-in the good, Old, conventional man.
ner-With the sound OF wedding bells
The plot is Of the simplest. \ puritani-
cal country girl, with some spirit,
good deal of reserve, and talent for
drawing, goes to New York. alone, to
study art. The girl whose easel is next
TO here is OF an emotional. romantic ma
ture, and Cornelia is at once swathed in
Its feryor. The story of this friendship
fills that part of the book which is not
occupied with the vicissitudes attending
Cornela's love affair. The hero of the
latter Is brilliant young painter. whom
she had once encountered in her own
little village, and the troubles which
ruffe the course Of this true love are of
the kind that is very important 10 those
immediately concerned, but pteously
trivial to others. There is some interest
ing art talk in the story, but the char
acters hover about the coast Of Il very
shadOWy BOhemia-an imitation, n make
believe, which only differs from Philistia
in being more self-cOnsciOus and striving
reiigiOuslY to be broad. IT is a clever
picture OF kind OF life that really exists
IN New York, but the men and women,
at lige. COrnelia's woes. too. are eXag-
grated and inconsistent with the charac-
ter of so sensible girl. Mr. Howell's
exasperates one. as usual. by engulhng
his characters in trivial details, so that
each one appears to be a HETEROGENEOUS
mass of unrelated qualities; and one
doubts their ability TO walk and talk
and feel
There are many bright sentences in
the book, however like Charman's ex-
clamation, "oh. II men could only be
what girls would be II they were men,
or Ludlow's more serious remark. "Of
course its humiliating 10 make a failure.
but It's better TO own Ii. and leave II be-
hind you; II yon don't own it, YOU have
10 carry II with you. and il remains
burden And Cornelia's vague fran
quill. graceful mother Is a new and clever
creation. But after all one Is inclined 10
borrow from Mr.. Kiping and say. ms
pretty. but is Il artf' So superficial is
the plan, SO light and airy the structure
that ose feels as though feathers
,welght or fervor in JOY or sorrow would
hrlnE the elaborate creation crashing
about ones ears.
THE ARENA: July. For sale by West.
Johnson & Co.
Among the notable and valuable articles
In the July Arena" are Mrs. Helen H.
Gardeners paper on Environment; Can
Heredity BE ModifedY' "Whittier's Re-
lgion. by Rev. w. II. Savage: Mono
metalism and Protection" a mastery