The herald., 1894-02-18

By L. BEHYAER.
Among the new books from the Mac
milan company OF New York is found
The Detachable Duchy, by the we'll
known author 20"
Short stories are becoming more and
more in vogue, and the writer's of short
stories seem daily to get more clever.
Perhaps their clevernsss ia a little too
obvious, their art little too conscious.
At any rate, one has a lurking want OF
satisfaction after reading most short
stories. In their dread of saying too
much and their terror of "a moral, 4"
these clever writers often say
too little; ana meaning to be
suggestive, become merely in
effective. Probably the short story is
form Of literature that requires an in
born and congenitsl aptitude. And this,
if any man. 20" seems to possess. His
successes are not few and rare; in his
latest volume at any rate nearly all OF
the rs stories are as good as they can be.
Naughts and Crosses were admirable,
indeed but some of them compelled
admiration for their cleve<ness without
making us wish to read them again.
The beat OF these newer stories, how
ever. not only make us wish to reread
them, they make us actually do go. And
when the book is closed they remain
with us. For The Detachable Duchy Is in
every way an advance; 90" has widened
his range, deepened his vision, matured
~ otula q 70 mn of
assimilated masters. Now and then, it
is true, more especially, perhaps, in
Woon Gate, in Tbs Paupers, in The
Drawn Blind, one is reminded Of Mr..
Thomas Hardy, but in no way as by an
imitation. The art Of either is inimita-
Bile, and possibly the resemblance is
really in the likeness Of subject and of
method-not in the view of things nor
in the actual writing. There is no need
to compare the Detachable Duchy with
the Wesssx Tales, but we must confess
to often finding preference with @,
II anything strikes one more than an
other in this collection, it is it's sxtraor-
binary range. From Dsphnis, story
of the old superstition of love charms,
alive with deep, suppressed passion. we
pass to the humor, touched with poetry,
and, in its conclusion, with a kind of
tender irony, of Cuckoo Valley Railway,
or from the delicious fun of st. Pirau to
the profound pathos of Woon Gate and
A Golden Wedding, or the strange sug-'
gestiveness of A Corrected Contempt.
Love of Naomi, the longest story in the
book, lie not quite so convincing success,
probably because the motive, that of
''Enoch Arden" ID not fresh to us;
that Long divers share in the
lot int a
yet how excellently are brought
together William Geake, the grave. con.
scientious man of religion, overthrown
by his great passion, and Abe Bricknell,
the returned first husband, his wits half
zone from shipwreck and suffering, with
his .'silly smile" Mr.. Stevenson could
not have bettered the latter's descrip-
ii0n OF what happened to him in tine
open boat and on the island. More
characteristic of the author is such a
story as Mr.. Punch's Understudy, of
which to reveal the motive might spoil
something of the readers pleasure. In
fine this is book to buy, to read, to re-
member and to be grateful for.
**#
G. H. Engle of Hartford, Mich, has
issued one of the most unexpected and
unique contributions that was made to
the Columbian celebration. The title
of the book is, The Red Mans Column
bian Greeting, by Chief Poksgon, an
Indian of high character, who is chief
of the Pottawatomies, es his father was
before him. The leaves are OF birch
bark instead of paper, and the senti.
ment, although Pokagon knew and ad-
mired President Lincoln, is that of I'M
relieved regret that the white man ever
reached America. The author looks
backward, guided by the traditions of
his race, to the time when his
people were free and happy; sometimes
they fell to fighting, but the pale face
should be the lastto cast stones at them
for this. The authors diction is often
kpoetic, and his English is clear and
good; indeed, Pokagon is a better schol-
ar than most Of his white neighbors, for
me knows much Greek and Latin. At
this late day it would be impossible to
restore .thesold life for which the Indian
longs, but the book should do much
good by stimulating the spirit of justice
In white msn and women, so that all
efforts for the bettermeut of the Indi-
an's condition may be supported by
public sentiment.
volume of literature. From the pen OF
an author always welcome in memory
of former visits, comes the new volume
by Augustine Birrell, the fourth in the
series, Essays About Men, Women and
Books. Mr.. BirrslPs remarks from the
bench were never either prolix or az
gravating to the rank and file Of special
pleaders, each convinced before the
judges charge but these short talks oul
OF court are quite IS charming as any Of
the dicta or the judicial decisions. Mr..
BirTeil begins with an essay on Dean
Swift, remarking that though almost
every body takes a turn at the Dean oil
st. Patrick's, there is still plenty OF sug
reetion left for others to follow,
le agrees with Thackeray's estimate oil
swiit, pointing out that nobody did
illsr juntice to his admirable qualities
fcrching Hannah More, the essayist il
pessuaded, in the face OF violent argu.
nent on the other side. that cher works
la 8 volumes are worth shillings and
Is pence," which gum he has lately in
gted thus, greatly to the scandal o.
aons OF his cultivated friends. He pro
easms his belief, however. that ''ths
rslebrated Mrs. Hannah More is one o
thu most detestable writers who eve