New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-24

and daughters 10 attest the iac|
TIVE ss,rs snrghtly common-sense view OF every
day matters that was characteristic VI 49, 49,
n, Observation Is TO be noted as cohspicuo1,
tor in the pages Of Mr.. Martins latest volume ~
sra orke moreover In their whnscallty IN
slight tendency to exaggera'ion ana over ,
Hut when one looks TO these qUahues o"'e'' 80
I no found TO be not defects nor to be particularly
ncrversye OF truth or course. the mere hte'an''
may be expected to have some trouble VIII" w.
Martins humor, and "a severe, sour-co"o''
man" 10 borrow a phrase from Waiton) may w
iect that the atmosphere In when MI '"''''',
moves "a rather too frivolous for mis- sober way Oh
,hI,,,,g put Mr. Martin and the sour-comp.ex-
,.rsd man. were not predestined for close intimacy
Like Mr. Grant OF Boston. Mr.. Martin OF Rochester
Il man of the world, and when ne taiNs ne ''"'
n men of his own class. and In dialect 'hey ca"
understand without consulting a ph'osop"0' VIZ
tlonary. ~, 1919
No one WILL we think. deny that WORTHY 'h'"'e'
,o,L ., whom there are good many In these our
r-r,,od States are sorely In need Of philosopher
and we must count 1t OF the reassurihg ssh'
Of the times that tie clubs. ana the opera o'H,o
and the balls have at last found voice IN MI
Martin He is not, to be sure pioneer ms 'e',
ancestry Is long and honorable, Including DIS -
does, such writers as Addison and Thackeray anu
S,evenson But for all that Mr.. Martin plays on
venerable instrument It Is to be set down 10 MS
credit that he pipes new tune ana ai'ei ma"
ner Of his own He is the moraLst ana "e"''' -
mundane folbles a kindly hearted eavesdroppe''
smiling Asmodeus. against whose penetrating sac
the tin roofs OF conven;ionaliiy avail nothing ne
has Invariably the air Of reading lecture III
we hired par:or voice 10 culprit arraigned De-
fore the bar OF etiquette. ard the CURIOUS 'nins
about him is that ne never lets his reancr suppoSe
that the cuprt is himself. one feels tnat the Judge
s an uncommonly "know.ng man, ana WINE one
secretly "chortes' over the fact that he knows SO
all
neighbors one always hatters ones sell he N''o"s
nothing about him.
Natura.lv in such work Mr.. Martin Is doing
style counts nine points where matter scores one
The reason OF this s obvious. or should be- Tor the
writer's problem Is less TO present new truths thdh
10 furnish UP old 1t is like the french COOK
to make his customers eat cold mutton uhder soihe
other name thinking 1t something else. But whiie
matter "a things go. counts for comparatively III
tie what there Is OF 1t must be OF the BEST ana IL
must come piping hot from the pan OF contemporary
interest Servants marriage. love. reading. tips
manners-these the topics whlcn MT. Marin
chooses TO exercise his wit upon He Is discurs've;
he passes from discussion OF landscapes 70 dis-
sertat ton on the ethics of tipping and pIunses out
Of Japanese manners into considerations OF the COST
of living on this last point we note that MT Mar
tin and Mr. Grant are not agreed, or II they are
they have not cared TO confess II, for while MT
Grant Is inclined to fix the limits with something
approximatng TO accuracy, Mr. Martin sums up
the matter by remarking that somewhere between
a hundred dollars year and unlimited means,
money ceases to be a means OF buying wnat IL sood
for YOU. and becomes an opportunity. which grows
more and more difficult to improve as It's size IN
creases until If worst comes to worst 1t may as
sumo the proportions Of impossible task
The words flow from DR.. Van Dykes pen with
a fuency like nothing else than the flow OF one OF
his little rivers" And II the can talk In vari-
Gus tones now loud. now low. And of many sub
Il
deed with no stretch OF the Imagination one may
say that the successive essays contained In his
latest volume merely literary transcripts OF
the varying moods OF score or more Of mountain
a.reams-such transcripts as a musician might
make; and to pursue our musical figure. just a.
the musician must elaborate his theme according
to the rules OF his art Dr. Van Dyke imposed his
varying moods on thread Of personal adventure
From one point Of view Little Rivers Is the diary
Of many happy, prohtaby idle, summer outings IN
various lands-in the Adirordacks. in Canada. in
France, in Italy and Austria. But we question
whether the reader will TO regard DR.. Van
Dykes essays from this diary point OF view. The
element of adventure is subord.nated, Just as 1t Is
in Stevenson's Inland Voyage TO the writer's
moods. There is. far as | know, very little
useful Information and absolutely no criticism OF
the universe TO be found in this volume" says the
author 1T is nothing but handful of rustic vari-
atoms the old tune Of Rest and be thankful,
record OF unconventional travel. pilgrims script.
with few bits Of blue-sky philosophy
DR.. Van Dyke frankly owns TO positive affection
for little rivers. The ocean is all very well FOR
those who can stand 1t. for those whose minds can
compass It's grandeur its awful majesty: but for
him It is too big for loving and too uncertain In
like manner the mountains They might pass for
friendly companions were they not mute river,
on the other hand. provided 1t be small enough Is
as vivacious and communicative as girl in her
teens it is the best possible thing SIT by and to
,IG with and ~ do N Ia
lecture you instruct you, but II Is just human
enough to start your thoughts going and just tickle
enough to keep up your interest in life. Dr. Van
Dyke he here confesses. has been confirmed
fisherman from his boyhood up and cannot remem-
Del the time when his hand innocent OF the |
nshlngr rod. 1T was" he writes IAN instrument of
education in the hands of father less indscrim.
than Solomon. who chose 10 interpret the text
in way. and preferred to educate his child
by encouraging him in pursuits which were HARM
less and wholesome rather than chastlsing him
for practices which would likely enough never have
been thought of II they had not been forbidden"
This brief quotation is typical and will serve |
well another to show the authors method of |
evolving IDEAS His language is frequently the de- |
velopmen; Of his thought. and is invariably poetic |
and Imaginative. From the bare atenient of fact
from literal description OF a scene his |
thoughts and the readers hard at their heels are
led upward TO insignificant and unexpected ap-
pcation. into some byway of association either
literary artistic; and lowering over al, like
cloud over q Swiss lake. Is that "blue-sky phoso-
ply" that body Of doctrine which proceeds !
from healthy love OF nature and OF outdoor |
sports-from a frank, childish joy In the world as
1t is and in the working OF the human heart In It's
uncivized sincerity. Mems little ways" says |
DR. Van Dyke still harping his little rivers and
seeking to Justify his weakness for them MEMS |
little ways usually more interesting and !
often more instructive than their grand manners
hey off hoy freu tIx
show to better advantage than when they are on
parade. The Little Flowers OF ST Francis
appear far precious than the most
learned German and French analysis of his char
acter." There is passage In Jonathan Edwards's
'IArsonal Narrative" about a certain walk he took
In fha nel liz IN fhnr,s hnAisc and hlnc