New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-15

n
whose lie he has undertaken to portray. lie mas
mo, his tvnes on a footing Of hospitality; he has
becn taken into their confidence. and into ther
homes he has shared In his professional capac'is'
in Their weddings tfeir wakes. Their fuherais'
picnics excursions and dances-in snort ,ha'
which with Professor Matthews ard Mr.. DAVIS IL
the result Of hurried superficial observation win
Mr. Ralph Is the outcome OF years or syfnpi'hei-c
association They have gwen us the facts. ne
gives US the facts and the atmosphere that sur
rounds them: they portray the East SIDE from Tue
point OF view OF the man Of refined literary tastes
but Mr.. Ralph depicts the same HE N the hgh' u
IT'S own Ideals. The spirit Of Mr.. Raph's WORK
be.rg what we have described IT, Il remains to
add that his artistic resources amply sufficient
to enable him 20 present his Impressions eHecu'ey
before the reader The characters are admifao'y
differentiated ard easily recognizable as represent
tive East SIDE types, stripped OF sentimental pre-
conceptions and studied IN tne uhne'odEaiHa"'
light Of actually.
The same criticism also applies TO The scenes IN
which these people reveal Themselves. TIE s.tua-
tons readily commend themselves to enc ; ere
du.ty, and, except in the case OF "lhe iiheina'i
Wedding" free from any suggestion OF Tx
fantastic "A Day Of the P.noche Club Is
masterpiece Of insight although from tecnhich'
point OF view inferior the tale entitled Dutch
K.ttys White Slippers" which. for its conDihen
concentration and suggest.ycness raises M hs'''
into the front rank Of short-stoTy writers DE-
fore diminishing People We Pass "A word OF spe-
clal commentator = due Mr.. Raph's clever use
OF dialect. Writing of the East side, II "dS IL
ev.table that dialect should enter into his MARIA
tive to a certain extent-the local color would nave
been incomplete without it-yet, although ne en-
poy, Il freely, he permits himself TO use
an unfamiliar word or tura of expression without
explaining It, either in footnote still more fire.
auently and with better dramatic effect. by trans
lating the term through the mouth OF some one OF
his Characters The thing l. done without enort
and = always effective. In the strictly narrative
parts where the author has the stage to himself
Mr. Ralph finds the English language quite SUI
fc.ent for his purpose. His example is cordially
recommended to the consideration OF tie ueaieiS
in Scotch dialect
Miss Corelll is Thoroughly in earnest Sac has
convictions which carry her along on a strenuous
tide of defamation and description. She Is
highly sorrowfu and painfully serious IN her ms
sion of exposing the iniquties OF the critics VINO
have not accepted her heaven-born genius, ana OF
world that has yet stoned the critics for their
tcneritv No single touch of hunOr comes
TO relieve the black shadows Of her picture. no
breath Of sef-dstrust ever brings her to question
the absorbing Importance of what she has to say.
With the soemnity Of a Hebrew prophet she cries
out to the world to witness the sorrows of m.sun-
derstooi Satan and the wrongs of Marie Corelii
II the dew! worshppers Of Asia have half so
admirable a god as her Satan the high character
which they sustain among their neghbors Is not 10
be wondered 1t is man in general. and the
critics Of Marie Core.ii in particular who are re-
sponsble for the evils of the world. Satan tempts
Them but he tempts in sorrow than in anger.
obedicnt TO what the Greeks would have called an
InexoraDle necessity; he does like his
work. hopes tina; people will resist him. and when
they do resist reverentiy kisses their hands Satan
IS a fallen angel but an angel nevertheless. and an
angel awaiting redemption. He is bound by an
path to keep men from doing good, but every UNI
fr.r
every good deed of man brings him nearer to il.
lie IS nol getting much according to the in
erpToter of his sorrows. About all ne has to con-
tend with in his dabohca enterprise is the Prince
OF Wales and literary woman named MAYS Clare,
who be other than the author herself. with
her virtues and charms toned down TO SUIT char
of fiction.
The English critics. t appears. have corrupuy
failed to appreciate The author of The Sorrows IF
Satan" and have found fault with her previous
books II they buy this one-they will rot get Il
otherwise for she resolved throw away good
Hterature people only fit for chicken feed-they
may perhaps, learn how much they have been mis-
taken. Do they want imprisoned prose? Here are
almost five hundred pages Of 1t rich in volcanic
sp.endors and prophetic frenzy. DO they wan; cyl.
denounced? They will find here nOt mere asser-
ton but brlsting proofs put in footaotes. DO tiny
want mystery? Lei tAom visi the otter world
with Geoffrey Temples; and the "Ange'-Foe VIII )se
eyes wild with an eternity of sorrows, near
the spirits talk Latin amid the thunders and zee
pad skeletons and Immortal Despair" Do they
want tragedy? Let them stay with the poisoned
siby as she writes with her dead hand her awful
thoughts DO they want philosophy? The theory
of a man-redeemed Satan is a prodigy of abstract
thought. Do they want novelty? They here get
The Information that society is selfish and sensIll
that the world loves riches and follows not the
ways Of righteousness, that hypocrltes abound. and
mat only in the conquest Of the world, the flesh and
The critics is there eternal happiness.
This ought to prove her case whatever the critics
may say. They always miss the good books any
way. They missed Keats. They missed Shelley.
They missed her She is classic As the Monk
Of Cluny said, the word f. very ev-and so are
the critics
When in the exercise of critical conscientiousness
find ourselves Obliged to describe Mr.. Brander
Matthew's latest novel. Ills Fathers SON." as a
failure we do so with a certain hesitation. feeling
that the verdict be easily misunderstood. We
wish therefore. TO warn the reader that II the pro-
fessors has failed II is through lack of
ceverness. On the contrary. if IL has fault
more than another it is precisely that It is too
intellectual ami too little anything else. OF the
famous warhorse Bayard it used to be said that
he had every possible virtue. and but defect.
that he dead. And Professor Matthews, the
novelist, somehow or other perssterty keeps
mnding of the famous warhorse Bayard. Pos
all the artistic virtues he certainly does; he
writes we'll he has keen eye for construction. he
knows the value of dramatic situation, he knows
where to place accent. and where to take II off.
He knows much about what a novel ought TO be
Mr.. Howells himself. and probably a great deal
than Tolstoi ever thought of knowing. and yet
with all his skill. and all the positive virtues which
his novel possesses it has that fault, that it Is
dead His characters have about much ANNA
ton the puppets in marionette drama He is.
might say. a Pygmalon. with difference
he has the art, withou; the vivifying touch Were
Professor Matthews =, less serious artist should
be inclined to say more about his story; but
knowing him for what Of a man he is, or
wishes to be. and looking beneath the surface II is
possible to discover that His Fathers Son IL a
very sincere effort cope with of the vital
problems of American life. The only mistake, II
seems to US. that the Professor has made is In