New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-08
DELIGHTFUL TALK.
THE MEMORIES OF TWO AMERICAN
NOVELISTS.

Phelps. Illustrated. Octave PIP. HS Houshton
Miffn & Co.
In n recent article Mr. Howels alluded 10 MS
opinion expressed long before. that the confdentia
attitude Of Thackeray was Of the latiers worst
defects: and he seemed to be mistaken In this ve"
That he feels does on the subject Is Interest,"
Ing as showing how curiousy one man may resaiu
Thackeray 1t is also to imply certain spirit
of sc,f-sacrifce when II Is considered III the sh' Vi
Mr. Howellss latest volume How can ne nav
such an objection to the confidential attitude' inc
reader OF impressions and Experiences IL sure w
ask when he Is plainly 80 fitted to assume such an
attitude himself with the best of results? NO doupt
there is n difference between egotism In fiction ana
egotsm I'm essays and perhaps Mr.. Howes OK
cludes II from the one and admits 1t 70 the o'ner s
a matter of principle; but surely II II Is admirable
at all II will touch the imagination as iegtma'ey
in one form of literature as in another. There Is
something almost cxasperating in the recohec"o"
Of Mr. Howes's impersonalty as a novelist when
the attraction OF his personality Is realized III HIS
essays The delightful quality Of the latter inspires
the wish that he might refuse to write even mas
terpiccc OF fiction just so that he might 30 Oh
writing cssays TO the end OF the long life which IL
Is to be hoped may be his.
He accompiishcs the thing which many writ
ers of the day try TO accomplish and fall 10 do-he
takes 10 subject not In itself Of profound or orig
inaI import and contrves 10 so cEwrnp IL III the
playfu sometimes pensive, sometimes CRITICAL ana
Always kindly atmosphere OF his m'nd tnat oeio'e
YOU know It you are filed with II sense OF giahness
and would not have the talk stop II you cou'd hep
It, II Is essentially talk. fact which IS the "o''
direct link between Mr. Howclls and the great era
of the cssaysts II would be carrying admiration
too far 10 say that he IL comparable 10 La"ip Io'
example there being so many things IN MIN WHO"
would have made Ella uncomfortable. there peihs
so many things In Ella which Mr.. Howels would
feel himself I'm duty bound to contcmn Yet the INK
between the two is there. the link Of human gentle
ness That after all H. at the bottom OF what Is
best in whimsical literature. The permanent
witchc-y OF Lamb springs quite as much from MS
tenderness his pure sentiment. his exquisite emo
ton. IA from the auaintness Of his Ideas and the
felicity OF his STYLE Mr. Howes has neither quaint
ness nor the literary quality which is correctly TO
be described felicity. on the other hand he mas
i warmth Of feeling which makes his pages glow ir
a qurt. subtle way. They ar" fun o! teaching.
though Mr. Howcils does not pretend to pose with
I'm them as n teacher. lie points his neral rather
through The tacit disclosure all along Of sympathy
for whatever H. best In life. Of compassion Tor
whatever is saddcs, The second paper in this book.
entitled Police Report" describes the authors ex-
pericroo In Of those chambers OF justice in Bos-
ton where the most insignificant and sordid OF law
breakers are tried They hardly rise TO the dignity
OF Iaw-brcakcrs They merely the waits and
str?ys OF a pollccmfn's day. shabby artisans who
have had drop too much. noisy domestics who
have had trouble with IN the third-rate
boarding houses over who's. culinary dcstines thcy
could do anything with stun like this But he does
do great deal. and all the time tfat he IL Jotting
down In his realistic way the absurd little details
OF this brief Trial that he IL unobtrusively wax
ing In the reader of the pity OF It all: he is
showing the degradation Of the offenders against
truth and law not "A theatrical exhibition solely.
though he docs not forge, the dramatic points. but
as ono OF the elements In our social life which must
ever touch us to the quick one sees with him the
pathos Of the young thief. the passlonatcy bitter
misery OF the soul far down In the scale OF
wrongdoing that 1t no longer looks hopefully UP 10
heaven. and one sees also the incxtingushable fun
which comes to the surface OF even the staldest
and then
The quality OF the book Is not TO be shown
through quotation. The nrst essay on THE Coun-
try Printer Will explain this. II IL a chapter OF
jot,ings from memory picture put together. az n
piece OF mosaic IL put together. OF the little news
paper office In Ohio where the father OF Mr. How
ellis exercised "A bcnehccnt sway the simple
but sturdy minds OF the farmers In the county and
where the ncipcnt novelist looked on at the week
ly evolution OF the journal helped to make II. and
taught himself TO read Spanish for the sake OF
Don Quixoc" In the intervals OF his labor. What
cite from this essay? There Is not page
which We would transfer to this place for It's own
sake But from first 10 last there IS vein OF
emotion running through the vivid picture which
not only keeps the latter from being place,
but nearly makes IL romantic. II does this. too.
without falling into ba thos the manly accent
L. clear and forclble throughout Primarily we feel
this to he the result OF deep love OF the subject
In the heart CT the author 1t springs also-and
here we have perhaps the explanation OF what Is
most admirable In Mr.. Howclls essayist-
from a deep sympathy for character. None of the
figures Of his boyhood Is lay figure for him. He
remembers the living. persuasive traits Of those
among whom he worked and read IL there Is a
moral to be derived from The Country Printer"
for example. II IL the same that which you get
from the police Report" THE Tribulations OF a
Cheerful Givcr." the moral which makes for excel.
icnce OF character The charm Of THE Country
Printer Is bracing because you feel such genuine
manhood to have been the blrthrIght Of the types
1t brings upon the scene Some OF them It Is true
were sad dogs. But the broad temper OF the time
and place was distinctly above the average TO
read the Impressions and Experiences Is to feel
constant agreement with the author In his response
to uplifting thoughts. his plying and generous
sympathy for the grief In the world.
The value OF Mrs. Phelps's book OF recoIlections
resides In It's talk Like Mr.. Howes she Is egotis
tic with good taste and the anecdotes she tells
owe great deal TO her way OF telling them. She
tells US. perhaps. trine more about her own
doings and her own works than It is wholly neces-
sary for us to know: but on the other hand she IL
never too much In evidence where her distinguished
friends are concerned and her sketches Of Whittier
Holmes. Longfellow and the rest are thoroughly
irtless and I'm keeping She has some rather
strenuous pages. Living In Andover for many
years she could not avoid close and almost tense
feeling for things OF a religious nature She de-
scribes with emotion episode In the life OF Mrs
Stowe who would appear to have saved an erring
friend from the blight OF ratonalism by purely
spiritual means bringing through prayer the con-
version which written reasoning seemed poweress
to achieve. In the chapter her life at Giouces-
ter. too, Mrs. Phelps has much say OF such men
and women as Mr.. Howells has brought upon the
scene In his police Report" But there are long
and serene accounts OF her literary friends, Of
poets like Whittier Miss Thaxtcr and Lucy Lar
CON- who could not have been merely literary" II