The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1896-03-14


Stephen Crane 10 story Of farm boys
experience a. private in the civil war.
The book Of 23l pages tells OF few
month experience OF camp and drill
and Of one battle Thirty-six pages OF
camp life and ono hundred and ninety
five that describe the battle, and its i'm
precision on 4 green soldier. Mr.. Cranes
description Of the battlefield bears the
same relation to the battlefield OF ro-
nance and imagination that the instan-
taneone photograph OF the "horse in mo-
ton do to his representation on canvas
and in bronze. 1t is difficult to believe
this is not an old soldiers yarn, yet
Stephen Crane YVES only q small boy
when the civil war was over. The story
10 restoration from hints received from
real old soldiers. Max Nordsu says that
the signs Of degeneration are abnormal
acuteness OF the senses. Mr.. Crane
shows q morbid tenderness for color.
The Union army is a "blue demonstra-
tion," when the blood begins to flow.
the private sees blue aud red every
where. He sees men and considers them
only a. bits OF color. He might be an
artist in the meadow with hull try
ing toget the foreshortening right ~ he
charges him, 90 far ne his sense OF the
situation is concerned. The most Of the
book is q description OF the impressions
that the different stages Of the battle
made upon a private, limited field
and not worth 1856 pages Of paper and
the time to read them. Mr.. Crane is
diffuse after the manner OF Howells. 1t
takes the genius OF Goethe to make 195
pages Of determination interesting.
II these drawers OF fine points and
.hewers OF character wish an audience
made up of more than reviewers snd
literary hacks they will learr to con-
dense. 1t would be we'll to study COM
position Of M artist. 10 learn how he
groups people in q landscape securing
variety - we'll ~ unity. A man must
prove himself interesting before he can
find paying number OF people who
will listen to hos he felt when the guns
were turned towards him. But q few
will listen through egotism. They might
oct %. feel %, think 90 on q battlefield
themselves. So they Will read this book.
Subjectivity 10 q quality Of the feminine
mind. An ideal soldier 10 D'Artagnap,
solving all puzzles and differences with
his sword. The fighter who stops to
consider the economic cnwisdom Of
war 10 in danger Of having his
skull cut open by q sword and his phil
osophy laid bare to an unredecting
change VI soldiery. beside being OF not
much use to his country a. a warrior.
Those Who like the windings OF psych-
illogical maze will like THE Red Badge
OF Courage III. w. Brown 4 Col.
Napoleon, lover and husband" by
Frederic Masson, translation from the
French is q collection Of testimony 10
regard to Nspoleon's family relations.
might collect the testimony.
no one but man and . FrencLman
could conclude from it that Josephine's
reproaches were undeserved. that Ma
poleon loved only her. The book shows
him not worse than those Who sur
rounded him. As emperor he might
have set IN example. but he was not
setting examples. Mr.. Mason 10 an
critic. apparently his
standards are not rocked by NapoIeon's
code; be 10 ali the more likely to tell the
truth Of the man who 10 not . hero to
him. His evidence shows the Corsican
al