The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-07
xEw BOOKS.
Brief Reviews OF Iaportant aud Interest-
ing New Publications.

Tho Century Company publishes q very hand.
some and n very interesting book in Modern
French Masters."a series of Biographical and
critical reviews by American artists, with
abundant illustrations. some OF them wood en-
cravings, some in hnlf-tone. II Is everybody's
privilege. we believe, to be n partisan In the
matter of art, and to side for this or that with
quite all the serious nrdor possible. One may
talk up-or at least one does talk up when one
pleases-for the impression or the detail. for the
unadjusted spectrum or for color as the mere
Philistine seeR II. Personally we like to hoar
any partisan who is qualified to talk we'll, ana
we have been particularly interested in Mr..
Harry w. watrous's account Of Meissonier,
included in this volume. Ono who does not
care for Meissonier at all. one who. as Mr..
watrous suegests, is out for "ploin air"
and vibration" ana things, and has
no patience with the painstakinR min
iatures on o sou" for which this
master was responsible, is not called upon,
of course, to bother himself with Mr.. Watrous's
opinions In the matter; or, IL the plein artist
likes, he may look these opinions over and con-
trovert them. IL It should be the disposition Of
tho plein artist to cay things of Mr.. Watrous.
Mr.. watrous ought not, in ~fairness. to mind. for
he certainly has found things to say OF the plein
artists. Imprcssionistic painters OF all the new
sorts arc hereby warned that this a~poloRist for
molS9OnleT uOcb NOT thkO bHch ~ iii oeIioubl1.
A picture. consisting Of q splotch of fierce, un-
tempered green, with a formless sheep violent
ly and grotesquely interpolatod in the extreme
northwest corner; trees and streams made hap
hazard with the whole unrelated paint box; all
those queer things in the contemplation OF
which one is asked to shut ones eyes to the de-
gree necessary for q proper interpretation-to
shut them altogether. doubtless. in q great
many cases-those are matters that a sincere
pupil and follower of Meissonier would
naturally abominate. and Mr.. Watrous
overwhelms them with n eatire that
is certainly sharp and interesting enough
to be appreciated even by those who
represent the other side OF the case-who ap-
prove. OF the sporadic sheep hoisted precari-
ously upon q corner Of the smelted and con-
glomerated patch of grass. and of the reckless
imprcssionistic color tumuits labelled trees and
streams. But MIR. Watrous's account of Meis-
sopier is only one of the many interesting re-
views here contained. Mr.. George p. A. Healy
treats of Couture. Mr.. Kenyon Cox of Puvis de
Chauvannes. Mr.. VIII II. Low Of Gerome, Mr..
E. H. Blashfcld of Bonnat, Mr.. J. Carroll Beck
with Of Carolus- Duran. Mr.. Theodore Robinson
of Corot, Mr.. William A. Coffin of Rousseau,
Mr.. Arthur Hoeber OF Dinz, Mr.. William u.
Howe of Troyon, Mr.. d. w. Tryon of Daubigny.
Mr.. Wyatt Eaton of Millet. Mr.. Samuel Isham
of Courbet, and Mr.. J. Alden Weir of Bastien-
Lepage. and there are reviews besIdes. 80 that
the field 10 covered very well; and as for the
numerous illustrations, they are beautifully
produced and ALTOGETHER attractive and charm
Ing.
1t must be that dialect stories and sketches
recommend themselves in q high degree to the
reading public, else there would hardly DO such
q generous number of them put forth by the
publishers. Some of this dialect is exceedingly
difficult. and q fair inference seems to DO that
the reading public Is not ave:se to hard labor.
1t is to be said of "Artie," by George AIDE (Her-
bert s. Stone & Co.. Chicago). that the dialect
contained in II is not nearly as difficult as some.
Artie is q young Chicagoan. and illustrates. we
suppose. q fashion of thought and speech that
is common enough in Chicago to be easily dis
coverable. We cannot find that Chicago has
any particular need to DO ashamed of him. for
he has humor and good nature. and, as We have
intimated. n disposition-thAt to us seems
laudabie-to DO understood. His account of Q
church charity entertainment or charity
graft" as he calls 1t, is nicely fluent and not de-
void Of Imagination. and the same is to be said
of his narrative of o poker game with certain
"hot members over at "Kennedy's room" of
his condolences regarding Mamie" the girl Of
his heart. of his anecdote Of the pool shark
who was " four-fushin'" and unable to "sling
the bull con " into Artie on o certain occasion,
and Of his stories generally. Inasmuch as SO
many story-persons are talking dialect. each in
the manner dearest to his own heart, from
Scotland to Louisiana. from the Bowery to Ten.
nessee. aud from Tennessee back to the Isle of
Man. we see no reason WHY Artie. in Chicago,
should not talk his. Chicago il q great city,
and has its rights. Nor was it to be expected
that 1t would omit to take advantage of them.
American Highways" by Prof. n. s. shaler
OF Harvard Century Company. is a popular
account of the conditions of our highways and
of the means by which they may be bettered.
Its chapters treat severally of tho general his.
tory OF road building, Of early American roads.
OF the effect OF this climate upon roads, of the
nature and distribution of road materials and
their methods of use. of the governmental rela-
tions OF roads. of road ornamentation and ad-
ministration, of the machines used in road max
Ing. OF cost. education in the science of road
building. sidewalks and city streets, and 90 on.
OF course such q book, oming as it does from
30 p~ractised a hand. overfows with information,
and it is admirably constructed, and very read.
able as we'll. 1t is illustrated.
In The Fearsome Island" by ALBERT Kfnrosa
Herbert S. Stone d Co. Chicago). the reader
will ind q story calculated TO keep him very
sharply alert. He will be amazed and terrified
BY the number and variety of pitfalls on the
Island, by the shocking ingenuity OF all of them.
and BY the briskness and tremendousness Of
ioSA SWIM euo ue VIII nrSC draw his breath
when Silas Fordred, master mariner of Hythe.
safely away to sea on page 124. The tor
of the island seem to have been founded in
science rather than IN mere unaccounting magic.
but 1t can truly BIO said that that is absolutely
against them. II over there was a fear
'ome island, this was IL. and, as we have inti-
mated. It was Q surprising mercy that Silas
ever got away.
Scotland has sent us golf and tho Scottish
dialet story. and each has had an extraordinary
vogue. While we may well be grateful for both
these gifts, there are times when we cannot but
realize how easy 1t is to have too much of a good
hing; and at no time is that feeling more pro-
nouhced than when we are lured into reading
! commonplace story about commonplace
people, that apparently has little to rec
'mmend it beyond the fact that IL ia
written in the alleged language of the
Land o Cakes" In Robert Urauhart," by
iaoriel Setoun Fenno & CO... we have again
he Dominic" and the "M.an,..,u ~