The herald., 1896-07-05

1
millionaires have easily and without
| any scruples multiplied their millions
to infinity. to become almighty. The
! senate of the Union, which was a con-
gress of diplomats. became not more
than q few years ago congress of mil
llonaires; today it is a gathering OF
| thrifty business promoters. The million
aires rare in former times in America,
have become legion; their sons, having
ceased working and producing, are now
specializing. From the passion of gam
bling is born the frenzy of luxury; the
rich have shown the glory of parven-
ues. 1t Is witftho millionaires fight
of vanity. and the rich, who formerly
lived as their less fortunate fellow citi-
Zens. act and live now to show them
selves; the inequality of conditions,
then. is brought out strongly"
We may vince at these words, but 1t
is very wholesome to know what others
honestly think of us. And so A Partisan
in America is a book it is well for us to
read and heed its blunt hints.
"DDLE RING. BY Justin Nc
Carthy. D. Appleton & Co.
This is the July issue, No. 1875. OF the
ever popular Town and Country library.
| in paper covers.
All of these novels are good. as our
readers know, and as we have often
urged in these columns That is. with
| Out pOSS1Dlt eACeptiOii, lHCy oiC pei :
haps the safest to buy at a venture of
any of the cheap novels one sees at the
| news stands.
There is a certain excellence in this
| story that makes it, in its way, the equal
| of the authors more ambitious efforts
! 1t is most delicate and effective por-
| trayal of character and full Of life and
power
LIFE IN ARCADIA. BY ]. S. Fletcher.
Illustrated by Patten Wilson. Pub
lished by John Lane. London and
| by Macmillan Co. in this country.
Here is a rich book. rich in the rare
work of the printer, rich in its profuse
and unique illustrations. and rich in the
| remarkable quality of the text. Other
| works by the same author are When
Charles the First Was King, Where
Highways Cross and At the Gate of the
Fold, etc. This volume is made up of
short sketches and essays, and these are
placed in three groups: Unconscious
Comedies, A Group of Great People and
Life's Tragedy. A score of happy Illus
trations accompany and illuminate the
text. The themes range in mood trom
the airy and whimsical conceits OF My
Lady's Garden to the simple and touch
ing tone of romance of Little Nan. 1t
is all fine and strong work and much out
of the common run. Here is touch or
quality from The Lovers and Their Lady.
Strephon. Damon and Corydon, being
in love with Phyllis demand that she
choose between them. She hade them
return to her in the evening and read
verses to her written out of their hearts,
and she would give to the favored one
red rose. At twilight came the three
lovers. StrephonS voice trembled as
he stood up and read his lines on Loves
Birthday Damon followed with beau
tiful verses on Loves Fullness. But
Corydon confessed that he had written
no verses, but declared that no poem
could do honor to Phyllis. And yet
deep in my heart there Is poem. now
shrouded in eloquent silence, which 1
have kept for her many a long day.
Whether l tell it to her, she, and she
only shall decide
After that there was a silence long
and deep. The twilight grew deeper
about the chestnut trees, and far away
in the west the golden sunset died into
glowing purple In the woods nightin-
gale suddenly began it's song of immor-
tai love. Then Phyllis moved. Dear
| gentlemen she said, "a woman is a
| thingof whims and fancies and she has
| strange intuitions. Her heart goes out
where it will. l give the rose to Corydon.
| Your verses l have heard. Strephon, and
yours, Damon; but have not heard that
| poem which Corydon is keeping for me-
And hear it 1 must So she laid the red
rose in Corydon's hand and they went
: out together into the mystic twilight" ="
This, surely, is exquisite, but it is only
one choice bit from dainty delightful
| book.
FACT AND FICTION IN NOVELS.
Geo. W. Gable in the July Atlantic
There never was story whose interest
would not have been greater if, just as
it was, it had been actual fact.
But on the other hand, there never
| l. g.
| have been more interesting if, just as
| they We're. they could have possessed all,
| and only, the features and arrangement
the story-teller would have liked them
to have. His main purpose, however
! grave. however playful he may be- is
to convey not weighty information, but
| welcome emotions, thereby to establish
| for the moment at least, and a. much
| longer as he may. spiritual facts of life
| in the sensibilities, sentiments and af-
| fections of his readers For him fact
| and fiction alike are but means to this
end. He draws no distinctions between
| them. AS long as facts serve him best
he will use them, disguised in fiction.
| When fictions suit better he will use
! them. in the guise of facts. And when
| the improbable is his best instrument as
at times it may be, he does we'll to use it.
if he can so WELD it that in the end it is
| cheerfully forgiven by the head for the
| good it has brought to the heart
| Why, then are we SO much more cas-
| lily interested in fiction than by fact?
We are not. Fiction that is only fic
| tion has no pleasing interest whatever.
J Nor is any such thing to be found in lit
| erature. 1t is the facts in the fiction
not mixed with it, as some boor may
| mix sand with sugar, but the facts in
! the fiction as our life is in our blood-it
| is this that holds our interest Every
| fact is interesting to every one interest
| ed in the group of facts to which it be-
| longs, and every fact of the hearts eX-
| perience is interesting to every true
| heart; so interesting that only by TAX
| ing on the drapery of art can fiction
compete with naked fact a all
The New York publishing business of
Messrs. Macmillan & Co has been In
| corporated as The Macmillan Co, with
| Mr. George Platt Brett for president.
| No changes in policy and administration
are contemplated beyond those naturally
| resulting from the gradual increase of
| the business of the firm, which has been
| giving special attention of late to its
! American publica tions. Amongst the
| good things about to be put forth bv
| this old house are the Mathematical
| Papers, read at the International Con
| greSS, held in Chicago in 1893
The more recent publications of this
| house are Handy Andy, by Lever.
Cartons Traits and Stories of the Irish
! Peasantry; Daudet's Kings in Exile
| julius Caesar and Timon of Athens. OF
| the Temple Shakespeare series, and A
I ~. -.