New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-16

figure in this DOCK IS not quite SO tuid 40 '"c
speech of Brer Rabbit or Brer Tarrypin' and
there will Turk in the mind Of any one VINO mas
known the latter Of ole horrid fear that per-
haps Mr. Harris is trying to make two blades OF
grass grow where there was only one before
and where only one was meant 10 grow. 10 uroP
our figures it must be confessed that The Story
Of Aaron is the whole. forced. Inc author
should be content with his masterpiece AMI
mails are capricious. They yielded up their Sc
crets once to Mr. Harris but they seem disposed
now to nirt their tails mischievously in his face
and leave him TO invent substitutes for the
truths they used to gladly tell him.
PERHAPS the most satisfactory of all the ami
NAL stories in the present collection Of books is
The Were Wolf" by Clemence Housman 1t IL
brief but IL is the stronger for its breVlty IL IL
romantic and the more fascinating for It's ro-
nance The wolf in il is superb but the youths
! who mlngle with her in the strange and heroic
happenings Of the little drama are equally I'M
pressive Altogether this Is a thrilling FANTASIA
trimming over with the spell Of faery. but not
hurt in It's mysterious character by the human
motive which runs through the picturesque
pages 1t we'll worth printing by itself ana
the illustrations are in the precise spirit OF the
text Tragic it is in It's conclusion, IT VIII DE
read with enthusiasm by the lover OF legend VINO
glances at it's first few pages To begin II IS 10
remain absorbed to the end Mr. Langs AM
NAL story Book is a cOmpendous little treasu-
~ and therefore intended for more discursive
| reading 1t assemblies a large number OF quaint
stories some of them with flavor of legend
! about them but most OF the others wearing thal
air Of verismtude to WI ich the student OF ami
| NAL intelligence has long grown accustomed III
the literature OF his favorlte heroes. Mr. Lang
hat he
more less" If they are not true they ought
, to be and we are quite certain that no reader
| with a reputa ion for wisdom to lose VIII ques-
ton a single one Of the anecdotes. no matter now
| tall they may be- Your true animal story can
never be extraordinary enough to please your
true connoisseur. Mr.. Lang gratihes such
specialists in the highest degree and 1t may be
observed, furthermore. that the pictures by Mr..
Ford are exactly what they ought to be. true
| immensely picturesque and dvertng.
| Mr. Frost's book. The Court Of King Ar
| thur" Is dedicated to none OF the personages
| who provide the substance OF the books thus
| far traversed but we lose nothing OF romance
| In passing from the Roumanian fairies and Mr.
| Langs animals to his knights and ladies' Inc
| equivalent he gives us for the shimmerinS'
leafy delight OF Mallory. for the ringing. gilt
teIing pageant Of Tennyson, is intended to bring
|
home to the ,oung readers of to-day in simpler
terms. and more matter OF unafected ad-
| venture than OF epicurcan hours in the high
| courts Of literature. 1t needs all experienced
| mind to breathe to the full all those wander
Ing airs OF Mallory and his great modern FOL
| lower which make the deeds Of Arthur and his
| knights immortal in their books. But Mr. Frost
has tudiciously provided his less exacting audi
| ence with a straightforward tale. Through di-
rect. vigorous handling OF his narrative he gives
each incident its full effect and leaves always an
impression of just the concise. definite sort
which is needed among readers who would find
it easy to go astray In the byways OF the
legend The development OF the latter is traced
with an eye on its topography in modern Brit
ain. and, while this introduces an element of
! latter.day railway experience. with sundry
/ other elements Of inharmonious character. into
the scheme 1t is accomplished deity, and leaves
| the essential drift Of the volume romantic and
| Arthurian. This is not a guidebook yet II Will
| appeal to travellers who have an interest in lis
theme. 1t will inspire in the juvenile reader a
| desire to see for himself the scenes To which 1t
refers and in older hands it will prove sourc,
Of useful suggestion upon occasions when the
| more systematic handbook is too-systemat!c.
In the Household Stories from the Collec-
| ton of the Brothers Grimm We return TO that
| enhancing ground upon which there is nothing
to be found for which either history or the poets
| give any warrant, but upon which everything
| that happens Is purely imaginary and purely IT.
resistible. Here again we encounter that art
less loneliness which is Of the essence Of fairy
| literature. There Is wisdom. Of course. the lit
tie hint Of a moral. the little touch Of admoni-
| tion but all about Is to know that
they lived long and happily The stories in
| ho., cd nd he
pictures are admirable We must repeat this
Judgment in touching upon "Q.'s" little group
of nine or ten fairy tales from various sources
French Irish and Polish. He has chosen some
bewitching examples. and his artistic colleague
Mr. Mar, has put particularly clever
black and-white work into the Illustrations.
The presence Of good drawings In book Of
fairy tales is. indeed, something upon which to
dwell with considerable emphasis. No help Is
ever desired in the elucidation Of literature
whose whole magic resides In its refusal to be
elucidated but an artistic fairy picture is in
variably inspiring. 1t provides one more turn
Of the kaleidoscope: 1t may be unrelated TO the
text but 1t will be treasure just the same
In the whimsical book for example. called ITO
Tell the King the Sky Is Failing Down. the
text Is rich enough in the raptures Of topsy
turyeydom but the pictures even richer,
and Miss Woodward who drew them. deserves
as much praise as the author. Miss Braine Be-
tween them they have made most engaging
little book A similar instance OF perfect CO.
operation is provided by the "Wymps" Of Miss
Evelyn Sharp. with its pictures in color by Mrs
Percy Dearner. The stories in this are all OF
charming quaintness and the illustrations I'M
errngly strike the same note.
Mrs Bells Fairy Tale Plays Is volume
which. in spite Of its careful arrangement may
prove rather heavy in Juvenile hands. But for
children In their teens who have qulckness and
patience the directions here given for the rep
resentation Of RED Riding Hood or "Cnder-