Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-10
Criticr niner.

IL you viii permit me 70 return 10
The subject, ! should Ike to disciaim any
intention to intimate. as you seemed 10
charge, in the Dispatch OF April --h, that
n reviewer should be Influenced in form
ug his opinion Of a book ny IT'S oulslAe
aupearancei ! meant nothing Of inc
sort. What / intended 90 convey was
that the character and reputation or 'hs
publishers should have some WelS1l lH
matter Of the kind. II firm ol pup
fishers has an established reputation Tor
Intelligent discrimination in i,s IuDLca-
ti0ns. the reviewer Of them snol-d dP-
preach his task with distinct bidS III
their favor: but, Of course, ms ultimate
orinion should be based soely on me
merits Of the books thems elves; and ll'
as ,n the case Of the book referred ID
."Tne Damnati3n Of Theron Ware.)' tne
author likewise has an established repu-
tlr,on for putting forth good work. mat
bias should be all the stronger ana the
reviewer should be very sure that ne
Aas thoroughly examined ana cousiueiei
HE work before he decides 90 condemn IT,
II would seem that this should DE so
i'm the case Of any book. and so IL W1u4u
be but for two ttings-nameiy. the pIeFa-
lent practice Of many EDITORS or eil'i 10
ing reviews 20 incompetent parues an
the toO-frcquent practice OF le'il 80
both c0mretent and incompetent OF ~
,iev,tr,, hooks without reading them. j.
is no slight matter 10 condemn pooN
MINISTRY. Authors. as rule, are Il
thin-st.rne set OF people, ana "ouhn
of this sort IS sometimes idth one d9
in the case Of poor Keats. MoreoN-I' -
much thought and labor so 10 l'g
making of even q bad book, that IL sI'uII
not be lightly considered or olsin'sse1
with a word. Nowhere else snoulu 'Iie
Golden Rule be more practlced tnah iu
the business or diversion OF Ie'lg"l"s
hooks though. Of course, / aAoliI no.
o5yise a reviewer 90 Doe dishonest or 10
damn with faint praise BE JUST anu
Give The DOOR devil OK an author a far
chance. ,.-.,t.
Now. I'm the case of Afr. Frederic Dook
the immersion made ou my MIND ~ l"-
review of BE- was that tla reviewer H-t
not read g., but had merely s".''ll' ...e
thr0ueh IL; and as i am acquainted Win
the quality of STR. IIedcricS "oih'
tbourbt an Injustice nal been done hlu'
Since. however. / am cons'itlhtl 10 or.
| cent your statement that the i'F.e"tI "''
read the book, / must dismiss thAl SUP
! nosition Tho matter, then, becomes one
merely Of opin.0n-oi literary J-Hhil','l''
Your reviewers opinion. AFTER I''I'"7
| the book. was derosatory; mine, pdaeu 10"
-rov,logge of the author d-d Ills pdo-
fishers O.hOm 7 pardon the gioiy, bau.y
Chap-Bool0, questioned your ieF'e"1 Do
| I have since seen the last NUMBER OF l'g
New York Critic, which is ackn2Wiels''
g., -ry. mo- SUPERIOR among the literary
journals OF Amrr.ca, and perhaps or E'-
for. also. and from 10. IL you VIII a'l'" "'e
| wil ciyc sou two opinions on ri- 49,
ur4er notice. one from the Critics own
I +.
| Iorc-rathcr a good deal or NaluhD'e
mace 10 waste ON such poor perform
| ance. isn't it?-and one from the Ctllll
regular London correspondent. Who Is
/ DISTINGUISHED man Of letters, ana whose
reference ID the book at the same uihe
| the Critic reviewed 10 was merely CO."
/ clIeutal, OF course. says the cruz '.
] viewer. eve are prepared hy this age
/ cressive and sOnOrous title for sone1hli7
! guite other than milk ana water l''
! -1mctllug strenuous and maslefiu@ 'Aa.
! shall carry us away by the sFens'n %
| It's rushing current Or perhaps tn'7
! an aftertAousat, read into the oooN p
name as we finish its pages and Deslh
| 10 write about them. In any case I'M
is what we have here-a tremendola-,
! impressive study, positively painful ia us
intensity. OF the development OF a ma
| man soul. 1t is not great SOUL lar
! from &c; but it is 50 human ana SO A.'p-
! less AGAINST the great forces WA.-A lay
| hold OF il that our pity Is all the more
| natural for that
THE story has so clear and consistent
an outline in It's cOmpleteness tnat lh,4e
| is a temptation to tell IL again mere D''
/ tlat would be 10 spoil the BOOK for ne
reader. who must follow step 10y ST
through the surprises, which turn our
after an 10 have been but logical ana
! inevitable developments" u, DO
| his contrast between the TWO rels.oH7
| protestant and Catholic. one is tempted
/ I'd think that he has been ulhe uAt-i
| bv attrbuung TO his Methodist3 quaAue7
which are merely narrow and provincial
a little rejection vii! justify him bs
| reminding US that, IN the absence OF /"
! practical and living re1Azauoh Oh tA'
! communion Of saints, and lu the nesat-o"
OF a headship across the seas, the essen
/ ual nature OF their faita makes Tor tie
| very provincialsm which seems al ifst
but a thoughtless and accidental DRIFT or
/ The authors imagination w e
/ have only mentioned a particular point o.
show that what Mr. Frederic has TO say
! on matters touching theo.osy is nearly
always reasoned and grounded as We
have said, In both observation and
! thought.
=
| that the book Is by no means a religious
| or controversial novel. IL is, in the Ian
/ euago OF the day. a human document
l the story Of little eartlenWare pot Wnlcn
! goes 10 swim gayly among stronger YES
| sells, and is broken by the way
] MI Frederic has given Us a book which
| combines unusual strength IN the con-
/ ceptiOn with a clear, smooth, straight
| forward style in the telling, ana mat IS
a good deal for which 70 be grateful"
says the London correspondent. 1t Is
| a long time, / fancy. since any novel has
! achieved success among so many classes
| of readers as Mr. Harold Frcdafic's II
| Illumination, published in America, l be
! lleye. under the title Of The Damnatlon or
/ Theron Ware II Is not unusual for
| story TO hit the general public hip and
| thigh selling by its tens OF thousands
| and every now and then We get success
/ of esteem-a finished little materpiece,
which only the critics can appreciate.
| But Alr. Frederic seems 10 have caught
| both critic and public In a single throw
| OF his net, and illumination Is one OF
! the books Of the year. Yesterday ! had
/ the advantage Of seeing 2 letter 10 the
| publisher Of ar. Frederic's book from
| Mrs. Drew, In which that lady expressed
! Mr.. Gladstones admiration for the novel
/ She said that IL had been quite plea
sure 10 her 10 see LeF tatheF 50 HuSi
| engrossed In IL; and that, when be was
| forced TO put IL down, he returned 70 II
at the nrst opportunity. reading nothing
| else until he had finished 1t from cover
| 10 cover | don't know whether 'lllumina-
| ton Is TO prove the great American novel
| OF which the Critic occasionally propne-
| sizes; but / am sure that IL Will come
very near TO IL. For II IS a very fine
piees OF work indeed: and. we're it not Tor