New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-16
CURRENT FICTION.
CHEERFUL AND MORBID THEMES.

THE BACHELORS CHRISTMAS AND OTHER
STORIES by Robert Grant. l2mo.. PIP. 33
Charlie Scribners Sons.
DILEMMAs. stor-s and Studies in Sentiment. By
Ernest powson. Emo. PIP l59. Frederick a.
Stokes Company
THE WATERS NOT. by Bran stoIer lsmo.
PIP. rs. u. Appleton & Company
TOXIN: A Story OF Venise by "Ouda" 32mo.
Do al7 Frederick \. Stokes Company.
THE PRINCESS SONIA by Julia Magruder l2mo
pp. 225. The Century Company
TIE Sewers by Henry Seton Merr!man. l2mo.
pp. -. Harper X brothers
THE HERITAGE OF THE HURTS by Bj5rnst-
jcrne njornson l2mo. PIP. 2o5 United states
The tone which pervales Mr. Grants cheerful
stories IL that Of farce. suggesting in respect to
the skfu management OF plot Frank r. Stock
ton: and In respect to the social standing OF the
actors Richard Harding Davis. II would. however.
be unjust suspect Mr.. Grant Of deliberate imi-
t2,lon OF any OF his confreres. lie has his own
style. his point OF View and pre-emnently his
own wit whfch is. by-the-way. a quality which
Mr. Davis seldom be;rays. and IN which Mr.. stock
sometimes INDUCES to the detriment OF his
work. Mr.. Grant however. steers a cautious mid
die course and contrves to be at once man OF the
world and n sentmentalst, without doing much
violence TO realism. standardization comes pcrous-
iy near destroying the charm Of THE Bachelors
Christmas" but the authors sense OF fun saves
him from the catastrophe. The Ingenious device
with which the story closes and the admirable
sketch OF the servants at the beginning are Boou
enough persuade one TO overlook the more obvious
defects. The shortcomings OF this title story are,
however. fortunately absent from the others. which
may be commended to lovers OF minor literature II.
the lighter vein. Especially conspicuous In this
group is the NTH story. THE Matrimonial Ton
tine Benefit Association" There Is wit In the struct
ure of the story well In the detail. and the
character OF this wit has nothing In common with
the caustic qualities which distinguish the thing
which passes current as such among the "modlsh'
writer's OF the day. Mr.. Grants humor is kindly.
loving pure. innocent. The spirit Of farce with
a dash of realism. is the characteristic quail
ity of his talent but occasion he rise to the
level Of tragedy. an instance of which Is to be
found in the story entitled AN Eye for Eye"
In the present volume. The manner is here. AS
elsewhere gay; but underneath there is an implied
tragedy which involves the elemental human emo
lions.
The title OF Ernest Dowsons volume "DIlemmas:
Stories and Studies in Sentiment" is fairly descrip-
tive OF the contents provided that it be understood
that the sentiment In question is consistently OF n
morbid character. The author is believe ono
OF the new men, and his point of view
CARDS fa. and certain cynical affectation to
tone. clearly mark him member of this self
conscious. sterile school The situations which he
employs to exploit his sentiment are uniformly 'r-
regular" according to the conventional idea of the
propreties In the relations of the His men
are also uniformly melancholy and uniformly I'M
happy. They for the most part Of middle
life, who spend the leisure which worldly success
has brought them in bemoanlng some adve hIre Of
their insoucIant youth. in looking back tearuly
those brave days when had common
1t IL noticeable OF the past OF these heroes
that II mainly spent in violating canon
OF orthodox morality. and in the panstaking
cumuiation OF material for pcnsive and regret
full old age How far Mr.. Dowson would have one
suppose that this is the general rule of lfo can
not say; but taking his stories literally II would
seem that. according to his theory, there Is nothing
worth sentmentalizng over except youthful in
discrctions. In justice to Mr. Dowson. however It
should be said that his method-iim!ted and false
we consider t-has produced one excellent story.
which IL the last in the present volume and Is en-
titled, THE Statute Of Limitations" The phIlos-
ophy is here. In his other studies morbid but
the exceptional conditions are justified. BY the crea-
ton OF a particularly morbid central figure The
basis of the study Is the instability OF the human
affections and emoons-the lesson taught Tor
rather the lesson taught to the morbid sensbllties
OF the hero. 10 that the heart changes with age
even as the body does. and that troth plighed In
youth is something very different from one in ma
turlty. Pursuant to this philosophy the hero, in a
morbid ecstasy, declares that the girl he once loved
in the years gore by. before he to Chill.
WAS dead Her heart how she give 1t me
She gave II years ago to the man was, the
who Is dead We who left nothing to
one another. strangers"
The only regret feel after reading Mr.. Bran
Stoker's book. THE Waters Mou." is that his
morality is not clean and bracng as the salt
spray which Gashes through the pages Of his brief
tale OF the Aberdeen coast The story does not
however. belong entirely TO the fieshly school Of nc
uon and Its unconventonaty is not concerned with