The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-14
rEW BooKA
nsrier reviews or u,psv,ans ana rntsFestinE
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ON@A N1N AeNN hAANt 49,
considerable number who are impatient with
the style OF George Meredith, the novelist. Pro
ciosity lie n phrase OF rather liberal meaning, and
Il has been applied in recent times to Carlyle,
Browning, Walter Pater, and Mr.. swinburnc, AZ
we'll as TO the author OF lord Ormont and His
Aminta." It seems TO mean In part n sort OF
writing that is often not comprehensive and
almost never desirable. It is 10 be presumed.
OF course. that IL carries some measure Of
qualification to the culprits who manufacture
It. 1t would DO singular. perhaps, II 1t did not,
for It relieves them OF tho strain of being CO.
herent. sane, and worth while. Sometimes IL
means that an author Is obscure, sometimes
that he is merely silly. II generally carries with
It the reproach that is supposed to be deserved
by what Is pompous, artificial, and distinguished
by whims Of form and sound rather than BY
thought. Mr.. Robertson singles out for especial
reprobation the celebrated swimming match
in Lord ormont and His Aminta." He
seems to have satisfied himself that this
is tho most Erotesquely remarkable swim.
ming episode that ever transacted itself
In tho Atlantic or any other ocean.
Surcly-he does not exactly say this. butit IN
plain enough that he means 1.-TWO such gar
| rulous simpletons as Amintn and Matoy Wey.
burn were never 30 politely treated by the dis
corning and discriminating great waters.
| What was the matter with the Atlantic Ocean
II they wcrei Where was It's notorious sense OF
humori What allied 1t In its well-known capac-
ity Of practical jokerf Why. in the face Of such
an opportunity. did not the intelligent waves
roll Aminta rapidly over and over endwise, SO
that she could not possibly talk, and why did
they not treat wcyburn to ample purRa-
lions OF salubrious and ~quietinE brinei
When Matey opened his mouth to say
an incredibly foolish thing. or Amin.
Ia said something supernaturally silly,
why werc they not whisked away by tho under
tow, or why did not some lurking sea puss
pounce upon them and carry them of in Its ruth
less clawsi 1t is really a question as TO tho
proper time and place for particular things, and
we presume there are plenty of people fairly
we'll qualified to judge who will agree with Mr..
Robertson that this form Of preciosity has no
right to declare itself in the fullest glare Of
heaven. in a panorama Of green and heaving bill
lows, whitewashed lighthouses. and mackerel
smacks careening to the strong wind. Anybody
may properly ask, and We dare say 1t will DO
found difficult to answer. how there could have
ventured to intrude itself, in the unhindered
diurnal circumstances, such a piece OF preciosity
as this:
With Q chuckle of delighted surprise. like q black
bird startled. she pushed seward for Joy of the eff.
fort, thinking she could exult In Imagination OF an
escape up to the moment Of CAPTURE. yielding then
only to his greater will; and she meant to try It. The
swim was a holiday; all was pew-nothing came to
her a. the same old thing since she took her plunge;
she had . sea mind-had left her earth mind ashore.
The swim. and Matey weyburn pursuing her, passed
up out Of happiness. through the spheres OF delirium.
into the regions where our life Is rs we would have
It be: A home holding the quiet of the heavens, II but
midway hither, and q home full OF delicious anima-
ton Of the whole frame equal to wings.
We presume that the porpoises were rolling
and darling meantime in the old conventional
and unprecious way. The lighthouses blinked
in the powerful sunlight. and the mackerel
smack people kept a calm. sane eye out for bust.
ness. Matey put after Aminta:
He drew on her. but he was distant. and she waved
an arm. The shout of her sleo sprans from her:
"Matey!" He waved; she heard his voice. Was it
her name ? He was not 60 drunken OF the sea as she;
he had not ieaped out OF bondage into buoy ant waters.
into q youth without q blot, without an aim, satisfied
in tasting; the dream OF the long felicity. A thought
brushed by her; How II he were absent2 It relaxed
her stroke OF arms and legs, Ho had doubled the salt
seas rapture. and he had shackied its gift OF freedom.
She turned to noat. gathering her knees for the funny.
oullen kick. until she heard him near. At once her
stroke was renewed vigorously; she had the foot OF
her pursuer. and she called, " Adieu, Matey wey-
burn |"
The great salt sea continued to be good to
them. 1t spared them collision with it's career
ing porpoises. 1t put up with Mr.. Meredith's
preciosity. and was not disturbed by Aminta's
funny. sullen kick. For oil we know 1t was
friendly TO preciosity. and approved Of Mr..
Meredith. The engaging pair swan along:
Her bravado deserved a swifter humiliation than
he was able TO bring down upon her; she swan brave
ly; and she was divine to see ahead as well a. TO over.
take. Darling to the close parallel. he said: what
sea nymph sang me my namer" She Smote q panE of
ecstacy into him: ASK mine ~ "Browny - They
swan; neither OF them painted; their heads were
water flowers that spoke at ease. We've run from
school; we won't go back" We've . kingdom. +"
Here's q big wave going to he q WALL ION he
rolls" Hes like the High Brent broad meadow
under Filing Wood" Don't let Miss Vincent hear
you" They're not waves; they re signs OF the
Deep
And still the sea restrained itself. and pro
ciosity had its salt water day along with the
smacks and the p~orpoises and the other estab.
lished marine phenomena. Mr.. Robertson
speaks very severely Of all this. The main
question involved, of course, is whether he or
Mr.. Meredith is right. Is preciosity ever likely
to become populari Will 1t be employed In law
and political primaries, or is it des
tined, like theosophy and whitehall. to be the
luxury OF the saving fewl viii the BARRIERS
ever address to us the language of preci
osity as they make spectaclcs Of US, and
render US fagrantly odoriferous. and invss,
us with ingenious pains. Who can tell these
thingsf At the present time Mr.. Meredith IL
not much read in the conveyances that move
people to and from the suburbs. or in the cable
cars and elevated trains; but that is not an evi
dence upon which to found positively the sup
position that Miss Laura Jean Libby has deter
mined the style OF tho future. Mr.. Robertson
thinks that Lord Ormont and His Aminta is
not destined TO a long life. We do not remember
any mention of 1t in Looking backward"
The Chevalier d'Auriac" Gongmans. Green
& Co.., which recently appeared In serial form
in THE EVENING Sun. is a book that may be rec
commended to all those who appreciate a good
, hearty, rollicking story of adventure, with lott
F. of fierce fighting and a proper proportion Of
; ~love-making of a simple, pleasant sort. Their,
are those who profess to estimate this class Of
fiction very lightly. even as many hold that tn,
: fairy tale Is for the nursery alone. but after q
protracted course of didactic, decadent, ant
problem-propounding fiction a man ma,
find much refreshment in q tale 30 sim
IL nal .at NO .lilf,ly taIa -