The morning times., 1897-01-17
BOOKS AND THEIR MAKERS
Mrs. MoultOn'soIlazy Tours With
the Vicar and Four Others.
AMBROSE BIERCE'S TALES
An Epic Of the West-Another
Volume on Colonial Days, and
New Book on Japan.

Louise Chandler Moulton's Lazy Tours
in Spain and Elsewhere" are mostly "else-
where for, from the time when in Paris.
she makes UP her mind to a Journey TO the
land where she never owned ANYTHING but
a castle, to the morning when she stole
away from the Yorkshire cathedral with
the echo of the anthem in her ears, Mrs.
Moulton visits Rome and Florence, Paris
again, switzerland, French and German
watering places, Wiesbaden and Turnbridge
Rather an ambitious itinerary for ''lazy
tour" The laZiness OF Mrs. Moulton's
tours has beenin this, that she has not seen,
through the diligence OF guide books and
studious fore-reading, but whatever has
cast itself in her way. 1t is finding with
out search; impressions without effort
The ease and congenial personality Of her
narrative are tie especial charm Of book
which is altogether charming. Though her
inclinations and her feet may have been
halting, herimpressionablee eye and vigorous
Imagination must have been alert to seize.
retain and restore for the reader all OF
which her pleasant volume is the evidence.
The lazy tourists were five, with cou-
rier The latter, chosen for his pious face,
was suspected of being Il Sunda y-schooI Su-
perintendent off duty, and the five women
called him the Vicar of Wakefield Wheth-
er the Vicar retaliated, or delegated the
christening to Mrs. Moulton is not dis
closed, but the incogaito of the tourists is
preserved under the names of the Wise Wo-
man, the Nut Brown Maid the S weet Sing
er, Lady Anna and the pronoun OF the first
person. The translator of foreign bellies
lettres always seeks to give new readings,
and his skill in this is the measure of his
SUCCESS So is Mrs. Moulton's work a
translation of all that we have heard OF,
and much we have seen, from a new point
of view. In book of travel over such we'll
beaten paths as the highways and even by
ways of Europe, the saving grace must
come from the point of view In Lazy
Tours this point of view is perfectly orig
inal and the book has the charm of Mrs
Moulton's personality for this reason. The
book is issued by the Roberts Brothers
Those who know most of Ambrose
Berce's abilities are least able to ac-
count for thecold indifference which has met
his published writings. For several years he
has been a weli-known free lance on the
san Francisco Examiner and Mr. Hearst
took him TO New York for similar work on
the journal. He is a caustic satirist. but
his pen is true as 1t is trenchant, and his
| style has an original piquancy which coIn-
mends it TO the discriminating. Mr.. Bierce
has made excursions ont of the narrow
path of editorial criticism into the broad
field OF Imagination. one of the most inn
portant of his works OF fiction is a volume
ne Gfr Tai. Sol
diers and Civilians It's vivid realism.
daring imagination and really startling
originality scared the publishers, who must
have recognized its evident merits.
Printed privately, this volume achieved
success extremely gratifying to the conf
dent friend who gave it circulation. The
| American Publishers Corporation has re-
Gently issued a new edition, and it looks
| nov as=ff Mr.. Bierce would be recognized
| as a writer of brilliant fiction i n the way
that he desires. Ten OF the tales are
! of soldiers, the writer dya wing upon his
| own merlory of active service in the civil
| war Though vigorous and vivid in i'm =
| preston as Stephen Crane, the style OF
! Mr.. Bierce's stories is quite different, and
| herein is curiosity in how two equally
| imaginative and picturesque writer's may
arrive ut same result tiSS tlietH
| DDS. The civilian tales are uun. one Of
| them, The Man and the Snaae." $ better
| than any other story in the book. 10 brings
! to the reader a conscience OF the writer $
! power in analyzing the psychological
| Readers in quest of new sensations VIII
surely find in Mr. Bierce's stories exactly
| what they need.
BY the title, Gold Stories OF 49," an
| anonymous little volume is robbed of its
real significance. We expect some Bret
| Harte sketches or anecdotes, and find in
| stead poem celebrating the coHquerng Of
| the mighty West-''the peaceful battles Of
| the timeless god.'' This disappointment,
| however, is soon smothered in the suffus-
| ing delight begotten OF the noble strophes.
| The celebration by the muse Of the topics
of this poem is perfectly consonant with the
high ideal OF poetry. a Californian y
(, which is as definitely as the author will
name his identity, not only sings fluenty,
| but las caught the very breath and spirit
| of things and gives back the vigor and
| might OF the great performances OF the
| pioneers in noble and worthy verse. Sci
| dom dlgressng, the poem sustains the fine
quality manifest in opening lines, from
which we quote:
Now gripped by steel, the passive land
| lies prone,
Bound fast by fetters forged in fire.
Splendid the making of these bands of steel.
Where men, like gods OF old, pour molten
| Down the black night in streams of glowing
| white.
That wrthe and pulsate in the throbbing
rage
OF glorious life and strength they are to
| bear
| Colonial Days n Old New York. is the
title OF the last contribution TO the re-
naissapce of the Revolution. 1t seems
| hardly necessary to say that this book was
| written by Alice Morse Earle. Mrs. Earle
| by diigent and persistent study intelligent
| choice OF materials and the joining of a
| fine literary expression, has established
| herself as authority on the Colonial period.
The present book is not more important
in theme than ID is valuable in matter.
The author has Eaf.nered for its pages a
new harvest of l9re. yielded by old books
| old papers and old people, and to their
| adornment she has brought her distinguish
ing quality, power of reproducing the Co,
| lonial spirit. Her descriptions OF the amuse-
| inents, sports, crimes, punishments, Sab
| bath observance, the wardrobe, larder,
| wooing and wedding, farmhouSes and
| housewives, are all rarely entertaining
and withal instructive in a period which
has heretofore been closed chapter to
| American and all readers. Tae Scribners
| w n Iiril al N pxr