New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-09
CURRENT FICTION.
MR. JAMES LANE ALIENS RETURN TO
AN OLD HERO.

Duodecimo PIP 1851. The Macmillan Company.
THE IT. Hsa, BY Jenmis Tr'Ne
THE JEssAMY BRIDE. By F. Frankfort Moore
octave PIP. AZ. cbicago H. s. Stone 4 60.
THE IMPUDENT COMEDIAN AND oTHE IS7.
Nv + Frankfort Moore. Octave. PIP. "a. Ch-
cago: II. S. Stone Co.
THE MAKER OF MOONS s;r, BY r. s w. Chambers
MANY xii 49, So0 GSar fy s seriSnars Sons
GASCOIGNES GHOST By G.. b. Burgin' octave
PIP. PIG Harper Brothers.
THE GREAT K AND A. TRAIN ROBBERY ny
Paul Leicester Ford. i6mo, PIP. vhi' 2U Donu
Mead & Co. ~
THAT AFFAIR NEXT DOOR, BY Anna Kath-
arine Green (Mrs. Charles Rohlfs). l6mo' PIP. w.
3s9 G. =. Putnams Sons.
In n prefatory note to his latest novel Mr. James
Lane Allen states that some of the material IN the
hook was drawn from an earlier story of his called
John Gray" To quarrel with titles may seer"
captious but in this case there Is legitimate reaSo"
for wishing that Mr.. Allen had retained the name
no first chose to put upon his title-page Read as
1.-The Choir Invisible this book is dlsappoih'i"s,
that is to say the spiritual side OF things indca'eu
by the words is but imperfectly developed i'c""
az John Gray the story instantly seems 10 nave
a reason for being 1t Is, after all. nothing more nor
less than a love tale and John Gray IS the centre
of all that goes No one else seriously COUNTS
Miss Amy Falconer begins as a character anu thc"
trails off into a pretty wrath. Mrs faIcohe', "''
aunt plays an important part In the career or John
COLO che f. not so impressive, and Mr. Allen leaves
us with a sense Of dissatisfaction. He should nave
made her tangible. II would not nave h''t
her spirituality. but would on the contrary nave
heightened its effect. Patrician as she was we leei
that to have lived she did in the Kentucky Of the
wear 1875 she must have been also woman. MT
Allen leaves her a beautiful lay figure. Finally
the political elements in the story OF which great
things are expected the pages are turned end by
sinking into sheer insignifcance The truth Is
that Mr. Allen had ali along good love story 10
tell and he has almost ruined 1t By msdrected
ambition. A background is background; 1t can
not be evolved anything else. and in trying to
make much Of and episodes when were
necessarily subordinate to the growth OF John
Grays emotional nature and to the essential crises
In his life our novelist has scattered his enects
On the other hand, he could not wholly invalidate
them for he had too good theme to begin with
John Gray is an original character and strong
one his adventures set forth with much subtle
sympathy and though unconsciously TO atone
for all his shortcomings. Mr. Allen mas written his
narrative in smooth, attractive English. IL Is
a well written II not a well constructed. novel IL
would be interesting TO Mr.. Allen drop mem
physics and complicated ambitions and produce
simple straightforward love tale. This book shows
that he could do it.
one Is tempted TO believe In some of Miss brakes
Metropolitans for in the New-York sense of the
term they have style" Jenkins, to be sure, Is
more conveniently absurd than the Jenkinses OF
! actual life would care to be, and Miss Lavendar
expounds her vacuity OF mind with thorough
ness which 1t is difficult associate with the prin-
cipal of "A Fashionable School for Young Ladies'
But these after all, but minor characters.
The hero. Rexford. is capital fellow. as well be-
haved among men as among women ana MISS
Katharine. the heroine. Is really a charming girl
OF an excellent wit. From her lively and affection
ate raery OF her father to Penrose's clever char
| Of woman's unaDDrecIatiOn or Wlne
Miss Drake shows considerable range. not only CT
/ sympathy, but OF humor. When her humor Is
divorced from sympathy however. 1t leads her 100
often into mere caricature This sort OF hufnor
Miss Drake should reserve for those hours when
she scrutinzes her own plots. 1t would quickly
show her that young amateur about town ana
n nremiere danseuse are not the stuff of which
Arctic heroes be made.
The charm which Mary Horneck. the "Jessamy
Bride" will always have for readers of Goldsmith
| Is enhanced by the comparative reticence OF his
tory regarding her. The character OF her TREND
ship for the poet has never been clearly dehhed;
IL Is doubtful II between natures so fitted 10 ap-
| preciate and respond to another's manifesto
I tions OF tact any such explicit definition or an
alyss would even be thought Of; 1t would certainly
no unnecessary In making these relations the
basis of a story Mr.. Moore necessarily vulgarizes
Them His genuine admiration for the TWO friends
| though IL has something ingratiatng In 1t, Is not
| substitute Tor the reserve OF HlStoty
The most interesting complications of his plot turn
| upon n supposed imprudence OF Mary Hornecks
| which though very far from being damnatory Is
not at all hatterng. To dlsrespecters of persons,
! however Mr. Moores "Jessamy Bride would be
| readable were it not for his men OF wit They. 1t
must be confessed, prove often dull fellows IL Is
not easy to fill the role of Garrick. and 1t takes
more than big words and balanced clauses to re-
| produce any semblance of Dr. Johnson. Inc Voiume
| n, short stories which the same author publishes
| under the title Of THE Impudent Comedian and
| Others plays with history in much cieVerer
| fashion Its plots brisk with action ana admirably
| simple are quite plausible enough 10 "hiie away
odd hours. and the celebrated actresses whom ne
takes for his herones sparkle with feminine live-
| ness OF mind.
In breathless tricks of the fancy 1t would not be
| oasv 10 surpass Mr.. Chambers's Maker or
| Moons Through $40 pages the author leads the
| reader n bewilderng game of follow your leader"
| There is some wit in his stories and much amman
spirits but II Is the ingenuity ana dash with whch
| he always lodges the expected that makes MS
| action Individual There is nothing in him of the
gravity with which Mr.. Stockton processes to take
| his richest absurdtes; in its place there Is only
| boyish heedlessness. Maidens from the moon. and
| others from Heaven knows where. sacred ipises
| struggling In the embraces OF English Wallets the
| souls of grandams happy nhabltins cat-these
| ore some OF his most distinctive characters 10
make thoroughly dlverting reading. however. Mr..
Cha nbers should have avoided three thinBs-senti-
| mente questions OF morality and melodrama' Al
nresent his sentiment is coying. his ethics are oc-
casionaly AN affront to good taste. and his melo-
| drama Is an accumulation OF the crudest sort OF
horrors What Is most possible In his plots Is least
| plausible 1t Is only when he Is wei OUT OF the
| r.alm of human experience that he Is thoroughly
! at home.
The preface which Mr. SWIFT mas put 10 the sec
nd adition NJ his Nancy Noon goes far to dsarm
| or,icism hut he is frank In recognizing the blum
ders of what appears to be his first essay IN hcton
| and he IL pleasantly compliment over the success
which with all it's blunders, has attended his under