The age-herald., 1897-11-21

" /
 was not only able but refreshing, and gained the author quite an extended-rep-
 utation. In "The Jessamy Bride" MT.
 Moore gives us the romance of Gold
 smiths life; his tender, devoted attach nent to Mary Horneck. In it's present. ment we have the local characters and
 incidents of the time which gives that period peculiar fascination and inter est.
 pr. Johnson, Sir Joshua Reynolds, MT.
 Boswell and David Garrick are all more | or less familiar to us. Yet in this new
 work their personalities are presented
 with such force and precision that they
 S em to be more real than ever before,
 and we learn to regard them as friends. 1 The first portion of the book is devoted
 to the meetings of learned friends, of
 ten at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in 1 the Strand, or othsr equally noted hos 1 telry. The charm of conversation and flash of wit is delightful reading. The
 adoration of Boswell for his master is rointedly made manifest and many a 1 scath.ng sarcasm is turned upon his un- | conscious head. The genius of Key
 holds and Garrick is each portrayed in a
 delicate but fascina ting manner. l It is rather with the feeling of loss | that we find the author turn with great CT absorption and concentration upon the romance he is to pre1ent-the love of Oliver Goldsmith for Mary Horneck, his "Js ssamy Bride" And possibly the
 author makes a little more out, of it
 than the facts of the story would justify. Certain it is that he allows himself to | become diffuse and the latter part is a little wearisome in consequence. But
 taken as a whole it is one of the best
 conceived, best written books of recent years and it will not fail to thoroughly please the reader, however capricious his fancy.
 An interesting little account is given
 of how Goldsmith came to find the title
 for his then partially written comedy,
 She Stoops to Conquer
 Reynolds and Garrick were employing
 Miss Kaufman to sing an Italian song which she was accustomed to sing to the accompaniment of a guitar. But Miss Angelica refused.
 Pray add your entreaties to mine, SiSo I1OiHtch, Sdlu Clf JCSnua to Jne Jessamy Bride "Entreat our Angel of Art to give us the pleasure of hearing her sing" Miss Horneck rose, and mada | an elaborate curtesy before the smiling Angl- lica.
 "Oh, Madam Angel, live foreve," she cried. Will your majesty condesc nd | to let us hear your angelic voice ? You have already deigned to captivate our souls by the exercise of our art Will you now stoop to conquer our savage hears by the exercise of another?" sudden cry startled the company and at the same instant Garrick was thrown on his hands and knees on the floor by the act of Goldsmith,s springing to his feet. By the Lord, I've got it" shouted Goldsmith. ''The Jsssamy Bride has given it to me, as knew she would-the | title of my comedy-she has just said it: | She Stoops to Conquer
 
 A book that is quoted as having a tre- l mendous run in London is .'The Fascin- ation of the King" by Guy Boothby. | After reading it think I am safe in predicting that the run will be confin: d | to its native heath. We Americans, | rave over gerat many foreign authors | and their books, but it's generally orig | inality we praise, and the imitators come | in for a small share of our esteem "The | Fascination of the King" is an attempt along the line of work that has made Anthony Hope famous, and like that au- | 'thoE MT. Boothby has carried us to some impossible country where his hero
 made himself King of the Medangs." | Little toy rsbelions and revolutions
 seem to be the craze in light literature 1 just now, as in MT. Davis Soldiers of Fortune.' It gives the hero opportunl- ties for display, I guess. and so 1t pos sib1y serves comuendabls purpose. In 1 ''The Fascination of the King the latter i half of the book is taken up with the revolt of the ''Medangs.'' The book
 is readable enough, and may please the
 majority of readers; yet there is one se- l rious objection, and an unusual thing | among this class of fiction. The eli max occurs in the middle of the book. This is fancy an author can rarely af-
 ford to indulge without running grsat
 risk of losing the interest of the reader PAUL PRY.