The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-30
NEW BOOKS.


States "A n preventive OF malaria" 1t is hardly
necessary 20 remark that they still seem to fear
malaria in the Southern States, and that they
are not above fearing II before breakfast
who shall adequately define style" in its
relation to literature, or lay down the princi.
piles OF that elusive art by which man plays, as
upon some delicately modulated instrument,
with words that charm the ear-or moulds the
Huid elements Of speech until they please the
eye upon tho printed pagei style" says
Prof. Walter Raleigh in an essay on the sub
3ect Edward Arnold, lis gesture. the gesture
of the mind and Of the soul" The definition is
an Ingenious one, and tho whole essay is an ex.
cellent mental tonic. stimulative to the tired
brain as 10 a drAuRht OF the salt.ladcn
breeze that blows in from the sea 10
tho lungs OF tho worker In the city.
There 10 no I ace of pedantry In its
pages and no attempt to reduce to rule and
measure that which every one must master for
himself, but there arc grace and vigor and keen
thought expressed in flexible and nervous Eng
lish: somewhat exuberant at times, but always
clear and logical and worth the attention of every
ono who aims TO learn the secret by which words
arc transmitted into live and winged things.
"Insincerity." ga ys tho author, lis the common
est vice Of style. . . . 1t taints the work Of
the young artist, caught by the romantic fever.
who glorios in the wealth Of vocabulary dis.
covered to him by the poets. ard seeks
often In vain for a thought stalwart
enough to wear that clustering armor.
Hence 1t is that the masters of style have
always had to preach restraint, self.dcnial,
austerity. His style is a mans own; yet how
hard It is to come by! II is a mans bride, to be
won by labors and agonies that bespeak a heroic
lover. II ho prove unable to endure the trial,
there are cheaper beauties. nearer home. easy
to be conquered, and faithlcss to their conqueror.
.h,- 49, rrtth ha,, ha ,,a,. - ln,.f m.
isfaction. but he will never redeem his quest"
Prof. Raleigh, while naming no names. is too
trenchant in his general criticism OF some pop.
ular favorites to please that part OF the great
public which, like Sarcissus, is namored of
itself and finds in echo its only other perfect
lover, but he 10 not, on that account. the less
readable.
As something fresh and original and quite
outside the range OF ordinary contemporary fc-
ton, we can recommend THE Story Of Aba
tale Of tho time of the cave men. by Stanley
Waterloo WAY g. Williamsl. Alb. who dweit
IN the Thames Valley at some indefinite time
between the paleolithic and tho neolithic ages.
and who was heavy-jawed and hairy and had
flexible ears, and Lightfoot, a lady who had long,
hairy arms and legs and a pretty turn OF skill in
tree climbing. are decidedly different from the
ordinary hero and heroine of romance, and. in
spite Of some crudities of style, this story
of their battles and their loves is full OF
interest and has all the charm of novelty.
They loved well. fought well. Jared sumptuously
upon roasted beechnuts and the flesh Of the
mammo and the wild horse, and altogether
seem to have got a good deal more solid salts
faction out of life than those extremely dull and
didactic persons who. according to the ingenious
Mr.. Bellamy. are to run this planet some time
in the near future. The only weak spot In the
book 10 its preface, in which the author is at
pains to tell us that he Tor she) has shown US
the cave jewellers as they were. 1t seems a pity
TO weaken SO fascinating a work Of pure imag-
ination by ans reference to matters Of fact CT
which science has so far given us no definite
knowledge.
There is something almost pathetic in the
loyalty that provides a vast public eagerly wait
ing for any form of literary product from the
kajlyard. II is doubtless in the interests Of this
public that an anonymous enthusiast has COM
piled q sort Of breviary for sentimental Scotch.
men under the titles Of THE Ian Maclaren
Year Book" and THE Ian Maclaren Calen.
dar" CDodd, Mead & Co... A slab OF sentiment,
written for the most part in the dialect of
Drumtoch'ty. Is provided for each day OF tho
year. and by procuring book and calendar and
eternly resolving to take his daily dose or die,
the average man may hope, by the end OF the
year. to be able to read one Of the reverend gen.
tleman's novels without the aid Of a dictionary.
Here are one or two chunks of wisdom taken at
random from the calendar:
June was the month in which Mrs. Macfadyen
secured her blankets.
He's q drouthy body. but he hes his feelin's, hes
Posty.
There's q MIGHTY poo'er IN . nippy tongue.
A mIcht hae been gentler.
Am the laist o. the auld schulz.
We've he'd q guide lang day.
And one final quotation, which we m
70 the notice Of the compiler:
It's an awful peety that some men dinna ken when
tae stop.
The new "Literatures of the World" series
(Appletonsl, edited by Mr.. Edmund Gosse,
opened with the brilliant study OF Ancient
Greek Literature by Mr.. Gilbert Murray which
was noticed in these columns SOM months ago.
This is now followed by Prof. Dowden's His.
tory OF French Literature" That. in the hands
of tho distinguished Shakespearcan critic and
biographer OF Shelley. such n theme Is treated
with grace of style and clarity OF thought need
scarcely be said. and tho reader who takes up
the book in search OF entertainment only will
ind 1t a delight. A more critical examination
shows 1t to be in some ways less satisfactory.
To attempt a survey Of the whole field
of French literature, from the Chan.
son do Roland to the work OF MIchclet
diiu DdiLt DtuNe, "ltulHI Inc llTlltS OF n NOlnfnC
of 400 pages, is perhaps to essay the impossible,
and in his preface Prof. Dowden practically d
mits that his work is largely a digest of previous
compilations. OF this fact, in the treatment OF
the earlier periods more especially, there is suf
hcient evidence. Chrestien de Troyes, Vilion
Rabelais, and others are summed up in the
familiar phrases of the ordinary text. book and
only when we reach the men of the seventeenth
century do we begin to get such criticism as mp
pears TO be the outcome Of knowledge at first
hand. From this point on the book steadily i'm
proves, and reaches its highest level OF excel
lence in the chapters on the literature of tn,
romantic school that bring it to its CLOSING
point about 1850. Tho rise OF naturalism anC
its developments are left untouched, for, as tn,
author says in his preface. 1.-THE literature o
recent years Is rather a subject for curren
criticism than for historical study" Veto
Hugo, George Sand, Musset. and all the grea
ones OF their day are written OF with the enthu
siasm born OF appreciation tempered with hu
NOR and common sense. Here. for exam le, is