The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-13
John Oliver Hobbies .

Four series of varying length are
bound up together under the title THE
Tales OF John Oliver Hobbies" 1t may
be Iukewarm praise. but 1t is just, to say,
that for those who like them they are all
right They are Of the sort of fiction
which requires a particular variety Of
palate for its proper appreciation The
first, Some Emotions and a Moral is
a fair sample Of the four. 1t is clever
and Sc are some Of the people in it. The
most that can be said of them is that
they are clever. they are not especially
good. or happy, or interesting. They
breathe out the notwithstanding
WEAKNESS OF all things which seems to
be affecting many people. The hero says.
pacing the floor in half-concealed irrita
ton:
I should moi want il. ] cannot be happy
merely because ! am not unhappy. 1t is this un-
ending eyeuncss, this everlasting dizziness, which
overUhelms me. If may have nothing better.
give me seven devils; one could not be dull with
seven devils!
This interesting chap proceeds TO fall
in love with girl who is a thorough
coquette, and takes his experience as
solemnly as if 1t were the one new
thing in the universe. OF course II is
not, but the reader is led TO suppose it
is Another idea spread out in CONVEX
sation, although there is a suspicion
that the author is laughing at this is
the notion which seems to prevail in
certain circles with regard to the value
Of money. People with less than two
thousand year are regarded as on the
verge of starvation, and anything-eYen
mercenary marriage on the part Of
man or Woman-is to be resorted to in
order to escape such fate. One won
ders If the author of the book really eX-
poets to find her readers entirely among
the class to whom such ideas viii seem
the most natural thing in the world.
That class must be larger in London
than it is here. if that Is the case
The Sinners Comedy" a tale of Bo-
hemian studies and Drosaic drawing
rooms. is somewhat more dramatic ana
vivid in its situations, and the heroine,
Anna Christian, is Il live woman, with a
heart and a soul 10 do. TO dare and to
suffer Most Of the daring and the
suffering are for objects perfectly I'M
worthy. but the woman is real, all the
| same. and there IS a grim, satiric hu-
NOR about the thing which justifes the
| title Of comedy. The epigram at the
end is one Of the auhor's best. 1t is:
If the gods have no sense Of humor they must
! weep = great deal.
There are some more epigrams in "a
| Study in Temptations" indeed this tale
! IS fairly bristling with them. There is q
lady OF title in it, who Is addicted TO .'di-
yiding the human race into dcars, poor
! dears and persons" Another sententious
| utterance is Death I'm Frotesque circum-
stances is none the less death, and the
martyr to fools cause IS still mar
! tyr Still another nicely-framed sen
/ tence is as follows" To do things decent
! ly and in order is the very rhythm of eX-
/ isteuce."
| The last tale in the book is called by tn,
| fascinating name Of "A Bundle Of Life
! The character drawing with which thi:
/ begins is extremely good in its way, anC
| its way is as follows:
! Sir Sydney Warcop was a gentleman who hat
been born with many good and perfect gifts, bu
| hc had pawned them 10 his adversary for a fey
! casks Of brandy and 4 little soda Ia his earl
| manhood he had been considered a handsome
daslling young buck Of the old school three
bottle hero, sad dog, an irresistible rake-a good
| hearted devn. Now he was reformed, and rel
| ounation had meant in his case, as IN that {
| many the substitution OF many disagrecIblc VII
tues for few atoning sins. Once overgener0us
he was frugal; once fearless, he was now dis
Greet; once too loving, nc was now Indifferent
once a zealot, he was now uEpFeIudlced; ono
candid he was now abysmal-iR phrase, lac wa
the embodiment OF gentlemanly correctness, wei
bred honor, and polite religion.
The tale OF the two children, one o
whom was always good and forgiving
picking plums out of her cake becaus
they were bad FOR her, ana giving Their
To her companion, which act of self-saC
rilicc was rendered less amazing by IN
fact that the generous one did not Xix
plums-the story Of the meeting of thes
| children, grown TO mature years, and tn
| recurrence of that little old story in tn
memory of one, and the patronizing att
tude OF the other. are also fine touches /
this bundle of Life" The sister VIII
in childhood was good and forgiving, 70
lows up the plum episode by II
forming the erring Blanche "A
for you, l can make no excus
on the ground of your age, for