New-York tribune., 1899-01-08

JOHN SfLEN)lD ne ! aIe OF q Ioo' t,r ~
Munro. l2rno. pp 40 Dodd, Mead & Co.
THE scoqRGE OF GOD. Rqmance pT,DS. .d Of IN. a.,
lgious Persecution. BY John Blou1aeHe-bUr
ton. Emo, pp. 81 D. Appleton & Co.
In The Changeling" Sir Walter Besant Ase
dealt With the troublesome problem OF heredity.
II the story expresses his own convictions, he
is not Of those who believe that mans char
acter is determined by his education, his sur
roundings and his circumstances. He shows
forth the creature OF the problem IN the
strait Jacket OF inheritance - pieasure-ioVing'
vain vicious vulgar and sneak because Ills
father was all that. and with his mothers
steadfastness exaggerated into mulish obstinacy.
The opening situation is presented with an easy
and natural air that does much toward dis
guIsIng its absurdity beautiful young woman
Of rank her only child die in a strange
hotel where she h.-s paused with the boy anu
his Indian nurse on her way from Scotland 10
London She is hasten'n ng to meet her elderly
husband a distinguished official. on his
journey home from India. His heart, like hers
, is set upon their child and to know that 1t Is
dead, that he has lost his heir viii be unspeak-
able grief and shock 10 him. She resolves TO
spare him. She buries her child in the city.
where nc one knows her, and by means OF a
doctor tC whom she does not even tell her
name she buys an infant who resembles her
own In age and appearance Its mother has
been deserted by her husband, strolling play
er and with only the workhouse before her,
she desperately clutches at the money winch VIII
enable her to 90 il search Of him SO comes
about the substitution, which is successfully
carried out. The shrewd young doctor assures
the lady that she train and mould her
adopted son as she pleases, that he VIII PROP
ably seem in most essentials the true son OF
his new parents But, We have said, the
hereditary instinct gets the better OF all the
training and moulding, and, while the secret
of the substitution Is prcseryed-in the end by
the self sacrifice OF the real mother-the fortu-
nate youth remains a cad The main theme Is
skiifully treated but the story as regards most
of the subsidiary characters and their senti-
mental interests is forced and weak. Alas Tor
the days Of The Chaplain Of the Fleet! Ono
can hardly believe that the same man wrote
these Two stories.
.Sure It's well known there was niver seen
In the world such beauty as that or the pow
ty-stricken sisters Cunning, those wonderful
g,rls from the Irish wiIds who first bewitched
Dublin and then went to London TO drive that
city crazy and to marry. one duke and the
| other an earl The romance in which MT r.
F. Moore celebrates their career is full OF hu-
norous and picturesque glimpses Of the society
! ~ the last century The two beauties are well
draun-so yiyidily indeed that the reader nnds
II entirely reasonable that they should be al
most mobbed Oh London streets by people hast
enine 10 view the loveliness Of which all the
town was talking Betty the younger, is sensi-
! bic and gentle and ike her; but Maria,
impetuous witty, careless, frank, LOVING ana
altogether foolish-one doesn't easily forget the
laughing sweetness Of her and the DAINTY
brogue that comes out no" and then. for
semi biogI aphical romance the story Is uh-
usually flexible and graceful, and as STUDY oI
Irish character by Irishman il has consider
! able merit. Here IL taste OF It's quaAty III
this description Of the interview OF the oeauu-
ful sisters with the Kng-tat George l or han
over Great Britain and Ireland
In the presence Of the King they carrleo
/ themselves with d dignity that never torsooh
them The scene had rehearsed by theu
several times that they went through tne
/ Court formalities though they were iaIniIIaI @
/ Hith every delicate point OF etlquet'e' ~ W no
kirg ONLY il was who made mistakes. Iney
| had something 10 be thankful for however; NE
vugarity only was made mahllest' noS 'S o,,id o,,
! barity He scrutnlled the giris as ne "Ould
have examined sheep, and the rend4 ne nc
/ made in the French Of an uneducateu uei
! man 10 Lady Caroline upon theT dpPedi Saro Gu
y RE frankly rude. He pointed with ms iore,
/ finger close 10 Maria's shoulder as ne CrilCtseu
! her as though she were being offered 10 MN
/ for sale and ne anxious TO shC" the ue"lei
! that he knew what b was about
| Maria with her usual quickness. apprehended
! the force Of what he saying, through MS
| manner Of saying il, but she was pareiy IA
! te~asfed and not at all amused. She thought
. she could manage to yawn effectively the next
time His Majesty pointed at her; but sne oI1
not get the chance. -,
He turned away suddenly, sa! -hg ie" "0'''
| 10 Lady Caroline. - .
His Majesty says he i ashamed OF you Ioi
! not sueaking either German or trench -.
aT.T NafI- 81 u
orrseives If we belonged 70 tle reigning fami-
iics ~ Germany or France" said Maria