New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-04

THE FORTUNES OF THE BUCKINGHAM
FAMILY.

THE BUCKINGHAM LETTERS. BY. Sir FredercS
Pollock and Mrs FullerMaitand. limo PIP
949. Doid. Mead 60.
1t required the publication Of these letters IN
book form to show US that the authors were not
merely amusing themselves with an epistoary
experiment. but were seeking 10 produce YER
liable work Of fiction something that might AL
most he termed a novel Much Of the machinery
Of elaborate romance IS In this book. The let
tors that pass between the supposittious Sir
Richard Buckingham and his sister have all the
RESPONSIVENESS which belongs to the most IN
formal correspondence, yet the writer's never
lose sight Of what the members OF their famhy
and their various friends are doing toward the
fulflment Of certain plans Laura, Lady Etch-
ingham the crOtchety stepmother OF Sir kich-
ard and Elizabeth Buckingham. IS a funny
widow without meaning to be. While we OBJ
serve her absurdity. also witness her court
ship and finally attend her wedding. There Is
indeed much marrying and giving in marriage
I'm this book. That IS where the buckingham
Letters resembles a novel exhibiting the grad
ual evolution Of more than one matrimonial ex-
pertinent In the end are shown that all is
for the best in the best Of all possible worlds.
and the charming spinster who writes one-haf
the letters returns 10 her brothers house to live
out a life that is obviously going to be one long
delight
After testifyng to the clever manner In which
Sir Frederick Pollock and Mrs. Fuller Maitland
have given human interest to their book. sup
plying IT with a plot and carrying II TO some
thing not unlike definite climax. we must con
fess that If they are read very long # VIII be
less for their story than for the Intelligent hu-
nor and diversified character Of their pages.
They are never too Interested in family affairs
and in personalities 10 ignore the thousand and
one matters which hH the days Of educated peo-
pie This book is full Of culture so that even
very minor topics indeed are touched off In a
manner To- make them appeal to an eXacting
reader Witness the delicately philosophical
turn OF the following comments on certain
household pets.
Cats have more roaming and miscellaneous
curiosity than dogs. dog begins 10 get
working notion Of what concerns him ana what
not almost as soon as he finds out anything
and then he proceeds to leave lot OF Things
alone cat is not satisfied until he has ac-
counted for everything in the room In othei
words the cat might say you mean that the
dog is a business man. tradesman, a pursueT
Of the main chance. and am philosopher
That is so But the cat would be sophlst' OF
else (as he is likely TO bc) incapable Of seeing
he point that the dog has attained the state OF
a sociabe animal. which very Few cats 90
though | have known Il IN some. II IS harder
10 aupreciate cats than dogs. because you want
so much more detachment; In fact you have all
the way To 90 To the cat while the dog comes
half way TO meet man. But II does hot l"ilo"
that the cat is the nohlcr animal More inter
estinE as a study in some ways. perhaps
Now. the charm Of these letters lies in the
fact that this reflective passage from Sir Rich
ard provokes his sister also TO reflection, and
spurs her. further. TO introducing little anec-
dote She tells an amusing story OF how
physician who came to examine a sick dog was
asked about horses as patients. They had no
way 10 demonstrate their gratitude. he said. as
dogs have When he was asked about cats, he
exclaimed with heat. Cats don't get any
gratitude from cats" Thus the two correspond
ents toss the ball backward and forward, grace
FULLY vivaciously, but always with a sense Of
measure. with a refined Geniality that IL ex-
tremelv captivating Even the personalities are
tactfully hit of. and the unutterable Laura,
whose traits excite both Sir Richard and Eliza
beth n scorn. is nevertheless always treated
with dignity and good nature To the lady
is naturally left the exploitation OF such senu-
mental matters spring from the relations Of
the various men and women discussed. Thus
when Miss Buckingham IS talking about Gym
thia's insistence upon herself mailing her letter
10 her lover, she observes. When all Of sud
den no member Of a household no proven friend
trusted TO post letter the letter writer is per
haps rather far gone through the faery land Of
| Romance"
Similar apt reflections are strewn all through
the book Sometimes the sentiment goes peri
| lousy near mawkisness as when Miss Itch
! inehan aludes 20 the love Of her young days
that was cruelty taken from her: but perhaps
this is not untrue 20 nature Given the special
/ individuality Of Miss Buckingham. a little
superscnsitvencss is doubtless 10 be expected
We quoted so frequently from this correspond
ence when it was appearing from month to
month In THE Cornhill Magazine" that We re
frain from copious citations now. but we may
reitorate our opinion that Sir Frederick Pollock
and Mrs Fullor-Maitland have given signal
proof that the art Of writing good letters IS not
dead They have packed their pages with the
results of wide reading, but this never depryes
them II the spontaneity indispensable to cor
rcspondence II the latter Is TO be permanently
interesting