The times., 1899-02-19


declare that the book which attained such
phenomenal popularity in England and
America Is not by any means his best
work; and II this is so, the four newly
published translations should find a place
in the library of all who enjoyed the liter
AIRY quality of the first. Nobody with any
power of discrimination can deny that the
tremendous sale of Quo Vadis' due
TO two causes; first and most important,
the fact that it dealt with the early Chi is
tiau era and was recommended as a
highly moral and instructive work. both
by the pulpit and the religious press;
ard, second, because ii was sufficiently
spicy to attract the lover of sensation. 1t
is rare indeed that one finds novel
which will be thoroughly acceptable TO the
preacher, the pTeachee and the anti
preacher alike; and Quo Vadis" filled the
requirements. In addition 10 this it had
certainly good construction and fasci
mating style; but if it had had to dep, nd
on these alone the first American edition
would be gathering dust on the top
shelves of bookshops AS ii is, the book
has now reached the stage where paper
backed editions of il are given away with
boxes of soap at the department stores.
The four later translations are with
Fire and Sword, The Deluge' tseQuel TO
| the foregoing. and in two vOlumes), Pan
| "Sielanka, Forest Picture, and other Sto-
ries." volume OF miscellaneous
sketches.
The trilogy of which Pan Michael is
the last is in reality novel in several VOL
umes, dealing with the history of Poland,
Sweden and Russia. Ii is thoroughgoing
historical narrative, wrought out with the
care and accuracy OF which the Polish nov
! elist is master. The canvas is crowded
/ Mith nf -rp
and imposing, some wild and erratic, some
] simple and honest: the novel is as full of
! types as one of Dickens works. The fash
| ion among noyelists of late has tended
rather toward the simplifying OF plots; au-
| thors have been content TO sketch one
I character, or two or three at most, subor-
dinating all the others and the plot as well
( TO the development of character in the
| principal figures. Sienkiewicsz adheres
rather to the custom of the older novelists,
| introducing many personages and con-
structing a plot more or less involved.
The treatment of his subject is so charac-
terstic of the literature of his race that
perhaps one should be particularly inter
ested in Poland or In historical novels as
class, in order fully to appreciate it.
One thing is certain, that those who read
the first of the series and enjoy it will not
be satisfied till they have read all the 9TH
ers.
In dealing with the characters and
scenes portrayed in these novels. Sienkie
wicsz is on ground which he knows taor-
oughly, and describing sentiments with
which he is fully in sympathy. There are
! few nations SO imbued with patriotic feel
| ing as the Polish people; and the author
| in describing the events of their history
throws himself into the work as he could
not in chronicling the happenings of an
| cient Rome. To the student of literature,
| the present series will prove by far the
more fascinating. The author who can
write better of far-off events and people
| than he can of the place where his life
| has been spent, and over whom heredity
| and tradition have no influence, is about
as rare as a white blackbird. OF course,
| in the writing of sensational stories of ad
venture, this rule does not hold true, be-
cause wild romance of savage tribes
| cannot very well have its scene laid in
| the English Midlands or the State of Con-
| necticut. But any novel with a psyche
logical interest is absolutely subject TO
| this law of thought. There are number
less sympathetic touches in this Polish
/ trilogy which were wanting in QUO
| Vadis."
The volume of sketches which accompa-
nies the more ambitious books will be
considerably amusing to American readers
| for the reason that ii contains several sto-
ries OF American life 1t cannot be said
that these tales are in any sense high art,
but they are unconsciously funny, II is
always interesting to look at ourselves
| through the eyes of others, and TO see
what they consider most interesting in our
character or history. SienkiewicsZ, like
some OF the French and English writer's
who have encountered us in fiction, seems
to find a mine of unexplored romance
| ready for him In our western plains, and
the longest and most pretentlous of the
| stories ACROSS the Plains" deals ostensi-
bly, with the days of 40 It Is safe to say
that this story would mako an old plains
man grin broadly II he chanced TO see It.
The tale is supposed TO be told by an old
pioneer. a Pole, known to emigrant life as
| Big Ralph. The heroine is one Lillian
Morris, daughter of judge of the supreme
court in Boston @; the judge, having
lost his property, goes TO California TO
work in the gold mines. catches the fever,
and writes a farewell letter to his daugh-
ter. She Immediately resolves to go to
him and comfort his dying moments. CAT
that time II took many weeks TO get q
letter from California TO Boston, and sew
eral months to go by caravan across the
continent, so that Miss Lillian must have
expected her fathers fever TO be somewhat
lingering) She joas the emigrant train
Of which Big Ralph is the captain and is
taken under the protection of two women
called Aunt Atkins and Aunt Grosvenor
(rather an aristocratic name, by the way)
who Immediately proceed to sing the
praises of Big Ralph, dwelling especially
on the fact that he was of noble birth. >
That last item is one which would natur-
ally fill the minds of emigrant women in
the Argonaut days. The train is decidedly
mixed in its character, among the travel
ers being several negroes, some half breed
I nd Hipbllnipvu
which they play on festive occasions. II
due time Ralph and Lillian are married
and It is explained that in "the States
all that is necessary TO a marriage is fol
the contracting parties TO stand up befor,
/ witnesses and declare their intention tC
take one another as husband and wife
This is a piece OF legal knowledge which
will surprise most Americans.
The author has evidently been at SOM
pains to get his local color right, and il
some of his scenes he has put In a grea
deal of it with remarkable accuracy; bu
the way in which he mixes customs ex
. isting in different parts OF the country
. while inevitable in a foreigner. is comi
cal IN effect These stories prove effec
\ lively enough that man must know tn
j life OF a country very thoroughly before h
e attempts TO write book of fiction dealin
with that land. He may write travels an
: histories, if he likes, but fiction, never
Herr Sienkiewicsz could no doubt write
/ very entertaining series of articles abou
, 1.-THE States" for some European newspa
per- and every word Of 1t would be true
he might even publish a brief history G
the early days of California; but when h
n attempts to reproduce those wild, romanti
e scenes in n work OF fiction he makes him
self laughable. tBoston: Little, Brown
y Co $3.50 TO s2.O0.)
g Psychological Novel.
y "Windyhaugh" is new novel by Grahar