The times., 1899-10-15
old Times tn Georcln.

THE Chronicles OF Aunt Minervy Ann"
is the latest work of Mr.. Joel Chandler
Harris, and will promptly take rank with
his Uncle Remus' in the literature of the
world. In one sense, this is the best work
Mr. Harris has ever done, for his former
books owed much OF their fascination to
the quaint genius of the old-time planta-
ton story-teller, for whom he was some
times hardly more than stenographer. IN
other words, he simply wrote down "the
tale as 1t was told to him." and except
in the creation of Uncle Remus and the
little boy as they appear in the slender
introductory paragraphs his own part in
the work was comparatively small. But
in AUNT Minervy Ann" he has risen TO
eininenee as a writer of genuine fiction.
Not only is the old negress herself ad-
mirably conceived and drawn, but all the
subordinate characters are pictured with
absolute accuracy. and grouped with un-
failing skill. The book is really novel
OF Georgia il the days Of reconstruction,
and may be called the best work of tho
kind which has yet appeared.
aunt Minervy Ann is not only type
much abused word-she is a character.
She has all of the qualities of the old
time Southern mammy-absolute loyalty,
quick sympathies. rich humor, and ten
AtENs ~ Ut aliC-pLl eHG Ids sSO
qualities peculiar TO herself, and derived
from certain conditions of ancestry and
! surroundings. She thus passes out of the
ranks of the lovable but more or less in
definite characters which have appeared in
Southern fiction as Aunt Tempy" or
Nam Linda" and appears as a living
breathing person. whom one seems to have
known in the flesh, so yiyidly has Mr.. Har-
ris pictured her words and ways. Her hus-
z
! being a person OF less force than his wife,
he makes a less distinct impression. The
people whom Aunt Minervy Ann charac-
I terizes as her white folks" are 'Marse
I Tumln Perdue" and his daughter Valen-
tine, and 10 this family is eventually add
ed "Marse Paul Conant," who becomes
Miss Yallie's' husband. "Marse Bolivar
I Blasengame," brother-in-law TO MIR. Per-
due also appears at intervals. and there
are various minor town characters. not
one Of whom is dragged in for the sake OF
a character sketch, or slighted in the por-
trayal.
Ii may be noted in passing that Major
Perdue and Paul Conant represent
respectively the Old and the New
South The former is the kind OF man
who prides himself on being "an old Yir-
ginia gentleman" and IL must be confessed
that be is not very much else. After the
war he comes home and apparently spends
most of his time looking pleasant around
the house, while Aunt Minervy Ann. with
/ the help of the money which her husband
gets from being a member of the legisla-
ture supports the family. When Major
Perdue's daughter Is 10 be married anC
needs two dollars for her trousseau the
only thing which her father seems TO bt
able to do about Il is TO go into the village
bank and ask for the loan of hundred dol
lars on his personal security. When this is
refused he commits assault and battery on
the banker. All this may be chiyalrous and
beautiful but if does not exactly fit moderr
civilization. The peculiar conditions Of th'
Old South made this type Of man possible
The self-constituted protectress Of tht
family sums him up after this manner:
Do slmp'n? What he gwine do? Fo' d.
big turmoil he done some iawin' an heap el
fAFrnin'. Lcasways my OF mistiss done de far
min, an Marse Tumlin, he done de awin'. IL
had i'm a Office here in town, en- set days he,
come in an look srter de cases what he had
Bot how anybody goin' TO do any lawin data
wzyf An 'twant only Msrse Tumiin
Dey whole passel uin. too young te
die an too Of ter win money in dem kinde
times
All the same. Major Perdue is a YER
loYable old fellow, and he and Colone
Carter, OF Gainesville. would have bee
the best Of cronies. But this is the por
trait OF Paul conant:
He returned home after the surrender. rcmaine'
there few weeks, sold couple Of horses he hs
picked Up IN the track Of sbermans army, an