The times., 1899-12-10

J" The Book chat rlTs into Snrl OF Dialect
ou ag thrd Page and never gets out
o. Tie Book Iat tells an about Society and
l.v Tough II Is Even the Women drink
Fagoy and Soda. smoke Cigarettes. and Gam
DIE. The clever Nan Of the World. who says all
t1e Killing Things i, almost funny as Ally
Sapa An irritable Person. after reading nine
Chapters of this Kind ot High Life would he
ready 20 20 Home and throw his Grandmother
lHta The Fire.
And SO Oh. Chicago and New York:
Herbert s. Stone & Co. S1.00).
Western Artist.
Not very many years ago the work Of
Peter Newell was not known to he general
public Then he began to draw for the
magazines, accompanying his pictures with
sIaall rhymed couplets This art and poe
try have now been gathered into book Of
moderate size, entitled Peter NewalIs
Pictures and Rhymes, and it is one Of the
very best of the Christmas pic,ure- books.
Adults may enjoy it more THAI children.
but il is rather difficult 10 tell for which
class the work was originally intended.
There is an Introduction by John Kendrick
baugs in which we are irforIaed that Mr.
Newell is thirty-seven years old, was born
in Illinois. did his first drawing on barn
doors (which he also painted, caricatured
his teachers in the callow days Of youth,
and is now a prosperous artist and super.
ir1endent Of a Sunday school.
The pictures and rhymes of which he IS
the creator show up" much better in his
collection than they did separately as they
appeared in the magazines. They set each
other off. and there is no art Of a different
sort TO Jar upon them. OF the merit Of
this work there may possibly be two opin-
r. fs. Cf Il la. z-Fj "a
one must either like or dislike. Some peo-
pie viii be unable TO see anything funny
in it at all Just rs there are persons who
can find no amusement in Alice in Won
deTland They are pure nonsense, like
Lewis CarTolls S classic, and all prim and
precise educators are warned not TO pur-
chase Mr.. Nswell's works for school Ii
braTies. To those who enjoy Il, on the
other hand, the whole thing Will seem The
most delicious and extravagaut fColing.
AT any rate. there can be no doubt that
the book viii afford mental relaxation 1t
would be impossible to enjoy il with one S
mind in any unrelaXed condition.
Unlike many comic pictures these are
IN carefully shaded tones. ranging from
black to pure white with a background OF
clCuded grey. This doubtless contributes
to the mysterious effect which they pre-
luce al first sight Anyone who siances
through MIR. NeWell's book hurTedly may
be unable to say off-hand, in discussing
IT, hat the pictures We're not in aolors
There are vivid and unmistakable color
suggestions in nearly all of them. conveyed
by the 81 PIE means OF black and whits
cunniHgiy used. One knows precisely what
the coloring of every picture would be il
Air. Newell had used paints Instead OF
plain black ink to express his conception
One can see the shade Of green in tine
grass. Inc precise color of the little girls
hair-whethcr pale yellow auburn, or hay
cCloTed-and one knows insiinctively that
a certain patchwork quilt in one of tbs
pictures is composed of red and light yell
low squares and that one childs gown Ia.
red spots in IT, and anOther's pink or blue
1t is all arranged by Mr. Newells clever
/ suggestions. A child could take that
book and make of il a picture book in
colors, by simply following the main
scheme OF the work.
The drawings are absolutely original in
conception and perfect in th, working out
! for the most part. There ale some OF
/ them which are better than other some but
/ very few which could be called faulty. They
grow on the observer. The drawing is 50
! perfect that ones eye is not Wearied in
/ time by defects not perceived at frs
glance. There are not many Of he Christ
mas gift books of the season which are
/ likely TO be a delight half century hence
/ but if Mr. Newell's pictures aui rhymes
are not all read to pieces by the families
! which possess copies of this collection, they
will be among the lucky survivors. Now
/ and then they hit upon some absurd trail
in human nature; more often the absuTdjtJ
! is like the Germans camel evolved out o
! the inner consciousness Of its creator
/ There is the picture of the little lamb cut
! ting horns, in the arms of its desperate
parent who declares tEat this operation is
/ ruch worse than cutting teeth. There are
( fine points ianumerable in this picture
/ il is one OF the most characteristic. Wt
/ have the attitude Of the parent, as he
I PAGES up and down, in nervous anxiety anC
/ suppressed wrath. One feels that il he be
/ longed 70 more savage family Of beast.
! he would wreak vengeance upon his off
/ spring. The open mouth Of the lamb sug
gests an irritating bleat, long continued
! the shadows show Enthusiastically that tn
J light in the room is dim and there is
| sinister significance in a two-quart jug OF
the wash-stand, labeled "Paregoric." Bu
| il must be seen TO be appreciated
The animals. whether chief actors or ac
cessories in the pictures, are as full of IN
/ diyiduality as the people. We find the ba
| who has been caught out in a storm, an'
sought the umbrella man 10 have himsel
mouse -colored face is as full Of expression
| as the patient umbrella members back, ant
] that is saving a great deal. If Mr.. Newell
! draws only a bumbIebee in a corner of hi
sketch he makes that bees profile expires
| sive.
As 10 the couplets, the best idea of then
| may be given by quoting few, which
! happily can be done more easily than de
| scribing the Illustrations. The worst faul
which anyone has TO find with thes
! rhymes will probably be that they have al
| annoying power of sticking in ones mem
| ory. Some OF them are as bad as the ia
nous pink trip slip" rhyme Of Mari
Twain which caused so many innocen
people to anathomatze their friends Fo
/ example:
Defiance met sallie on the bridge, and kissed he
| uu the spot.
Tile brookIct murmrcd down below but sali
muFmured not.
And this:
"Of What are You afraid my child!" enqnircd th
"ob. siri the flowers they are Wild rcplic
tile linid creature.
This kind of couplet is like the Ney
/ England primer rhymes, or Mother Goose
! or any other nouseusical and irritating bi
| Of verse which there is no earthly need O
| remembering but which goes singing itsel
over and over in your brain to the exclusiO
Of the matching OF thar piece of silk or tn
| buying Of tickets for The matinee, or the or
daring Of barrel of flour But after all
though Mr NeWell's rhymes may driv
some Of his unoffendng fellow being
insane with their adhesiveness, that is no
proof hat he is lacking in brains. (Ne'
York: Harper & BrOthers)
Nature studies.