The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-04-02
NEW BOOKS AND
LITERARY NOTES
Waters That Pass Away" an Un-
wholesome Novel.
IT is WELL WRITTEN, HOWEVER.
of Types and Entertaining-"H How
Count Tolstoy Lives and Works."
Literary News Notes.

WATERS THAT PASS AWAY, by y.
b. Winston. Il mo. binding OF shaded
buckrum on toned paper with rough
edges and gilt top pages o. O.. W.
Dillingham; q Co, New York, 1899. Price
81. For sale by the Bell Book and sta
tionary Company.
The exterior OF this new book IN its
shaded binding, in feminine technique of
peacock or egg blue is charmingly
tasteful and in paper and type Is no less
|, attractive, but the lessons of its text are
scarcely 50 innocent. Indeed. they viii
be held by many odd fogies" of both
sexes, as anything but morally. health
ful or wholesome reading. The new
woman" IA literature holds herself ia
small esteem IL she be not daring.
A synopsis OF the errant Waters" has
already appeared in the columns OF The
Times.
The prospectus" Of the work cited OF
the talented young woman" 10 has been
adjudged hardly does IL credit but 10
is stated il was written with a purpose
and has a moral GoOdy, good stor0ics
prepared Tor Sunday school children. have
from time immemOral been invested with
a moral but the pious subjects near
ly always die; this holy pabulum had ale
ways TO be taken entire ass the moral is
thoroughly intermixed. Acsop's Fables.
for the edihcation of all ages largely enc
tertaining, but not wholly so. might De
digested without the moral, which is an
appendix.
Miss Winston has contributed many
Charming stories and sketches 20 the mag
aznes, bat 10 is understood that the pres
ent is her first full-ncdgcd nleht as a
novelist
II there be a moral 20 these Waters"
il Is yet felt that 'twere best for the fair
authorizes and the reading world IL the
story had not been written.
The motto on the title page is from the
Bible.
There Is a way which soemeth right
unto man, but the end thereof arc the
ways of death" Proverb XivI2. and that
of part second OF the book is also from
the same sacred source:
Thou shalt be steadfast and shall not
fear; because thou shalt forget thy
misery and remember fl as Waters That
Pass Away" Job xiI5, l6.
The concluding words furnish the title
of the book
The language OF the authoress It can
not be denied, is lucid and it becomes at
times quite strenuous. She is undoubt-
GUY Ipo9NoefA % UNUSUAL powers OF de-
scripuon. The Plot, If original is not
complete, however intricate its moral"
The poor victim Of the story. the hus-
band, suffering the loss OF both hands at
the outset Of a promising career as q
landscape painter IS left without support.
quite helpless He is described as hay
ing been an "impressionist himself" but
not of that extreme impress0nist school
established in the hearts OF many
young American artists which pro-
duce only unnatural unenduring effects
in masses OF blurred color, devoid OF
all form, Of all harmony and i'm
violation of one Of natures most import
ant laws"
The devotion of Helen calbraith to her
appealingly helpless husband OF mag
nihcent type" with earnest "aspiratfor
for purity and beauty" was most tender |
and compassionate" and Of che most |
sacred relation" Yet she Surrendered" |
herself TO an "od man" with whom
she continued Immoral relations" until /
they came to the knowledge OF another !
friend Of herself and her husband (Nho
was, moreover, persistent and press. /
ing lover, and who makes them known l
10 the latter. Immediately upon the |
breaking OFF OF the impure relations with |
Mr.. Westmore, and the disclosure Of /
them TO Alex Galbraith. the wronged !
husband, she returns TO her cottage and |
finds him dying-the result Of the shock |
ing disclosure.
But the entire conquest OF herself has |
been achieved and the will Of God has |
been taken as a guide for human con-
duct and the sins and sorrOws Of
to-day become as waters that pass away.
The sober reflection Of the world cannot
accord approval of such blurred" pic
81 4 I'D
losophy.
From such pernlcious teaching, God
help us. May the whole realm Of nature
forefend,
The present writer has not read 'The
Descendant" nor any book Of Miss Glas-
gow-only reviews of them. but he has
read Miss Harraden's "Ships That Pass
in the Night" II Miss Winston drew in
spiration from this list, 1t yet Is incom
parably a better and more natural book
than "Waters That Pass Away"
If the heroine Of the one loved without
faltering and faithfully to the bitter end
a "disagreeable man." Helen Gabrath,
in antipodal reality. yielded resstlessly
to sin and forsook a noble, devoted and
helpless husband for an aged. unscrupu-
lous man, and. yet-miraculous dispense.
tion-in the conquest OF herself, found
atonement and restful peace as q cherish
ed commpanion and honored instructress
of a sisterhood of innocent young wo-
men-the daughters of a highly cult
waited woman OF social distinction.
There are classfcations of literature.
How this book should be classed Is un-
mistakably indicated I'm the scene de-
pcted on page l63. II bears some re-
semblance to that at page $50 in Ma
dame Bovasy. by tho French writer
F1aubert. a book that l think that have
seen II stated somewhere was read en-
rapturedy throughout by no less dis.
tingushed man than Canon Farrar i'm
crossing the channel between England and
France. but, having read 1t, before land
ing cast 1t repentantly into the waters.
The moral may be that II Canon Farrar
read Madame Bovary the worldly might
be allowed 10 read Waters That Pass
Away, which may be both a significant