The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-15

Resurrection. by Leo Tolstoi. Dodd
Mead & Co.. New York
Yesterday the Eubaiyat was star of
the first magnitude upon our literary nor
lion. Omarian poses and rose-semmeCi
Persian gardens swayed our thoughts and
held captive our delighted senses by tie
supple, seductive grace of -danseuse and
the softly-pulsing strains of passionate
music. To-day the latest outcome OF
! Sciayonic genius is before us, a vivid
social and political portraiture Of Rus
sian nationality, its every feature bearing
the impress of mastery skill and power
The poem of the Persian and the book
of the Russian are widely separated by
time and circumstances. The song which
l the twelfth century BRYAN sings IS alive
. with the warmth OF sunshine'and freight
cd with the fragrance OF fruitage and flow
er. The pages of Count Tolsti, the As
cetic. are sad with the gloom of amending
winter grim and cruel with the gauntness
and desolaton OF gray and immeaSurable
steppeS But in many important respects
each of these productions bears wonder
full analogy to the other. Over each falls
the dreamy shadow OF oriental mysticism
and fatalism. while each eXhales a spirit
of sensuous grossness and unmistakablc
and broad materialisnl.
Were it not for the fact that Count
ToIstoi's title page marks its distinct
classification his book might well COM
mend itself as q brilliant many-sided
study of its authors country and people
rather than as n novel. From fictional
standpoint, its chief interest centers in
the struggle made by a repentant man for
the salvation of a woman's soul the soul
OF a woman who has lost faith in the
God whom she. thinks has forsaken her
in a world which she knows has for
saken her, in a world which she knows
has wronged her, who has turned her
back on the Eden of her youth and limo
cence and is glad to remember it no more,
and whose !pitiful life-tragedy had far
better have remained untold.
Red cottage. by Mary Cholmondeley.
Harper &; brothers New York.
There can be no question but that Miss
Cholmondeley in RED Pottage' has writ
ten an exceedingly clever book, one that
proves her TO be an exceedingly clever
wcman as we'll as a successful authoress.
Wehtiler hers is Il wholesome. clever book
and whether Il will survive the day and
spirit of dominant pessinlisu, and morbid
sclf-analysis. which marks its birth, is a
question which the test of time must de-
eide.
The entertainments of latter-day l:tera-
ture have left us few if any reserves,
but we cannot help realizing, even a this
date, that there are some subjects which
do not bear discussion and some evils
which not the abest pen in the universe
can write out of existence. From the days
of Adam until now. men have not ceased
to barter their brthrights for q mess Of
pottage, nor VIII they cease so TO do by
reason of the people who pen purposive
prose in an ahortive attempt to inculcate
stern moral lessons. The exploiting of
sin is its attraction with a large class
of readers. Because there are some of US
who realize this and because of another
large class of readers who are III form
alive stage of mind and manner. we my
well. as We lay aside Red Pottage," de-
voutly eXclaim: From such works and
their works, good Lord deliver u.s.