The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-03
GOSSIP.

1t is impossible to say now what is
the real merit of Count Tolstoy's last
novel, just issued. There are many
laudations of it. We notice one of the
safest of American critics is not en-
thusiastic, but thinks it not at all COM
parable to his masterpiece, Anna
Karenina." We have to confess to SUI
preme ignorance as to this illustrious
Russian authors books beyond what
we have gathered from criticisms
heretofore. War and Peace" and the
last one named above are considered
his greatest productions. But if some
critical notices are trustworthy he has
surpassed his earlier efforts. one New
York paper, not distinguished, howev-
er, for it's literary judgments, the
Commercial Advertiser, says that it lis
powerful, multitudinous, terrific, and at
times almost repellent in it's revela-
tions, but it is a great book, and one
only sets it down with the conviction
that it has given n a deeper insight
into the complexities of human life"
The New York Herald, another paper
u III DSCldl CpolC " Il LIS
cussions, declares that these men n
women are each drawn with a master
hand. The pathos, the wonder, the
glory of life is reproduced in these
pages with a master touch" We must
await other opinions from higher
sources before c~onsenting to believe it
is either great or desirable. We sus-
pect from certain outgivings hat it is
possibly morbid and not as clean as it
should be. But this is aid with a liza
bility to correct it.
The able, judicious critic Of the New
York Tribune says of the rapidity of
novel production now hat 1.-The race
horse speed with which fiction gets it
self written these days is reflected most
1agrantly in matters of style, but the
harm goes deeper. Instead of living
characters we get soulless puppets, and
the mere swiftness of the writing is not
to blame; it is the use of i'll digested
ideas that does the mischief. If the
ideas are worthless it is because the
authors observation of life is limited
and superficial" The great novelists,
| Scott and Dumas, the elder, are per-
haps the only great story tellers who
wrote with great rapidity. More
thought, more study, more carefulness
of preparation, a greater reference to
excellence of style would much i'm
| prove doubtless the mass of o
| writer's today, who are numbered by
| the thousands who find publishers. Nc
| man who does not know human ma
| ture and with it has a wide observa-
| ton can produce much that it good
and vital. To portray life and produce
| character and not caricatures, the
novelist must understand both life and
character.
Writing of how to tell a good book
from a bad book, the distinguished
British critic, Mr.. Augustine Birrell
gets this off: Go get thee understand
ing, become possessed of strong sense
| if tho wouldst know how to tell g
good book from a bad one. BY
taking thought we can add to our in.
%tellectual stature. Delicacy may be &C
! CURED The critic for the Tribune sup.
PIGMENTS with this judicious comment;
"If we will only take pains, if W.
will only submit to some discipline, we
I can learn how to tell a good book from
a bad one. h does not mean tina
to a every man who is at pains to read
with care, and to understand what he
is reading, there will descend that fe-
licity which comes from the possession
of critical instinct. But at least he
will know the difference between Ten.
nyson and Upper"
Kipling's war verse does not impress
all critics. He is even charged witt
nonsense and has lost his sense of hui.
NOR and his usual displays of fasci-
mating power.
The reviewer for the Raleigh News
and Observer has a column n a third
upon DR.. Hannis Taylor's very able
work on the Origin and Growth OF
the English Constitution" At the close
he say this of the North Carolinian's
] useful, important work:
THE reception of DR.. Taylor's ORR