The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-06
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ct VIII De conscious OF vast ana iIDlouHu
ignorance Of most Of the names mentioned.
Tolstoy IS widely known. thanks to Anna
Karenina" and il is 10 be feared, the IN
natural notoriety of Tine Kreutzer Soma
ta." the names of Tourgueniev. Pouch
kline Dostoievski. and Gogol are also
known in some measure But as for kar-
amzine. Jouk0ysk Chtchedrine. Lennon
tow or Kirieievski. the ordinary reader.
though he nav be very well informed
about literature in general. will be as much
n the dark about the works Of these au
thors as about the way in which their
names should be pronounced.
The author labors under the double DIFF
iculty Of having 10 condense a large
amount OF information into a small spacu.
and being Obliged to sum up the leading
characteristics Of various authors for the
benefit Of readers who cannot possibly re-
fer TO the works Of these writers for fur
Their study Il must be said. on the whole,
that he has brought TO the task an enthu-
siasm and a skill which have resulted in
some extremely good work. He has not
iEuored, but surmounted. the obstacles IN
his way He says in his preface:
The form assumed. in the lapse CT time, by
such prrSanagtS rs Hamlet or Eugene onegWne,
j. Tie tw0-foId outcome Of an original individual
conception. and Of a Subsequent and collective
process These, FIRST superimpescd become inter
pgyadiug. and end TO the popular Imagination
in complete fusion. This CClahordlve process,
the secrat and existence of which escape The no.
tice of the great majority, constitutes a great
difficulty for a writer addressing a public other
than that IN The midst of which the types ne
ovokes have spung into being. Try TO forget al
that the lapse Of years. and the action Of end-
less commentaries, the ingenuity, the tenderness,
the worship of millions Of readers, have added
and altered. in such figure as that Of Gretchen.
J on will see how much Of the original remains
and you viii realize my difficulty in speaking 10
my readers ot Tatiana. IL by chance taHd u Is
very likely ohsuce) the character Of Iatiana be
unknown 10 them.
The first chapter, that dealing with The
Russian Race" must be full Of interest TO
every student Of modern events. The au-
thor regards his own nation as premature
~ ripe on one side. full OF contrasts be-
tween savage and highly civilized in
stincts Even in the language he finds
these anomalous contrasts Kipling cpl
tibet of "purring, splitting Russian" fairly
expresses the idea which Europe in gen
eral has Of this curiously constructed ton
que. But WallszewsN says Of it:
vondrous instrument it is, the most melo-
dious. certainly in the Slavonic circle, one
of the most melodious in the universe; deX-
ible. sonorous, graceful. lending itself 10
every tone and every style, simple or Gle
giant al will subtle and refined, elegant,
picturesque. In its diversity Of form and CON
struction partly due TO its frequent diversions,
il resembles the classic languages and German
Its power Of embodying a whole figure in one
word marks its knship with the Oriental tongues
The extreme variability Of the tonic accent, which
lends itself TO every rhythmic combination, a
markedly iniuitive character, and wonderful
Elasticity. combine TO form a language unrlVsied,
perhaps, in its poetic qualities. But the instru-
ment was made but Yesterday. There are gaps IN
ID; some parts are borrowed; we find discOTds here
and there which the centuries have not yet had
time to fll, 20 harmonic, 10 resolve This tongue
finds soft and csressing words even Tor those
things which partake the least Of such character.
Noua stands for war; vone for the warrior. But
should the warrior be called 20 defend his country,
threatened by an invasion, he becomes khrsbryi,
ZaChtchichtchaiouchtchyi' Can we not hear the
hoarse whistling yell Of the barbsrisnsg
Without attempting to pronounce this
last remarkable combination OF the alpha
bet. the average reader will be quite sure
that the barbaric yell is there. (New York:
D. Appleton & Co. S1.50D