The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-03

statement that the book. with all Its palpable
faults and weaknesses. has been happy In the
manner In which q happy man Is happy--a
! man. say. who has married an angel or been
appointed TO a slnecure2 We have all heard.
often enough. Of the books lack of characteriz-
alton, weakness of construction. and the rest.
Mr.. James treats IL rs the spoiled child OF our
literature and is more concerned with Its infn-
ito amenity- "A something that seems to impree-
nate 1t with the very soul of the gentle Goldsmith
Tho author" says Mr.. James. " never
lets so our hand. and we. on our side. keep
hold with a kind Of sense. which Is one OF the
most touching things our literature gives us.
Of all that, by doing 81. We make up TO him
for. 1t helps us to look with a certain steadi-
neSs on his battered and miserable life. 1t helps
us even to evoke with a certain JOY the free.
inc'Irahlc Irish play of fancy and Of character
that. in the most English OF all English ages
and circles, drew down on him 80 much ridi-
cule. There was scarce a difficulty. n dis
appointment. an humiliation or a bitterness
Of which he had not intimate and repeated
knowledge; and yet the heavy heart that went
through all this overllowS in the little book
rs optimism Of the purest water-as good
humor, as good taste, and "a a droll"ry that,
after all. has oftcner its point than Its inno-
ccncr. For these reasons. II would seem.
fortune has SINGLED him out. distinguished him
with eN,rlor mar favor, d creed that he
would ho forever known to Vi IA an exception
ally human way. Never was such a reyeng"
against the superior and III" patronizng. The
spirit stil speaks 90 u Of all IN It was aiken to
produce il. all the priveti,n and pain and
abatement. all the uciino~s OF CIrcumstance
n d aid. So We riously iluck 1t and keen 1t,
,,ra-a - IAtvraap ,ha lu vas Gf tho InEHlh
prose that We show AID boast Of. treat II as a
rare, fine flower that has ,~prou,cd in a rough.
hard soil"
"A Naturc-iovcr Under southern Skies Is
the subtitle Of Mr. Maurice Thompson's book
My Winter Garden lIho Century Company.
u" writes pleasantly enough " woodland
SIGHTS and sounds and the various incidents IL
days passed out Of doors. lie takes a occond-
hand copy Of Montaiene or a volume Of Iheoo-
ritls into the forest TO read and then comes
home and writes an essay. and In "A treatise on
Art and Money" he hrcathoe n gentle sikh for
that golden age when the artist had his patrons
and the poet had his pension. Also he goes nt
times into the woods with his lttlo bow and
arrow. And. hcinr n Lover Of Nature and ~ all
thing, beautiful. when he secs n bird he takes
n moi shot AT II. Sometimes lo hits the bird
and more often he gives the landsoai = a nasty
knock. "A when h" tells us that the scene
of his operations + "A valley not far from a
mountains toe, wicre a iTetful, chill brook
Frances over smooth boulders on it, Journey
T. Kiss a rivera style of composition That
suggests a somewhat too asslduous chasing
Of the merry little Welsh rabbit, through the
Ely.ian Fields of indigestion.
For compiling the two volumes respectively
entitled Twelve Great Actor AMI lively"
Great Actressos" tG. T.. Putnam'~ sons. Mr.
Edward Robins apparently has had no quail
fc1tfons other than those Of a wcl,-traiuei
reporter. The result Of his work Is two in
terc,tinz volumes. without anv especial value
A. theatrical history; just such material as is
PRODUCED daily 10y good reporters, thoiSh
Their work seldom find, It,elf in such excellent
drc,, a tac publisher. have riyouto Mr.. Robins.
The lively. great actor, are tiIrrick, kcmble,
Keln. Junins Brltls Booth. Forrest. Mlcr"1dY.
Charles Mathews. Edwin Booth, Fcchtor.
Burton. Sothcrn and Wal1cS; the twelve great
actrn--r, are Mr.. BraceLirlle. Mira Oldh'li.
Peg" Wellington. Mr. Abingdon. Mrs. Jordan.
"prrditl" Robinson, Fannie hc!nhl"' Rachel,
Charlotte Cu~hmpu. Adelaide Nelson AMI
Ei-tbri. As to the greatness, Of the players
chosen, there may be some dl>arr"einent, Vet
among them are the leaders of the English
stage for two centuries. and also thr first among
the player, Of our own time and stage As
regards the former, Or. n0ran has provided
much Of the matter which Mr. Robins mas
paddcd into the shape in which he ir'-"ntSlt
Though there are other books on the English
stage that have supplied some, n 10 the latter.
there are "reminiscences and biographies from
which the compiler has selected. II must he
Said that he has done his work we'll; n biography
of n score of pages without date, j. much pleas
auter than ono. a.,n without dates, extending
over a couple Oi hun 81 pages or more.
An instance uf Nj. Eohlu-'s m"'Ipi i his
account Of Mr.. Brdocgir 10, whom, hy the
way, he calls the BracotirGlc, a form that
he uses In referring t. many OF the other a.
trc.-cs. Its to be not" :. too, that Mr., Robln-'s
great actresses are all 'a"ti-t"~.' not merely
artists. The tale Of CAPT. lIills attempt 10
a14uct Mr.. Bracogir 10. trli bv Dorau In
about half a rage. i ret i nv Nlr. Robins in
two PAGE, an n half. with II wholly unnec"s-
sary wealth Of "cprroboraNvc detail" Tho
mur or NJ viii Mpuntfort, as Mr. Robins tells
II. expands Doran'S half page into rather more
than a page, likewise with interesting detail.
Mr.. Barry. with n picture. Bettcrtpn. Mount
fort. cnugrcvr, all Hpiear IA Mrs. Brl""girtle'S
biography in Mr.. Robjn,'s book. 80 that We
cot rather a brief rcviaw of the ENGLISH stage
M flh on ] ol W. S'N'ltN''INl 'IlA' 'tiAli -
Li,rrauhy Of the actress. y a matter Of
fact. there was not much - writ" about her.
The best parts OF the two volumes have to
do with tho more recent Of the PLAYERS chosen
by Mr.. Robins. Of tho ol Ter actors an a.
| trc-sns tho-e Is material enough 10 be hal
In biographical form alrea ~. but of those
| on whom the curtain has but lust fallen. there
is ,omuaratlvelv little 10 be had merely for
the asking wha, there il must be locke for.
NJ. Robins has roun' it.
Tho Illustrations as n Who'll" are we'll chosen.
What is printed aS n fac-simile Of the programme
for Garrick's first appearance. however. is
really n fac-simile # n playful prepared long
after the actors first appearance. which rrpbR-
blv copied as accurately a. was convenient
tho actual p~rocramme-if there WAS one. \
most hidcols picture Of Miss Nelson IL used,
though a better and more beautiful one might
have been found: and portraits of IiS'nri.
Forrest and So,hcrn are said 10 be from "oli
prints" though Eistori i st,Il alive, and the
others not long dead The portrait of Kitty
Clivn is In the volume devoted 10 the actors.
though the other volume tells more about the
fair lady.
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