The age-herald., 1900-01-28
I'D T That Are & .to.l n1UOMS l.s. e.E =Read

-eBY PAUL FRY.

Geaesaeessesasee66S Sese1a6eef
 One of the most notable successes in Lon-
 don the past year has been Red Pottage," the latest book by Miss Cholmondeley. It is
 not her first book for she has published
 several earlier books. However. they were
 classed only among the promising list,
 while 'tRed Pottage'' alone has been a con
 spicuous success. In fact, it sold so rapidly
 that 1t required the most energetic action
 from the publisher to meet the ever increas-
 ing demand.
 One may justly feel that all has been said
 that possibly could be said upon the old
 hackneyed theme of the person who sells his
 bsrthright for a mess of red pottage. and
 yet Miss Cholmondeley has taken the old
 subject and treated it in a novel manner
 And by simply presenting a new point of
 View and an original conception of the old theme, has won her way and achieved sue
 cess. Red Pottage' Is a novel of Engksh
 society. with a varied number. of charac e:s
 society, with a varied number of characters
 which should please and interest the reader.
 The author seems to know well the life she depicts, and the subtfities of thought and action which go to make up that complex | thing we call society" From the lord and lady sile rapidly touches the notes in the | long scale downwards to the east side of 1 London, where we find one of the sweetest l characters in the book. Her story includes, l also, curate, that picturesque element l which $ almost invariably employed in En- | glish novels, and this one, like many of the l others, writes Very knowangly about Mod l ern Dissent"
 | It may sound like a contradiction to say l that Red Pcttage' Is a good book, and 1t | is not, and yet it iS the truth. There is a story which Is well told thrilling in it's orig | inaity and full of human interest, which | compe.s the attention of the reador. Then, interfering With this main story, there is ai l vrey tedious and tiresome description of q l young girl, Miss Gusley whom we are told l is clever, the author of a very able and sue
 cessful book, and numerous other compli- mentary things. Upon close acquaintance, | however, the reader only finds her an ex- ceedingiy disagreeable young person living among even more disa greeable peope. It is l a dangerous thing for an author to intro- l duce into the story some minor element 1 which distracts the intc.est and attention of 1 the reader from tine main plot. It is ruin | ous to the unity of the work. This is per- l missable only where the author Is able final l ly to justify it, unite the two, and prove l their entire connection and dependence. 1 This Miss Cholmondeley never does do. At
 the close of the book the reader resents as | entirely unnecessary the space and time | given to Miss Gusley her very d4sa greeable | brothe-, and her irate sister-inlaw
 l
 | It Is very evident that of the many char l acters in the book some are favorites of | the authors; none bear evidence of her ex- | treme disfavor, while others are used to | promulgate some of the authors own c.ler- | ished ideas. Her best work is given to the | delineation of Hugh Scarett, and if he is
 not entirely strong, complete characteri- | zation he at least is very real and secures | from the first the readers interest He | has been guilty of a great wrong, and is | proven too weak and lacking in a fine sense | Of horror to pay the penalty which atta cnes
 thereto. But 1t was largely because of deep | human interests which bore heavily upon him and influenced him in the strongest | way. And yet on account of the very hu- man influences his repentance was allowed | with further decdt. which continued un-
 abated until accidental discovery. In spite | of the manifold baseness of her hero the author has laviseled such tenderness and
 faith and skill upon him that the reader fn- | voluntarily gives sympathy even while he 1 condemns. And consequently the story is | one of those exceptional ones where not 1 virtue and honesty, but baseness and dis | honesty are triumphant. So interested has l the reader become in the struggle that the | denouement of the book is not questioned | even. but felt to be right and just. Wle. her | so fine and sensitive character as the au- | thor has pictured Rachel to be could so en- | tirely forgive man who had so w1fully | continued to deceive even while confess l ing to confess an, is very delicate subject. | Just here Rachel bears testimony to her | true feelings on the subject. "ITe has lost
 me by his deceit. He would not have lost me if (he had told me the truth. I think
 I l1now-ttat I could have got over any | thing. forgiven anything, even his coward ice, if he had only admitted 1t and been
 straightforward with me. A little pain
 dealing was an asked. but I d:d not get it." A very clever bishop stands here who
 persuades her that she does not love R1im | if she cannot 'for7give and forget" and in
 consequence of this argument the story has
 a very comfortable and agreeable ending. l Of Lady Newhaven the author makes a | most nambyfamby despicable creature | whose only excuse in being in the book at l an is to act her part in the plot and fur | nsh it's ra.Son d etre. Her husband Lord
 Newhaven, while perfectly exemplary tn | every way, is rather poorly drawn and col | orless. and takes very little part in the de- l tail of the story through a very important | part in it's action. Miss Oholmondeley falls l into the old time error of character de- | scription. She finds it much easier to de- | scribe what takes place in the thought and | heart of her characters than in telling the
 actions of each tell their own psycaloog- | ical story. However, the author in her
 work evinces talent and decided ability. l There IS evidence of carefulness in writing; | a largeness of experience of human nature | and the world generally. and an originality | of conception and design which is full of | promise for the future While Red Pot | tage is not likely to become a notable book
 fin this country, it has many of the elements | in it of good, enduring work.
 | An interesting old volume from the stand
 point of the Bibriophile came into my hands l the past week. It was a bound volume of I>"Frank Leslie's New Family Magazine" | beginning with January, 1857. and covering | a period of about year and a half The | article seem very much what we might ex-
 pect to read in the magazines at the pres | ent day, unless 1t might be said that they | are more largely upon general subjects of l varied character, and not so much upon 1 vital events at the current time. The illus | trations are noteworthy and bear evidence l to the fact that if we have not progressed -.