New-York tribune., 1901-12-29

is called in its subtitle, "a comedy romance
story which is touched with the right spirit of
nimble and sparkling comedy. The author satir-
ICES those types of a bygone day with which it
is customary to associate ideas of good breeding
and Of absurd prejudices, the social leaders of
earlier New-York. whose traits the novelists
have ever loved to eXaggerate. Mr.. Viele fol-
lows the line taken by so many of his predeces-
sors he too, exaggerates, and more than once
puts too severe a strain upon credulity.
But he has gift for advancing his little droI-
leries in such a winning way that it is impos-
sbe to find serious fault with him. On the
contrary he leaves in the long run. for all his
audacity impression of refinement, of really
gentle humor, and there is, also, a vein Of
nationality running through his nonsense.
Though The Last of the Knickerbockers' pro-
vokes many a smile, the author has his lender
and even his pathetic moments. He amuses,
and he leaves half-playfuL half grave thoughts
in his readers mind. Best Of ALL he communi-
Gates to his story pleasant SAVIOR of originality,
the originality of man who may not aIwa-s
produce the freshest scheme Of fiction in the
world. but cannot help giving his narrative l
little twist that is all his own an atmosphere
that is thrice welcome amid the horde of
ventional novels pressing nowadays upon public
attention.
takes liberties with that historic gentleman cal
culated to make him beam with joy. The
famous baron might we'll be content to appear
as the inventor Of some of the anecdotes in this
book. Would he have disdaiued TO drive that
spanking team which, Mr.. Bangs gravely in
forms US. caught three tons Of trout by the sim
PIE process OF falling through a bridge and
swimming across a lake with the wagon right
side up behind them. 10 act as dragnet into
which thousands OF fish packed themselves
tightly sardines? We trow not. This,
may add. is a very modest specimen OF the ad-
ventures which befall Mr.. Munchausen in Mr..
Bangs's pages. Innumerable things happen 10
him. and they happen in a rising scale Of Won
der. The illustrations, drawn by Mr. Peter
Newell and admirably reproduced in colors, are
merely perfect in appositeness and in intrinsic
comicality.
Though stories of college life written by coll
lege have of late threatened to become
wearisome there ought to be welcome for the
volume entitled Stories of the Colleges" TO
which nine graduates Of experience in writing
have contributed Mr.. owen Wister writing for
Harvard, has the place of honor, and he deserves
it, for his PHILOSOPHY e. is full of fun and
is most cleverly written. But the average
throughout the book is decidedly creditable. Mr..
Richard Holbrook is good representative Of
Yale; Mr. Burton Egbert Stevenson makes
good effect for Princeton, and the two stories IF
West Point and Annapolis, respectively. are
capital examples of the work OF Captain Charles
King and the Rev. Cyrus Townsend Brady. one
reason why this book is much more enter
tanning than most of the publications in its class
is that it is not illustrative of the life at one
university alone
Marion Harand has never written more in
terestIng book than the called In pW
County" into which she has collected num-
ber Of stories of the social and domestic life
which went on in the Old Virginia of her child
hood. In a charming little preface she tells how
she used to hang about the outskirts of the
group gathered upon shady porches while sum-
mer weather lasted, ana in winter about the
hearth. | have forgotten none of the
traditions committed to my retentive memory by
narrators who, as rule. never concerned them
selves as to the presence of children and Of SER
wants. Their little daughters and the house
therefore. always present. counted alike for
nothing in their audience Thus it came about
that | gathered into my mental garner great
store of comedies romanCes and tragedies per-
tanning TO an age which exists no longer and
which can never come again. 1t is of the For
to ancient history" She retes her old tales
with feeling and with skill not only giving us
diverting characters and situations, but envel-