Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-11

historical romance ready at hand, and
many OF us were glad to accept the
pictures Of Mr.. Churchill Mr.. Ford
and Miss Johnston as faithful por-
trayals OF the manners and the Gus
toms OF those who made MS eligible for
decorations in our buttonholes and
membership In the societies aforesaid.
We read greedily being greedy for the
knowledge given, and also hungry be-
cause he fiction that preceded this had
been uidppetizing and unsatisfying.
But the taste did not last very long,
and the general opinion seems now TO
be that we have had enough Of this
Kind OF thing for a long while TO come.
Why should the taste have changed
and the appetite have been satated
so soon? That appears 20 me to be al
easy question TO answer. These novels
were not good as novels. they were not
Wei written they We're not amusing
ana. above all, they were not conyinc-
ing. Lei us look briefly at two on three
OF those which were the most greedily
read Richard Caryel" has been Justly
advertised as a phenomenal success
| have little hesitation in saying that no
book OF equal dreariness ever received
such high consideration. 1t was long
and tires6me, and from cover 20 cover
there was not, as ] read IT, an enter
talnng or amusing incident in the
whole tale. II was by some Of the re-.
viewers compared 10 "The Vrginlans'
of Yhdckeray IL undoubtedly plaglar-
lied the incidents of "The Nirginans."
and young Caryel and young Warning
ton had Very similar experiences in
London But. goodness gracious,
Thackeray is delightful in the telling
Of the tale regardless Of the merits OF
1t as "a tale. Every page Is bright, every
chapter Illuminated b. the brilliancy
which Thackeray shed with the ineN-
table certainty of constant luminary.
| do not know how many times | have
Tead THE Virglnians II is always
delightful. always fresh-fresh as a
bright cool day when each familiar
hill and well known tree surprises with
its beauty. ! read Richard Caryel,'
too, / read II once. But l am sure
should have given 1t up long before ar
irving at the middle chapter had IL
not been that / was engaged 10 write
review of il. and therefore was paid
20 dn.sh IL, 1t was n hard job aud a
serious trial Of patience. My Judgment
at he time was not that OF other read.
ers, nor seemingly Of other reviewers.
Two years or 50 later, however. / lind
that the discriminating among my
acquaintances do not disagree with me
on the contrary. they say with me that
the BOOB Is tedious and tiresome.
Now take another book, book that
Is much better written and with. 40
the same time. a surer and more deli
cate touch IN narrative, ITO Have and
70 Hold Besides being well written.
there Is displayed fertility OF lnven-
ton winch Is absolutely bewildciing
When Il reader begins a new chapter
he IS sure OF q new complication. and
he begins TO read Just about In the
same fame Of mind that he occupies
a BARRIERS chair In response 20 the in
wiling call Of next" II the incidents |
which crowd upon the heels of one
anoths r In this book were convincing.
the reader would get into a condition Of |
dstrcesiul perturbation that would be |
hard 10 bear. But they are not con-
vlnclng. We are quite sure the things |
never happened and our interest is |
very like that we feel when we give out |
puzzles and try TO guess them. Indeed. |
the class 20 which this book belongs |
became familiar 10 me In my youth. |
when Beadle's Dime Novels We're sur |
reptitiously read at school beneath the |