Evening star., 1901-03-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
EUGENE SCHUYLER; Selected Essays. With Q
Memoir BY Evelyn Schuyler Schaefrer New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Washington:
William Ballantyne & Sons

1
EUGENE GENE, SCHUYLER; sa ; Selected Essays. With
Yarh Wo'r cSsr,s ~ Eve,yn schuyler schaene, New
William Ballantyne Sons.
Eugene Schuyler was engaged in American
| diplomacy abroad for a number of years,
| occupying SUCCESSFULLY important positions
at Moscow, st. Petersburg, Constantinople,
Birmingham, Rome, Bucharest Athens and
| Cairo. The economy of a democratic Con-
| gress Immediately preceding the first Cleve-
land administration caused his separation
| from the service, and he and Mrs. Schuyler
! came to Washington to live in the autumn
| of 1884. For the next few years Mr.. Schuy-
ler occupied himself with literary work and
the law and upon the return of the repub-
licans to power he was offered the position
of assistant Secretary of State. This posi-
ton he accepted, when he was named for a
diplomatic mission in Europe. but the NOM
NATION failed of confirmation owing to op-
poSitlon which had arsen because of MIR.
Schuyier'S comments upon a certain public
ofhcial in the course of his work, "Ameri-
can Diplomacy" He was later made consul
general at Cairo and held that post at the
time of his death in Venice in 1880, at the
age of fifty. During his active diplomatic
service Mr.. Schuyler found time to write
voiumnously and tastefully on variety of
subjects. His mind was inclined toward lit
erature even more strongly than toward the
law or the pubic service, and the essays
which make up the present volumes fully
indicate this trend. With the exception of a
paper on Count Leo Tostoy, Twenty
Years Ago. published originally in 1889,
and short story entitled The Lost Plant
the essays fall under the general title 'Ital-
ian Influences. and reflect Mr.. Schuyler's
experience and studies in Southern Europe.
OF these two, The Captive Pope and
prince Jem,'' are printed for the first time.
The others were originally published in the
Nation. The memoir includes number OF
letters from Mr.. Schuyler to friends which
add interest to the account Of his career.
fine portrait Of the author-diplomat forms
the frontspiece.
THREE PLAYS FOR PURITANs: BY. George
Bernard Shaw. Being the Third Volume Of
his Collected Plays. Chicago: Herbert S.
Stone & Co.
1t used to be George Bernard Shaw; then
1t was G. Bernard Shaw; it is plain
Bernard Shaw. But whatever the name on !
the title page the spirit within is the same. |
The man Is the same The spirit and the |
man are singularly harmonious, by being |
correspondngly odd The man is a philoso- |
pher who is willing to sacrifice some prac-
teal ends in order to express the protests
of the spirit. Sometimes those protests
are pitched In high key Shaw's plays are
not regarded by the dramatic world as
available material. They are what is
sometimes known with a certain stage
land sneer as reading plays"-that Is, they
don't make profitable performances. But
they make excellent reading. So they pro-
duce their effect, eventually. These plays
for Puritans'' are an offer to the reading
and play-seeing public in substitution for
the performances which offend the moral
sense. They are THE Devils Disciple"
performed without prolonged pecuniary
success by Mr.. Mansfield; Caesar and
Cleopatra" and Captain Brassbounds Con-
version In the course of his preface Mr..
Shaw writes a caustic defense of his themes
and engages in a characteristic dissertation
upon Shakespeare and the modern drama.
THE HISTORICAL NOVEL; and Other Essays
BY Brander Matthews New York; Charles
lantyne & Sons.
Brander Matthews has some literary
views which do not altogether agree with
the popular taste. His influence is de-
cidedly wholesome both because his stand
ards of judgment are high and his manner
If expression Is fearless. While not as
,austic as Andrew Lang in his denuncia-
ion of the trivial in letters-for he occa-
;ionally contributes light literature him
'elf-he is. perhaps, more effective in per-
'uading his readers of some of their folies.
rhe essays now published together indicate |
he most serious moments of this critics
hought. In the course Of the book he dis
,usses the Historical Novel, Romance
against Romanticism, New Trials for Old
TavoriteS, the Study of Fiction Alphonse
)audet, a Novel of Thackeray's, H. c. Bun
ler, Literature a Profession, the Rela-
Ion of the Drama to Literature the Con-
entions of the Drama, William Archer as
Critic of the Acted Drama and the Art
nd Mystery Of Collaboration.
HE QUEENS OF ENGLAND; from the Norman :
Conquest to the Reign of Victoria. By Mary II
Hewitt: Revised by Geneva Armstrong. IL II
lustrated Chicago: B. S. Wasson & Co. II
HE TURN OF THE ROAD a Novel. By Euge- H
mia Brooks rockingham. Boston, Hought0n | II
MlHln d Co. washington: William Ralan- | II
tyne & Sons. | II
ALPH MARIOWE A Novel. By James Ball H
Taylor. Akron, Ohio: The Saalfeld Publish H
ing Co. H
YEAR OF LIFE; a Novel. By William Samuel II
Lilly New York: John Lane HI
HE VISITS OF EIIZABETH Novel. By Elinor HI
Glyn. New York: John Lane. HI