New-York tribune., 1902-06-08
SUNDAY, JUNE s, 1902.

II should have happened while Balzac SUN
lived and at time when Gaborlau was out VI
the country, in some way lncapacitdleo iioi,i
touching the matter. We make the latter quail
tication because the obviously amazing sue u
this gifted ladys exploit is just the SIDE upon
which Gaboriau would have fastened 1t Is
inst the side which will doubt appeal 10
the authors of the stories of crime and detec-
ton which we may expect to reap in large
croD as the result of the Humbert sWindle Sut
what BalZac would have dOne-and What ho
living writer that we can think OF is hkeiy u
do with sny degree of success-would have
been to have pierced beneath all the peSuliihs
incidents of the affair to the enormously sus-
gestiye inspiration to be found in the characler
of the central figure. He would have maze
soma ,oarvellous sketches of certain subsidiary
actors esDecially those dupes whose lives enoed
in suicide But his grand portrait would nave
heen of the astonishing woman who was aDie
to achieve the most colossal fraud or Hloueih
times and yet preserve an untfouDieu ueHe"iioi
before the world for years, able in the morning
TO fence with suspicious lawyers anu i'll the
afternoon to play her part in society or Speho
the happy hours of an enthusiastic COLLECTOR
bargaining for works of art. He would nave
brushed aside the mere drama OF the SURFACE
and have gone straight to the drama in what
given to literature 4 masterpiece
Coupled with the announcement that a GER
tain well known writer will before long bring
out new novel, is the statement those those
who have read parts of the manuscript describe
it as by far the best thing that Mr.. Blank has
written" The words have familiar SOUND.
We have for long time been protesting against
their USE and we pleased to find in 'Ihe
Academy and Literature" a sharp criticism or
them. 1T strikes u.s. says the editor, that
this kind of puff preliminary is being overdone;
indeed in no circumstances consider it
quite luStifiahe.' The commentator recalls the
healthy rage" of Byron when he heard that
Murray had shown "Childe Harold to Clifford
in manuscript, and the poets characterization
of this breach of confidence as 'back-shop
Paternoster Row proceeding" ByrOnS point
of view as THE Academy" says, may be over
emphasized, but it "makes for fairness" We
wish more modern authors felt as Byron felt
The truth is, of course, that the remedy lies
entirely in their hands. But it is another truth,
and sad one, that great deal OF the foolish
ness that is printed in 'puffs preliminary
comes straight from the authors themselves.
Who else could it come from?
Publishers in London are holding back many
and in all probability, will bring out few, If
any of them until the fall. Publishers on this
side of the water, though somewhat more
active have also reached period of compare
tive quiet: but on the other hand, they can
look with pride upon mass of spring publca-
tiOns quite large enough and good enough to
keep every one well supplied with reading mat |
ter until the opening of the next season. Also, |
and this is the point to which we wish espe- /
ciaIiy to refer, they have made it much easier |
for their English cOnfrereS to slow down their |
presses, at least in far works by English |
writers are concerned. The number of Amer |
lean books circulated abroad is extraordinarily |
large to-day. Time was when the literary re- |
views of London gave comparatively little |
space to transatlantic authors. Now their |
names and their works are constantly to the |
fore In one important review just to hand the |
bulk of the space given to fiction is filled with
Il most favorable criticism of Mr.. Howells's |
new novel, The Kentons,' and of the minor |
articles two are given to American authors. In
all the others the same reasonable policy is OBJ
served, and this has been going on for some lit
tie time, with reference to general literature, as
well as to fiction 1t is not always edifying
as it might be. Our English cousins seem often
to find the most radiantly beautiful swans
among our least attractive geese. But the thing
IL of