The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-22

"Reminiscences OF the Civil War.
I'm my boyhood / Witnessed scene in
nature which it now seems to me fifty SYM
boizes that mighty struggle (the civil war;
and the view Of IT which 1 seek to present
Standing on a mOuntain-tOp, / saw two
storm-cIouds lowering in the opposite hori-
zen. They were heavily charged with cleo
trio fires. As they rose and approached
each other they extended their length and
gathered additional blackness and fury.
Higher and higher they rose. their putting
wind-caps rolling like hostile banners
above them; and when nearing each other
the flashing lightning baZed along their
front and their red bolts were hurled into
each others bosom. Finally. in mid-heav-
ems, they met, and the binding flashes and
fearful shocks filled my boyish spirit with
awe and terror. But Gods hand was In
that storm, and from the furious conflict
parched and thirsty earth. which refreshed
and enriched it," This paragraph illus
trates the oratorical style in which Gen:
John Il. Gordon has written this book of
"reminiscences. Many ether sentences be-
sides the last In this paragraph are wrong
dramatically. But the book as whole,
and entertaining. and 1t would seem to the
reviewer likely 10 be delightful TO one
who had part, In the conflict between
don's attitude is generous, fraternaI and
kindly He discusses the question which
and the leaders 'n with wa as little a preju
dice and personal bias as could be
expected from one who I'm battle took sides
and fought for his belief. The spirit Of
General Gordon will tend to life 10 a higher
plane the estimate placed By victors and
vanquished upon their countI-ymen of the
opposing section, and will further unity
the best that be said of the book, and
what more complimentary could be said?
chapters and total of 465 pages, so that
the volume Is fairly well condensed. Some
OF the most important engagements and
episodes Of the war discusSed-Bull Run,
Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Chan
celorsville. Gettysburg. Veksburg and
Helena, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge,
the wilderness, SpOttsylvania, Winchester,
and so on TO the surrender Of Lee. This
great heroic period is brought TO view as
with ield-glass by the great orator. and
one may now almost say, historian. The
Journal does not hesitate TO say that a
veteran Of the could scarcely receive a
more welcome holiday gift than a copy of
these "reminiscences. Charles Scribner's
Sons, New York
The Responsibility of the Novelist.
Frank Norris making not only a
reputation as a great novelist, but he was
also becoming known as forceful critic of
literature The earnestness, the direct
ness, the clean-cut strength of his utter
ance in this volume are the first things
that impress the reader. salt and SINGER
tty." the heading under which he wrote
much Of this matter for The Critic. was an
apt title for his criticism. Not subtle nor
refined in the fnicky sense, he had a mind
for detail. but he carried the epic insight
that produced great novels into the critical
field and detail was detail with him and
nothing more He was not the one to make
fractions out OF units and divide and sub
divide until the last division Of a critical
idea was attained. He spoke in psyche
logical units and their combinations, hence
his treatment OF subject is big, his ideas
are big and sometimes because they are
big and We can all see big things, We think
they are bare or originality, bare or that
we have not known But they the
greater for this: they positive, vital,
constructive, constructive even when de-
structive. paradoxical as that may seem.
The spirit Of the man was not that OF the
metaphySiclan, but that OF the mOralist in
the broad sense, and his criticism is faith
ful 10 the man. Norris spoke as If he must
speak; his words seem TO carry deep con-
ylctlon and the message or that conviction.
II they fail to have an influence upon the
coming generation OF nOveliSts II will be
because this generation has fallen into the
habit OF liking thin-textured style OF
composition and finicky niceness OF criti-
cal faculty. This hard. clear. compact
speech may fail of its purpose from its very
excellence. Norris writes on a variety OF
True Reward of the Novelist" The Novel
with a Purpose" The Need OF Liter
airy Conscience" "Story-tellers as Novel
lists" New York a Literary Center, .
"A Neglected Epic THE Great American
Novelist" The Volunteer Manuscript
The Nature Revival in Literature
Newspaper Criticisms and American
Fiction" "Child Stories for Adults" "A
Plea for Romantic Fiction" why Women
Should Write the Best Novels" Simple
fly in Art "Novelists of the Future,
Retail Booksellers Literary Dictator, "
"a Problem In Fiction" among the
contents. The book ends with a bibliogra-
ply OF Norris's essays, stories, articles, let
tiers and poems. One feels that Norris had
such strength and grasp that had he given
his attention TO criticism exclusively he
would have been another Brandes. Dou-
bleday, Page 4 Co., New York.
Memoirs OF Monsieur De BIowitz.
NJ. Theirs called De Blowitz his "affec
tionate historiographer.' The name was
well applied. For amiable. racy narrative
OF history and those more intimate persona
incidents that form the background of his
tory-history behind the scenes-M. d.
Blowitz Is unexcelled. These memoirs ar,