The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-17
NEW hooks.
Mr.. Jsmes's Account Of ". ". story.

The reader will be thankful to Mr.. Henry
James for his two volumes, william Wet
more story and His Friends: from Letters
pinries and Recollectionsr CHoughton,
Mif'in Coz. An interesting boful.'
Mr. James calls the collection Of documents
upon which this work is founded, and II is
an accurate word. Mr.. James, too, is in
-ercs'ing Surely nobody could have set
forth the material better. A mighty enter
aiming story. to our thinking. II has de-
lighted us much, and particularly in places
OF course there is an italian part, which
e '.rr fu!! ard vivid. but there IS also
NcW England ra"t. which will not be over
looked We find recalled here the HAPPY
valley Of N" Charles" of young Story's
day and "sre the whole little society, in the
ight Of the decent manners OF the time,
as CARRYING out, with studies, emotions,
pnthusilsms. with condolences in short,
sll shared. the dim Arcadian appearance
with which they beset us. II they were
pleased with themselves and each other
they We're pleased for the most part with
everything else. from Go ethe to Lydia
Maria Child Lowell was among them
tho most critical spirit; but even Lowell
conceived that this lady, of all American
women who have yet put their minds into
print, has shown the most of what can
truly be called genius Which might,
indeed, in those blessed years, very pleas
an'ly be: the question had stin the advan-
tage Of not becoming urgent
Mr.. James knows how to have his gentle
fun out Of the subject. Among the earliest
MI $v,ov
These please Mr.. James as being peculiarly
full Of character Ifthe value OF letter
for posterity, he says. depends on the in
'ensity with which this personal color at
taches, Sumner easily remains inimitable.
Especially instructive on the point Of char
acter, without question. is a letter from
Sumner to Judge Story. W. W. Story's
father. 1t was written in Paris in 1898,
when Sumner was 20 years old, and treats
comparatively Of the great cemeteries of
Paris and Boston. 4 have just como in
from that immense city of the dead Pere-
la-Chaise," it says. II have wandered
round among its countless monuments,
have read its characteristic inscriptions
and gazed on the memorials raised to
genius and virtue and merit The guide
who conducted me assured me that there
were more than $1,000 monuments They
are as thick and close as corn that grows
In the field; tomb touches tomb and monu-
ment adjoins upon monument"
We wonder just what Mr.. Justice Story's
impressions were when he opened young
Summers letter, perhaps at the breakfast
table, and found it starting of in this fashion
hot
his to go further you may ask then, pro-
ceeded young Sumner. how Pere-la- Chaise
compares with Mount Auburn. can answer
easily. There is an interest which Pere-la-
Chaise possesses which Mount Auburn has
not yet acquired, and hope long years will
pass away before it can assume this melan-
cho!y crown. Everywhere in the former
you see the memorial which marks the
resting place Of some man whose very
name causes the blood to course quickly
through the veins; your eyes rest on the
modest tomb Of Talma. and then on the more
attractive monument Of Laplace, and finally
on the cluster of proud erections under
which repose in peace the Marshals of
Napoleon. Look In any direction and you
will meet somc name already consecrated
on the page Of history"
A fine place OF its kind. deserving to be
celebrated as carefully as Addison celebrated
Westminster Abbey Justice shall be done
to it before judgment is finally rendered
in favor OF the home metropolis. Here
Indeed IS source OF thrilling interest;
to think Of treading the ground which is
sown with the dust Of these children Of
fame Ia enough to fill the mind; and then
the eye is occupied by the various shapes
which are contrived for marble. And yet
as a place OF mourning, to be visited by
the pious steps of friends and kindred,
give me our Mount Auburn. clad in the
russell dress Of nature, with it's simple
memorials scattered here and there. it's
beautiful paths and it's overshadowing
grove. Nature has done as much for
Mount Auburn as man has for Pere-la-
Chaise, and need not tell you how superior
is the workmanship Of nature
Of course. Mr.. James has his character
istic comment suggested by this letter.
THE voice of Boston rings nowhere clearer
and richer" and Summers ir~S,vidual
voice, always so personal. often so almost
comical.- We should like to give some
idea Of the Italian part of the picture, but
that is too rich and overlooking a field
20 be treated passingly. "The Greek Slave,
so undressed. yet SO refined, even so pen
sive, in sugar-white alabaster. exposed
under little domed glass covers in such
American homes as could bring them
selves to think such things right that
ia an alusion and recollection Of Mr.. James's
in considering the early American sculptors
in Italy. But we must forego the Italian
part, including the Brownings and the
siege Of Rome.
Story was back in Boston for while
trying to renew his original business Of
the law He was not happy. It was in
1855 that he wrote to Lowell Of Boston:
We love nothing, we criticise everything.
Even the very atmosphere is critical. Every
twig Ia intensely defined against the sky.
The sky itself is hard and distant. Earth
takes never the hue of its heaven. The
heart grows into stone. The devil side
If enthusiasm Grritability) possesses us.
There is no hearty love of anything, for we
arr afraid Of making a mistake.
v har do you think have been about these
three months7 Why. writing LAWN Little
and Browns back room, | have actually
written about four hundred pages in that
lime to add to a new edition Of my Con
tracts and I feel like a wet rag after II.
Heaps Of new books are out, but
I.,,k