New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-27

Through no fault OF its own. Irish literature
has come, in recent years, TO mean WEAKNESS
and even evaporation to the reviewer. II mas
fallen into the hands Of parcel OF deliberately
roetic persons VINO. with their eyes IN a me
Celtic frenzy rolling have done their best TO
oersuade the world that the only good thing
ever brought out OF literary Ireland is an affair
~ nor,po,,s mysticism. It is special pleasure
therefore 10 read a book like that which the
Hon Emily Lawless has written ABOUT Maria
rdpeworth whose novels of Irish life have
nothing esoterio about them but are SIMPLY DTS
c< genuine literature. and whose personality re-
mains merely human and delightful. The
author Of this monograph never loses slgnt OIL
the fact that Miss Edgeworth had absolutely
rothinc in common with the professional author
re our own time, but born for the comes
,fcitirx SO TO say and wrote just as she ala Il
dozen other things in the course OF a oay hleu
with the pleasures and Responsiveness Oh '0ii4iiS
life Castle Rackrent'' may appeal TO the
reader with the charm of a work or arr but the
woman who wrote it did not stop to THINK Oh
herself as an artist She was happy just De-
cause size was the daughter of Richard LoNe'
Fdeeworth, because her home was in Ireland
because the brothers and sisters under heF
fathers roof were the most lovabie OF com
pan!ons. because she had hosts of FRIENDS anu
because in the midst of all this, it was exclthg
and interesting to put pen TO paper. il an inc
long list OF writers cornmemorated IN the Eng
Tsh Men of Letters series there is not one VINO
conveys more wildly than Maria EdgewoFth
ihe impression Of lie lived in simple JOY from
beginning 10 end
Pv ali the laws Of logic she should have been
miserable Richard Edgeworth her father was
certainly one of the oldest men in perioo
when eccentricity was generally allowed TO give
stseIf free play He was very much OF marry
ing man. and died the father Of seventeen chill
d-eu He had all sorts Of tyrannical ways Inc
author of Stamford and Merton was one ol
his intinnatea and he shared some of the austere
traits of that formidable disciplinarian In
his household Of children his word was law. ana
he had prejudlces against poetry ana similar
sources Of innocent pleasure which ought
naturally TO have caused his most gifted daugh-
ter acute distress. But the sweet natured Maria
loved him with tender and abiding love- ana
uas indeed so devoted to her despot that she
hore. evidently with cheerfulness. not only his
ordinary foibles, but his active interference
with her work. His views on education seemed
10 her very wise; she had patience with MS III
era-y ideas and accepted his editorial assist
ance ~ without q murmur. Your modern
author. insisting upon the necessity of an in
violable den, and mounting the tripod IKE any
sublime oracle. could not understand. we sup
pose. how this unaffected woman managed 10
uroduce her work. Says the author of the book
before Us:
we are told 10 allow his children TO participate
n MS own occupations, and therepy to proHt by
suit Of literature for any other purpose, was
or Books we're wTi33e At her own corner Of
the table in the libTary-which was the common
family and the lessons of the children. Less So
cally disposed authors may pity her Tor Suea MN IN
certain that she did not pity herself
Way should she have done So That stately
parent CT hers was, after all, far from being
unsympathetc. On the contrary, he seems
really 10 have encouraged his daughters liter
ary ambitions. and if sometimes his we'll meant
ADVICE had q rather blghting influence upon her
work. it rio not prevent her writing certain
books which are of her own individuality all
compact Moreover she had in the Ireland OF
her day some of the richest material which has
ever been placed ready 10 the hand Of novelist
ot manners She came home from school in
1882 and the squire. her father, took her about
with him in his daily life at Edgeworthstown.
giving her every opportunity while still in her
teens 70 make the acquaintance OF the most
diverse types. The troubles of SO brought anx-
ieties for Maria with them, but no really grave
crisis All her life long, in fact she was fort
unate woman, fate leaving her free 70 observe
with calnaness the people and events out Of
which her books were 10 be made. She could
even jest about the perils Of her time '.Au that
crave. Tor my own part" she says In one OF her
letters. "is that il I am to have my throat c1I+
it may not be by a man with his face blackened
with charcoal" She trenbled now and then for
her fathers safety, when the rebels were abroad
out she seems never to have trembled for her
own Her correspondence. from which Miss
Da"iess gives many extracts hitherto uupub-
HsEed' Is always light hearted. II is the most
afiiess correspondence in the world and to quote
nom il is to cite not the author OF the novels
bol me woman concerning herself less with lit
ereture than with the things OF everyday exist
snee- Witness this fragment from commune
cation sent TO tie family nousekeeper. Mrs Ri1-
lAnore. when that functionary was avav me-,
visit: 1p'
xhs-e he was r9gt sway yesterday from your tree
Vas % oowardly that he did not dare "a mil p;
sne tie pig espisSg h for round and round him
soz on eating eulety-so roared out OF nv win.
y sst there snyb22dy alive In the back yarde"
n run and drive the pig away that IS rant
Hs az Mrs. Bill Riilamore's tree" nat - Tou'-
wsistcoat which know he is scp e ns yellow ,
ste1sd o.t ne ran out instantly and cursed and
Prince grew woadrous brave ana ana "hs squSsaked
''i""sA l1e gale in triumph. eN MN
John Lanean says that Mistress Re,i,rooro I'LL,
xoos snd sA wnsn she hears that the master has
Iisaer. instead Of three pound FIVE for ybieb
dear IL 10 I %a oarg5ined for it. But Kitty nv
v6e he oa ase seen how happy Pat carro looked
sllusved him Ibst 10 1 pay ms rent and my father
before as Z, hches shorter and though he fookead
crestsa II ne mad never smiled since he a'Cheo
and 80 nc then smiled without power n b., " a.
sou saw oo s@dn WIN as Sunshiny a face as evnr
'aAoiora IN the three counties '-eS 10Y the best
we nave said that the letters reflect t,,o 49,,
sh rather than the author, yet II ,vs. 9, .