New-York tribune., 1904-10-22

Rider Haggwd's Story of the Cross
and the Crescent.

,z.aTPTcr OF VENICE. BY Max Pemberton
i2mo pp. SlS Dodo' Mead 8 O.. 20. ,,,,r, en-
.,-E4FF CLOSED BOOK CONCERNING THE ~; SE-
cRET OF THE BoRSIAs; bS so 1hs The Ssy smart
william Ie oueuz, lzmo' pp' o'' A"'
--,,g pEAPFR- Bv Edith Rickert l2mO. pp. sal
BOughton. Mifin 90.
srhe literary career Of Mr.. Rider Haggaro mas
been marked by uncommonly interesting oeNel-
opnents Begun some twenty years 0eO 49,
,..,,,os among which King Solomon's Mines
ana s.she" We're especially conspicuous y pm pioll
,ssa 40 be the career Of an essentially auoaeious
-,-,,noer. Those who followed il were asked 10
No,,ere IN AL manner OF extraordinary charao-
- ana adventures On the whole, they "e'e
-,-;IlIr, 70 believe at least while the glamour u
che nrsnted page actually rested upon thenn' Io'
they saw that MI Haggard was one Oh 'Nose =
,,ho7n the magic powers Of the born story 'elief
,,slonp Yet they were disposed 10 murrnur no"
and then against what they coula not O"'
eRrd as q kind OF sensationalsm IN ms "oiN'
Meanwhile he began 10 show signs OF ha'"s
more than one string 20 his bow IN 'Ne go
aVa he coIlaborated with Andrew Lang IN inc
,--s,,Dr- os .sThe Worlds Desire a novel SO
b.nnilv rev-.ving the charm Of the antique worla
.,., 4. ,,,pg. never 20 have been allowed 10 iai4
s,to neglect and some TWO or three years ago
l,a uroved with hts ''Lysbeth," that ne oouio
treat as effectively OF historic Holland as ne H"u
treated Of the mysteries Of barharic A4ilo@
rooa travel book and some capital STUDIES "a
farming IN England came about TINS tIilie ~
rive further demonstration Of his FeTsaI''s -l.iu
sound craftsmanship. and now we nave IN Ino
Brethren" stil another hlusir@l'on "a ms
notable resourcefulness.
a. "a ,aoau the growth OF this wIster we are
,srt,oulsrly struck by one circumstance. His
.,el,tv has rneuowe6, his art has oecome
stronger and simpler. In what we may can ms
African DAYS II was the fashion TO deny ll@'
IA had any art at all We need not lhrash tl9'
ois straw over again. IT Is more to the point
"a Law stress upon the clearly artistic merits oI
The Brethren" They are the merits OF liie oiu
school OF the men Ike Scott ana Dumas VIM
were content 10 weave fabric OF pFa'e ~
rnance. 20 tell q story in which knightly laineS
rbonla be done and love meet with its due re-
ward. Those humane masters had no room III
their hooks. as they had no time in their hNes'
for grand. gloomy and peculiar vapors. They
laughed the morbid metaphysician to scorn'
They loved life best when it was at its bright
est. and they were wont TO paint il with a iIee'
elastic brush. Mr.. HaGgard now follows IN ihe'T
footsteps necessarily a long way on since ne
wants their creative genius and their rich po-
etc vein; but his emulation of their truly ro-
mantle spirit is sincere and it is fruitful
Nothing could be more picturesque than hls
central motive. His story opens in England put
81 n laio IN the Gays OF Sd4aG4ll' anu NiAO e'~N-
IS soon transferred to the scene Of that historic
conflict in which the Crescent bore down upon
the Cross and the streets Of the Holy City were
frod IA triumph by the Moslem hosts. The hero
sne 81 the daughter Of a British knight who
stole Ealadin's sister from the East and married
her. The great warrior has never forgiven the
theft. but in a dream he sees the niece whom
he has never seen I'm the flesh. and he gathers
from his vision that the girl is 10 play an i'm
portant part in the working out OF his destiny.
Whereupon he resolves that she shall be brought
10 him. whether by fair means or foul, and with
this decision the novelist has the material for
his story ready 10 his hand. He provides his
Rosamund with two cousins. the English Wulf
and Goodwin, who are The Brethren" OF his
title, and when the heroine IS torn from her
fathers house by the enissaries OF Saladin he
causes the two young knights, both passionately
in love with her, 10 take ship and proceed to
the rescue. OF the adventures that follow this
novel is made. The adventures are exciting
and the novel is well written. 8Ir. Eaggard tells
his tale IN the good old fashioned manner. with
leisure, and in a chivalrc strain. There is
faint touch Of the archaic about his diction here
and there. Under some circumstance this would
mean an unwelcome SAVIOR OF artiaciality. But
the authors mood communicates itself 10 the
reader. the latter takes The Brethren" as he
Mr.. Pemberton has gone back to the closing
months Of the Venetian Republic for the ma
terial OF his animated romance. Il was time
Of plot and oounterplot when the decadent
rulers OF the sea-borne city turned 10 treachery,
falsehood and assassination as the only avail
able weapons against the conqueTing Bonaparte
Meciaeval cruelty still claimed its wretche9 vic
tins In Venetian dungeons; JrGri stin lay IN
wait TO slaughter the object of a coward's
hatred. woman's caprice. Men disappeared"
and were heard Of no more, for prisons and
lagoons We're equally silent. Mystery and mur-
Ger tainted the soft damp air-and the careless
Joyous people went on amusing themselves, con-
WINGED that nothing seriously evil could ever
happen TO the republic they loved. but had not
The energy TO defend Here is a situation PRO-
Hiding no END Of blood curdling incidents for the
novelist. and Ar. PEN nberton has made the most
of IT, The gallant youug French soldier who
plays the hero steps from one danger into an
other In the process Of carrying out the plans of
his aoored General, and he comes through them
al as by miracle. The heroine is wen drawn
and is. in truth, a finer creature than one ex-
poets 70 find I'm ordinary romance. She Is a
woman OF a really noble type, a patriot strong
10 dare and To suffer Tor her country. The
author gives her the amplest opportunities, and
she even accomplishes the seemingly impossible
--NF - ny = SeAN vi i9lAsdii-
The sentimental part OF the book is less effective
than are its hairbreadth escapes. its fights and
SIS drama Of political intrigue
All the excitement that could wei be cot on,
DN''SN DS@suie ana an extraordinarily viru-
lent poison 81. lie Queux has gathered into The
pages OF MS new novel The story is f,I os
shocks and 'eyeopeners." Il ranges hack into
the Middle Ages for its machinerv. for the
poison is that of the conE enient Borsias. and The
richest OF the treasures are the fair Lucrezia,s