The Washington herald., 1909-06-06
BOOKS AND THEIR MAKERS

crafty a certain morbidity OF taste which 4
has recently arisen and which cannot 4
but do harm 70 the native literature.
THE LIGHT OF STARS by Hattie Donovan
Bohaunou, containing also THE CRossMANs. by |
the same author New York; R. +. Fenno 4 Co.
The Southland. in fact. Texas. Is the
very appropriate setting for this charm
ing story by Miss BohannOn- The book
breathes the idyllic and romantic atmos- /
phere Of the South as It best likes 20 be
known. The tale is a simple one, but
contains great vitality and steadfsstness
Of purpose. The hero, Robert March. IS
an admirable conception, and Is shown in
the light OF the awakening Of a serious
temperament through experiences OF a
quickening nature Both for its novelty
OF theme and setting and its fragrant
simplicity The Light of Stars Is wei
come addition to the book shelf.
A MAN WITHOUT PRINCIPLE. BY Retsel Ter
rsye Norfolk: The Hooking Publishing Company.
The story OF criminal who conquered
the prejudices Of a society over which ne
was ultimately called 20 rule
ARE THE DEAD ALIVE by Fremont Rider
New York: B. W. Dodge Co.
The question that the thought Of the
world is asking psychical research and
the answer 1t receives
THE CHIPPENDALES By Robert Grant New
York: Charles saibneT'r Sons.
A closely written book full Of matter,
F, amusing from cover to cover.
A DRAMA IN SUNSHINE. by horace Annesley
vaehsn. New York: R. f. Fenno 4 Co.
Another OF those tales OF old Califor-
MIA, which tells a dramatic story in a set
| ting Of romantic atmosphere.
THE EGOTIsTs. By James Huneker. New YORK:
Charles scribrer's Sons.
/ Now comes the latest in James
/ Huneker's galaxy He has given us The
! InconOclasts. The MeIOmaniacs'' and
THE Visionaries.'' and now ne entertains
US with The Egoists," embracing a num-
Der Of men who during so-called modern
times have attracted by the splendor OF
/ their inteiecJs. and yet repelled by some
! grotesQue, vulgar, or morbid twist Of
/ mentality. the list including Henry Boyle
! Stendal, Baudelaire. Flaubert. Anatole
/ France. Maurice BaTes. Nietzshe. Earn
/ est Hello. William Blake. Ibsen, and Max
| Stirner, a generally eccentric list, with
! individual cases in some instances not
/ very well known. and IN all instances not
I generally well understood. by the mass
/ OF readers. and also. in most instances.
they are the supposed orIginators OF some
! philosophy. vague or otherwise which
/ has become the basis OF some modern
cult, which latter seems TO be the chief
reason for Mr.. HunekeT's dissertations.
| and he certainly Is successful IN throwing
! considerable light on the various subjects.
Aside from the generally interesting
quality Of the book. which is really
made up OF a number Of essays hitherto
| published in various periodicals. there
are several remarkable things One IS
! recurrence IN a goOdly number OF the
/ articles Of illusions 10 a master spirit
OF other classes, particularly Napoleon
and Shakespeare. In the first mentioned.
/ the character Of the observations vary
from what these celebrities thought OF
said Of the great conqueror 10 what he
thought or said OF them; In the latter
case they are confined 20 their estimates
OF his drama and poetry Another in
teresting feature I'm this day OF the SUI
: premacy Of the Ibsen drama IS the aU-
thors dilatiOn upon the works OF that
! remarkable man, especial attention ac-
cruing 10 his estimate by reason Of his
= high standing as a dramatic critic He
says: 'Ideal:stic. symbolistic. moral, and
ennobling. the Ibsen drama was so viii
fed by malice and ignorance that its
very name was a portent Of evil Mad
or wicked Ibsen Is not His scheme OF
life is often obliqUe and paradoxical, his
Interpretation OF truths so clliptical that
we are confused But he is essentially
sound"
In conjunction with his own estimates
Mr.. HUneker quotes cOpiOusly from
friends enemies, and contemporaries OF
his subject. and therefrom comes some
of the most humorous things In the books
: as tending 10 show that II some esti
mates Of intellect and genius are az
faulty as some conceptions Of exact per
4 sonal appearance. they are OF little VALUE
except as transient amusement. When
' finely executed portrait is exhibited a.
a frontlspiece, and verbal descriptions q
I physiognOmy are given In the text. read
!, ers are very apt to compare the two
= and when St Beuves turned Up nose
,, of Steudhal IS attempted 20 be identi
e fed with the hawk beak depicted in III
\ picture the result can only be comedy
: We very much fear also that the Teu
tonic. Gallo, or Scandinavia comprehen
o sion Of the mind and work Of Shakes
l. pedre IS is uaDle 10 De distorted Dy ln
= minds eye" as was the physical visua
i, organs in the above instance. In othe
e words. Mr.. HUneker, being neither. bu
= rather cosmopolitan. would be most ap
, to give true expositions OF the genius o
e these men of varied nationalities thar
10 would even effusive friend and admirer
of the same nationality.
The essays are all IN the authors vel
\ known style. Nerging perhaps on sardoni
c humOr. and pushing In extreme cas-
- nearly to caricature. the style is awk
I ward at times. but always clear in h
- conclusion Although the majority o
! men written about undoubtedly belong [
:. what Mr.. Chuck COnnOrs would play
= fully designate as the bug class, ther
= is no evidence that Mr. Huneker has an
:, tendency or sympathy in the same direc
" ton. In view of the multitudinous cult
spTlnging Up. his work is highly educa
tional, but we do not believe, nor do W
impute any such belief TO Mr. Hunekel
that any OF them will exert any appre
ar ciable influence on human affair!
ST whether of politics. literature. or socis
ne institutions. They are mostly lesse
? lights. Giants like voltaire, Rossea,
a and Victor Hrgo really did the work
T. The Raven, the Love story Of Edga
m Allan Poe by George Hazelton. authC
10 Of Mistress Nell" &c. CNew York: /
y Appleton & CO)
: LITERARY NOTES.