The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-30
SOME NEW BOOKS.
(harming Memories of Many Euro
pcnu CITIES.

VcNU Ctt1es.
This is the life" one feels like ex-
o'e.irning upon finishing Mrs. ELIZABETH
ROBINS PENNELL's charming volume OF
reminiscences called Nights tLippin-
cott). How perfectly delightful pow
erty and art. youth and enthusiasm, !,
theories of life and conversation about
the theories can I've is shown by Mrs. |
Pcnnell's account os her journeys with
psr husband and their joint conversa-
lions with their friends Such inter-
esting people wander in and out Of the
pages-vedder. Duveneck. Whistler.
Henley. Rob Stevenson, Henry 'Har-
land. Aubrey Beardsley. Frederick
Sandys. Walter Crane. BERNARD Shaw.
Sir Henry Norman. Mary +. Robin.
son. Mrs. Meynell. Phil May. Rosa
mund Marriott Watson. George Moore.
This last name brings to mind how
differently Mrs. Pencil deals with her
friends and acquaintance from the
way adopted by the last named author.
whose three volumes Of reminiscence
leave hardly one single reputation un-
furnished. There is an anecdote afioat
of a certain MIR. Bailey Of Dublin, who
speaks Of himself az the only man In
Ireland whom George Moore spared.
Indeed n wonders where. after the
publication Of his three volumes. that
,uckless author could look for friends
or acuuaintances. but there Is not one
wounding word in all Mrs. Pennells
memories. and those who have seen
her walk. benign. gentle. tolcrantly
smiling among the literati Of London.
1nd the same sane. wholesome. hig
hearted. keen minded temper In her
book.
The only adequate review OF q de-
lightful n book would be to quote IL
from end to end: but since that IL i'm
possible the next best way is to note
as much as possible. for 1t II not In
the power Of the average man to he as
pleasant in print as is Mrs. Pennen.
The book opens with an apologize for
the European trip undertaken by two
apparently penniless artists. who had
the hardihood to marry n start to
Europe at a time when the trip abroad
was the symbol of pleasure and a
comfortably assured income. But"
NJ she assures us. 'all misleading as
was the impression made to all whom IL
did not concern. We ourselves could
imagine it no holiday for us. To- ac-
ccpt II rs the symbol OF the correct
Philadelphia income" For it was
from one of the very correct Phila-
delphia families that this young bride
started out to sec Europe from a
tandem tricycle. with her artist hus-
band and to write magazine articles
while he made pictures. In the tell
ing too 1t all sounds SO joyous and
high spirited and gay. 1t makes our
drab. gray days seem meagre and
anRmic. Why cannot we all be ar
lists in Rome. in Venice. in Paris.
Yet in one tiny sentence quite hid
den and unimportant in the general
text Mrs. Pencil admits that there
were days of black despair. There
must surely have been some struggles
before she had un~learned. as she says
she had 70. a. that she had been
taught to think IN Philadelphia. But
after all the story begins very gayly
with the many and definite commits
sions which sent the young bridal
couple of to Europe. the bride al
ready a contributor to the Atlantic
Monthly n the brid max
Ing drawings for the Century. And
after all. she says. IF know
i parts OF Europe fairly well an,
indebted, not to the fashionable nea :
M taking waters, not to following
the approved routes of travel. not
to meeting my fellow coun,rymen in
hotels as like as two peas no matter
how different the capitals to which
they belong. not to any fatuous pref
erence of another country 10 my own,
but TO the work that brought us to
England and the Continent and has
kept lis there, with fresh commission
ever since"
The author looks back thirty vea-s
and sees herself and H." tIoseph Pen
relD on an absurd, old fashioned. Iona
superaGnuated rotary tandem tricycle.
riding along winding roads and lanes
the hedgerows and under The
elm English prose and verse had lona
sinre made familiar; IN and ont of it'll,
"a or red villages clustered rount
the old church tower: passing through
great towns of many factories and high
smoke belching ~Chlmress. hating foi
months under the shadow of some ole
castle or cathedral that had ieen ap.
pointed ono of the stations ON the lon
pilgrimage. II was M. and Mrs. Pen.
nell who practically discovered lie Puv
''NN WI tHl'uEH EIoNtU'P Hlf
~lIcardy. under the gray skies ~
Flanders, through the rich pasture.
OF BOurhonnais. They rode a neat
compact Humber tandem tricycle. ,ol
bicyclc) along the white aiezag road
tt3t lead to grim Hill towns in Ita!s
or through Vineyards and valleys an,
felds where white, wide horned oxs,
pulled the plough. humping over tn,
stones of old Roman roads and partN.
with the tandem only for long, wonder
ful stops in toms and Venice. Per
.faps If DESTINY allowed one to go gu
and choose a life 10 live Mrs. Pen
nells would he about the best one I,
he picked up, We all wanted to speN,
the ummer in Eli2abeth's German
Garden once, as well as To make he
trip round IN" Island Of Rugen; an,
we all wanted To he the recipient O
1.afcadio IIearn'S wonderful letters L
Elizabeth Risland: and we would mos
OF us like 10 have gone to conven
school with Agnes Repplier and heel
the Egeria of the Young English poet
a was Mrs. Meynell. or have live,
with the Tre-Itaphaelites like Mrs
Burac-JOnes in the days Of the earl
Fcs. But perhaps best of all woul
Il have been to nave chosen ElizahetI
Tennells fate ~ have wandered owe