No More Learning

Don John is
Such in outline is the story to which Dºn John, a novel by Jean Ingelow,


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236
SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
(
ness.
admirably written, bearing about it the observation and deep feeling, and the
same atmosphere of simplicity and nobil- exciting history of the rebellion led by
ity that surrounds this author's poems. O'Brien, make it very interesting. The
Though a mere mention of the chief in- Irish nature is typified in the golden-
cident implies a poverty of invention, the haired heroine, Ellen, daughter of Squire
book is really one of unusual freshness Daly; in Connor, her brother, who joins
of imagination. The delineation of char- the “Young Irelanders”; and in Cousin
acter is delightfully delicate and exact; Anne of “Good Peoples' Hollow," who,
and the skill with which the puzzle of heedless of the precepts of political econ-
identity is treated leaves the reader in omy, rules her tenants with lavish kind-
the desired mood of doubt to the end of
On the other hand, the careful
the excellent story.
foresight of the Saxon race is well por-
trayed in John Thornely, and in Pelham,
Duchess Emilia, The, is a romantic
the eldest son of Squire Daly, who in-
story of modern Italian life; the
herits English characteristics from his
plot, which turns upon a love affair, be-
mother.
ing complicated with certain religious
considerations, and with the problems of
re-incarnation. All the actors are Italian
Catharine Furze, " by Mark Ruther-
ford; edited by his friend Reuben
except one New-Englander, of a mysti-
Shapcott. ” Published in 1893, this book
cal turn. The action is continuous, the
opens with a description of Easthorpe,
characters are striking, and the interest
the market town of the English Eastern
of the reader is held.
Midlands, in 1840. The two inns are
patronized by landlords, farmers, tenants,
Chaplain of the Fleet, The, by Wal-
ter Besant and James Rice. (1881. )
and commercial travelers; especially on
election days. The story centres about
This story opens on the last day of the
the life of Mr. and Mrs. Furze, and their
year 1750, and gives a detailed account
of the famous Liberties or Rules of the
daughter Catharine aged about nineteen.
old Fleet prison in London, and of the
Mike Catchpole, by an accident in the
Fleet marriages. These «Rules) were
factory of Mr. Furze, loses his eyesight.
houses in certain streets near the Fleet
Catharine, with a sense of justice, insists
Market, where prisoners for debt were
that he shall be made an apprentice in the
allowed to live, outside the prison, on
business. The girl is sent to school to
payment of fees. Among these prisoners
the Misses Ponsonby, who are very strict
were clergymen, who performed clandes-
in their religious habits and manner of
tine marriages. A regular trade sprang
instruction, and whose pupils are ques-
up, touters were employed to bring cli-
tioned upon the weekly sermon by the
ents, and every species of enormity was
preacher, Mr. Cardew. He has not learned
practiced. Gregory Shovel was
one of
the art of being happy with his wife; and
these clergy, and so plumed himself on
when he meets Catharine they discuss
his success in this iniquitous traffic that
Milton, Satan, and the divine eternal plan.
he took the name of “Chaplain of the
Cardew's presence is inspiriting to her.
Fleet, which gives the book its title,
Tom Catchpole, a clerk in her father's
- the whole plot turning upon one of
store, worships Catharine from afar. At
these Fleet marriages. This novel is
last he confesses his love, and she refuses
considered one of the best of those writ-
him. After her return from school she
ten under the firm-name of Besant 'and
finds life utterly uninteresting, having no
Rice.
scope for her powers. When she falls ill
and fades away, Cardew is sent for :
Castle Daly, by Annie Keary. Castle she tells him that he has saved her. «By
Daly, the most popular of Annie their love for each other they were both
Keary's stories, was published in 1875. saved. ” She takes up her life once more,
It relates the fortunes of an English and and the book ends without a climax
an Irish family. The scene is laid in almost without incident. Written with
Connemara, Ireland, during the famine an almost heartless impersonality, it is a
of 1846 and the formation and insurrec- | striking portraiture of that English lower
tion of the party of “Young Irelanders » middle-class life which Matthew Arnold
in 1846-49. The impartial delineation pronounced so deadly for mind and soul.
of the strong and weak points of Cel- It might be called a tragedy of the un-
tic character, the combination of acute fulfilled.


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SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
237
on
Day of Doom, The, by Michael Wiggles-
worth. When this poem was pub-
lished in 1662, Michael Wigglesworth
was only thirty-one,- young enough to
have had greater compassion on the un-
baptized infants and others whom he
condemned to eternal punishment. The
Day of Doom: or, A Poetical Descrip-
tion of the Great and Last Judgment,
with a short Discourse about Eternity,'
was the full title of this grim poem.
The taste of our ancestors was strangely
shown by their quickly buying up nine
editions of this work in America, and two
in England. Its narrow theology and
severity of style gave it a charm for those
inflexible Puritans, to find which, we of
to-day look in vain. It is said to have
been the most widely read book in Amer-
ica before the Revolution. The modern
reader finds the verse mere sing-song, the
metaphors forced, and the general tone
decidedly unpleasant. Some of the pass-
ages meant to be most impressive have
become merely ludicrous, and it seems
incredible that it could ever have been
taken seriously. It is merely a rhymed
catalogue of the punishments to be vis-
ited on those whose ways of life, or whose
theology, differed from the theology or
ways of life of the bard.
Epistle to Posterity, An, by Mrs. M.
E. W. Sherwood, (1897,) is a series
of pleasant reminiscences of one who has
found life an enjoyable experiment,”
and who has had unusual facilities for
meeting interesting people. The author
explains that she greeted with joy the
first green books which emanated from
Boz and the yellow-colored Thackerays. ”
When she had finished her studies at Mr.
Emerson's private school in Boston, her
father took her with him upon a business
trip across the Wisconsin prairies, dur-
ing which she met Martin Van Buren.
Among the interesting homes which she
visited were Marshfield, where she paid
girlish homage to her great host, Daniel
Webster; and the home in Watertown,
Massachusetts, where she learned to love
Maria White, the gracious first wife of
James Russell Lowell. She saw much
of Boston society in the days of its great-
est literary fame, and had a glimpse of
the Brook Farm Community. When her
father was sent to Congress, she made her
début in Washington society; and was a
frequent attendant at the levees of Pres-
ident Polk and President Taylor. In
Washington she renewed her friendship
with Webster, and met Henry Clay, and
“many of the young heroes destined later
to be world-renowned,” — Farragut,
Lee, Zachary Taylor, “and a quiet little
man who shrank out of sight,” known
later on as U. S. Grant. The conclusion
of the volume, the narration of her wed-
ding trip to the West Indies in the early
fifties; of her different trips to Europe,
including her presentation at the English
and the Italian courts; and of contem-
porary New York society,—though ani-
mated and anecdotal, is less interesting
than her pictures of social life in the Bos-
ton, Washington, and New York of forty
years ago.
Friend Olivia, by Amelia E. Barr. Mrs.
Barr possesses the rare talent of pro-
ducing in her stories that elusive quality
called «atmosphere. Whether reading of
Knickerbocker days, of the times of Bor-
der warfare, or, as in the present case, of
Roundhead and Cavalier, of Charles Stu-
art in Paris and Cromwell at Hampton
Court, one loses touch with the present,
to become for the time thoroughly imbued
with the charm of ancient story. ” (Friend
Olivia) deals with the last months of the
Protector's Commonwealth; with the op-
pression of the Quakers under the leader-
ship of the eloquent George Fox; with the
tragedies produced by unrest and suspi-
cion when religious intolerance flourished,
and political differences separated fam-
ily and friend: a dark background for a
charming love story — that of the modest
Quakeress, Olivia Prideaux, and her chival-
rous neighbor Nathaniel, only son of Baron
and Lady Kelder, strong advocates of
Cromwell and bitter enemies of the “cant-
ing » Quakers with their so-called affecta-
tions of dress and manner. The story is
laid in the coast village of Kelderby. In
those quiet streets pass the participants
in tragic scenes: the pirate and outlaw
John de Burg, his beautiful sister Anasta-
tia, and her hated husband; Roger Pri-
deaux on his way to prison, and others
no less noteworthy; and there, finally, as
on a miniature stage, are witnessed all
the scenes of humiliation, of hopes crushed
and expectations realized, when Cromwell
dies and King Charles returns to his own.
Donovan, a novel of modern English
life, by Edna Lyall, has for its sub-
ject a man's spiritual struggles from doubt
to faith. The hero, Donovan Farrant,
is well drawn, if somewhat conventional
2
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238
SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
sons
sons.
means
in character. The book obtained great
popularity and still enjoys it, especially
in England. "We Two) is a sequel to
(Donovan. )
Patronage, by Maria Edgeworth. (1814. )
This novel was written for a pur-
pose; and the moral is apparent through-
out, and amply illustrated in almost every
character in the book.
Mr. Percy, a sensible English gentle-
man of the present time, brings up his
and daughters to depend upon
themselves for syccess in life, and not
upon the patronage of influential per-
The result is most gratifying: the
sons all succeed in their different pro-
fessions by their own efforts, and the
daughters marry well through no efforts
of their own, but according to their
merits. Mr. Falconer, Mr. Percy's am-
bitious cousin, also has a large family;
but he seeks the patronage of Lord Old-
borough to further the advancement of
his sons, and uses various diplomatic
to establish his daughters well
in the social world. In spite of the
unceasing efforts of Mr. Falconer, and
the decidedly questionable proceedings
of his wife, none of their children do
them credit; and patronage without ear-
nestness of purpose and high ideals
proves a failure.
The story is rather tedious, and there
is no hero or heroine in whom the in-
terest centres. Occasional incidents, and
the love affairs of the young members
of both families, enliven the narrative;
but for the rest, the story is justly con-
sidered inferior to her other works.
Master of Ballantrae, The, by Robert
Louis Stevenson, published 1889,
is a Scotch romance of the eighteenth
century, beginning with the Stuart up-
rising of 1745. It is a sombre tragedy
of the enmity of two brothers, of whom
the elder, James Durrie the Master, takes
the side of King Charlie; the younger,
Henry, that of King George. Alison
Graeme, a kinswoman with a fortune, is
intended for the wife of the Master; but
on his going to join the Stuart and being
believed dead, she is married to Henry,
without loving him. The tale is narrated
mostly by the steward of Ballantrae, John
MacKellar, who is devoted to the house
and to Henry Durrie, whose nobility, set
beside the wickedness of his brother, he
realizes to the full. After the marriage
appears Chevalier Burke, a companion of
the Master, to say that he is not dead;
Burke narrates their wanderings, which
include an episode on a pirate ship and
adventures among Indians in the wilds
of New York. MacKellar then takes up
the tale, describing the persecutions suf-
fered by Mr. Henry, whose brother first
writes to demand a large sum of money;
then returns, impoverished and disgraced,
to his paternal home, where he foments
trouble between Henry and his wife.
Finally, goaded by the Master's insults,
Henry fights a duel with him and leaves
him for dead; but he is carried off to
sea by smugglers and recovers, remain-
ing away for some time, and traveling
in India, as is communicated by Burke.
Then the Master reappears with Secun-
dra Dass, an East-Indian, whom he has
made his creature; whereupon Henry and
his wife and children betake themselves
secretly to New York, where Mrs. Dur-
rie owns an estate, leaving the Master at
Ballantrae in the charge of MacKellar.
James soon finds out his brother's where-
abouts and pursues him, keeping to his
tactics of persecution. Arrived there, he
does all he can to harm Henry, who is
installed in a position befitting his rank.
False news from Scotland to the effect
that the Master, though a rebel, is to
have his title restored, which will cut off
Henry's son from the succession, leads
the younger brother to concoct a plan
whereby James, who intends going to
the northern wilderness to regain pirate
treasure he has buried there, shall be
led to his death. The Master for a time
outwits the party of adventurers who at-
tend him, with the purpose of first get-
ting the treasure, then making away with
their nominal leader. Finally, to escape
them, he feigns death and is buried by
Secundra Dass, who puts him in a state
of suspended animation.
When Henry
and his party seek the grave, they find
the Indian digging up the buried Master,
who lives long enough to open his eyes,
at which vital sign his brother falls dead.
Thus the fraternal enemies lie at last in
one grave in the western wilderness.
David Balfour; Being Memoirs of His
ADVENTURES AT HOME AND ABROAD),
by Robert Louis Stevenson, was published
in 1893. A sequel to Kidnapped, this
novel follows the further fortunes of
David Balfour. When the story opens
David is about to attempt the escape of
his friend, Alan Breck Stewart, from
1
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SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
239
Scotland; and to aid Stewart's brother,
Expansion of England, The, by J. R.
unjustly imprisoned on a charge of mur- Seeley. (1883. ) In this volume Pro-
der. At this critical juncture he falls fessor Seeley attempts, in effect, to shift
in love with Catriona Drummond, whose the point of view of his countrymen as
father, James More Drummond, is a to the boundaries of the history of Eng-
plausible scoundrel. David's efforts to land. It is not a single island that they
help Alan and his brother bring about should contemplate, but a world empire,
his own imprisonment, but not until he which can be compared with, and meas-
has seen Alan safely into France. After ured by, only the two great powers of
his release he goes to Holland, where he the future, Russia and the United States.
lives with Catriona without marriage. Part first deals with the history of Eng-
Her father interfering, the two are sepa- land with relation to its colonies and the
rated; but by the intervention of Alan United States. The writer complains
Stewart they meet again in Paris, where that an arbitrary arrangement of reigns
they are married.
is apt to confuse our sense of the con-
The novel throughout is in the roman- tinuity of events. Let us, he says, get
tic vein; written with Stevenson's sim- rid of such useless headings as Reign of
plicity and clearness, and artistic in Queen Anne, Reign of George III. , and
construction.
make divisions founded on some real
stage of progress in the national life;
Albion's England, by William Warner looking onward, not from king to king,
(1586): a collection of poetical nar- but from great event to great event. If
ratives or ballads, many of them legend- we study its causes, every event puts on
ary rather than authoritative, relating to the character of a development; and this
the history of England from the origi- | development is a chapter in the national
nals of the first inhabitants thereof unto history. From 1688 to 1815, Mr. Seeley
the Raigne of Queen Elizabeth. ” So finds the formative events to have been
runs the sub-title. In reality the narra- foreign wars, beneath whose stormy sur-
tive begins with the Deluge. The poem face he looks for the quiet current of
was promptly suppressed by the Star
progress. He finds the clue he wants in
Chamber, presumably on the score of the fact that almost all these wars in-
indelicacy; but it has been repeatedly re- volved French interests; and that “The
printed, the last edition being Crawford's whole period stands out as an age of
in 1854. During the sixteenth and seven- gigantic rivalry between England and
'teenth centuries it enjoyed great popular- France; the expansion of England in
ity. Though Meres tells us that he has the New World and Asia is the formula
heard Warner termed «by ye best wits
which sums up for England the history
of both our universities (our English of the eighteenth century,- the great
Homer,) » his master work is tedious and decisive duel between the two nations
turgid at best, and frequently lapses into for the possession of the New World. ”
doggerel. The episode of Argentile and Her colonies having been planted at a
Curan is the most famous in the book. tremendous sacrifice of money, energy,
The princess Argentile succeeds to the and life, he would have them held as
throne of Northumberland, on the death a vital part of the parent State, not as
of her father Adelbright, under the ward- | “possessions. ” “We must cease to think
ship of Edel. The latter seeks to win her that emigrants, when they go to colo-
hand. But she has another lover in a nies, leave England, or are lost to Eng-
servant of her household, who is in real- land.
When we have accustomed
ity the Danish Prince Curan. He has ad- ourselves to contemplate the whole em-
opted this subterfuge to woo her. Edel, pire together, and call it all England,
discovering the mutual love of the young we shall see that here too is a United
people, forces Curan to quit her service; States; here too is a great homogeneous
and he becomes a neatherd. Argentile, to people
but dispersed over
escape her guardian's importunities, flees
boundless space.
If we are dis-
from the palace and becomes a neatherd's posed to doubt whether any system can
maid. Curan wooes and wins her, and be devised capable of holding together
leads a revolt against the wicked Edel, communities so distant from each other,
who is vanquished and put to death. then is the time to recollect the history
Curan and Argentile then become king of the United States. They have solved
and queen of Northumberland.
this problem. ”
a


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240
SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
-a
ever
as
as
The second half of the book contains
eight lectures, chiefly given to the
Indian empire, explaining the necessity
of the conquest; the manner of the
English governance of that empire,
study in which he affirms boldly that if
a universal feeling of nationality
arises there, England cannot and should
not preserve her dominancy; the mutual
influence of England and India; the suc-
ceeding phases in the conquest; the in-
ternal dangers that threaten the stability
of British control in the East; and
finally, the condition of public opinion
concerning the modern British empire.
In a delightful manner, and with large
resources of scholarship, Professor Seeley
shows the continuity of the development
of England, the orderly sequence and
significance of her failures as well as
her successes, and the way in which the
story of her past should be made in-
structive for her future. And in con-
clusion he has this admirable deliverance,
which every reader may lay to heart:
«I am often told by those who, like
myself, study the question how history
should be taught, "Oh, you must, before
all things, make it interesting. "
But the word interesting does not prop-
erly mean romantic. That is interest-
ing, in the proper sense, which affects
interests, which closely concerns
us, and is deeply important to us. I
have tried to show you that the his-
tory of modern England from the be-
ginning of the eighteenth century is
interesting in this sense, because it is
pregnant with great results, which will
affect the lives of ourselves and
children and the future greatness of our
country. Make history interesting, in-
deed! I cannot make history more
interesting than it is! . . . And there-
fore when I meet a person who does
not find history interesting, it does not
occur to me to alter history, -I try to
alter him. ”
or
laid in 1768, by a John Murray, who
retired from service as a lieutenant of
marines, and bought out a bookselling
business at No. 32 Fleet Street. The
second and the great Murray was a boy
of fifteen at his father's death in 1793,
but two years later he began his pub-
lishing career, at first with his father's
shop man a partner; but a drone
of a partner was not to his mind, and
from March 23d, 1803, he was alone.
His first attempt to deal with an author
gave the key note to a career of un-
exampled distinction, when he wrote :
“I am honestly ambitious that my first
appearance should at
once stamp my
character and respectability;
and I am not covetous of gold. )) The
tradition thus started, of weighing the
character of a work and the credit of
publishing it, and letting the chance of
making money by the publication pass
of secondary importance, was for
forty years the glory of the name of
Murray. « The business of a publishing
bookseller,” he said, “is not in his shop,
even in his connections, but in his
brains. » A man of fine taste and broad
culture, possessing moreover innate gen-
erosity and magnanimity, his dealings
with authors were frequently munificent;
and in notable instances he counted the
honor before the profit. He started the
Quarterly Review, in February 1809, as
a Tory organ, and carried it at a loss
for two or three years. Nothing char-
acterized him more than his steady con-
fidence in the success of the best litera-
ture; and in proportion as a publication
was of high character, he was deter-
mined and lavish in pushing it to suc-
Nor was he for this any the less
a consummate man of business, achiev-
ing extraordinary success as a merchant
prince at the head of the London book
trade. To a large extent he depended
on his own judgment in accepting books
for publication. His most famous en-
gagements were with Scott, Southey,
Byron, Moore, Lockhart, and the Disrae-
lis. To the younger Disraeli, then only
twenty, he owed the one wholly dama-
ging venture of his career,-an attempt
in daily journalism which ignominiously
failed at the end of six months, with a
loss to Murray of £26,000.
our
our
cess.
•
Murray, John, Memoir and Corre-
spondence of. With an Account
of the Origin and Progress of the
House, 1768-1843. By Samuel Smiles.
(2 vols. , 1891. ) The history of as great a
publisher as literature has ever known,
and a most notable example of devotion
to the production of books of character
and value, irrespective of mere merce-
nary considerations. The foundation of
the great London house of Murray was
New, Republic, The, by William H.
Mallock. This satirical work (pub-
lished in England in 1876) attracted


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SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
241
soon
was
much attention for a time. Its sub-title, of the sublime with a great deal of the
(Culture, Faith, and Philosophy in a commonplace; and only lend themselves
Country House,' gives an idea of its to admiration if we are prepared to
scope. The author, a nephew of the make the best of conceits and oddities
historian Froude, introduced to his read- along with some
elevated thoughts.
ers the principal literary characters of They have come into favor of late as
the day under very transparent masks. antique and curious, rather than upon
The scene is laid in an English villa; any original merit in respect either of
and the chapters are made up of con- poetry or of picture. The engravings,
versations between the guests, who are however, were by Marshall.
spending a quiet Sunday with their
host, Mr. Laurence.
While arranging Hyperion, by, H. -W. Longfellow, 1839,
the menu cards, it occurs to him to lay
The
out a series of topics to be discussed -- is a fitting title for this, the most
at his table; for, said he, It seems
romantic of Longfellow's works.
It
absurd to me to be so careful about frankly declares itself (A Romance,' on
what we put into our mouths, and to
the title-page.
leave to chance to arrange what comes
It is the tale of
a young man in
out of them. ” More things in heaven deepest sorrow, wandering from land to
and earth than are usually discussed at land in search of occupation for his
such times are thus brought forward by mind, and forgetfulness of grief. This
the author, whose skill in parody is motive forms the thread of story which
manifest. It was
an open secret connects a series of philosophical dis-
that « Luke"
Matthew
Arnold;
courses, and romantic legends and poems.
«Rose,) Walter Pater; “Lord Allen, Many of these last are Longfellow's
Lord Rosebery;
«Herbert, Ruskin;
translations of German poems; and they
«Storks,) Huxley; «Stockton, Tyndall; have found a place in his collected
« Jenkinson, Professor Jowett; «Saun- poems. The adventures and wanderings
ders,” Professor Clifford; Mrs. Sin- of the hero portray the experiences and
clair,” Mrs. Singleton (« Violet Fane,) to travels of the author on his second trip
whom the book is inscribed); «Lady through Germany and Switzerland after
Grace,” Mrs. Mark Pattison; and “Miss the death of his wife. Immediately after
Merton, Miss Froude. The personal its publication, Hyperion) had a wide
flavor of Mr. Mallock's satire caused the circulation.
book to leap into instant popularity.
This book
than
any
other
The foibles and hobbies of his models brought on Longfellow the reproach of
were cleverly set off; and though the being more foreign than American in
fun was sometimes bitter, it was rarely his sympathies. Yet it had great value
ill-natured. The central figure of the in creating in this country a more ex-
group was Mr. Herbert, in whose poeti- tensive acquaintance with the German
cal imagery the great word-painter was romantic poets, especially Heine and
not unfairly represented. Matthew Ar- Uhland.
nold ridiculed unsparingly. One ‘Hyperion) also has historic interest
sentence, descriptive of Laurence, has in marking the transition in Longfellow's
been widely quoted: “He was in many
work. It stands between bis translations
ways a remarkable man, but unhappily
and sketches of historical persons and
one of those who are remarkable be- places, and his original poems.
cause they do not become famous— not
because they do. "
Bitter-Sweet, by J. G. Holland, is a
narrative didactic poem, of about
three thousand five hundred lines, which
mblems, by Francis Quarles, 1635.
appeared in 1858. Israel, a good old
borrowed from Hermann Hugo's Pia
Puritan farmer, dwells in his ancestral
Desideria,' and fitted with crudely fan-
New England home.
ciful, studiously quaint, and sometimes " His daughter Ruth orders the ancient house,
happily dramatic, religious poems, such
And fills her mother's place beside the board. ”
as Quarles had earlier published as "Di- On Thanksgiving eve the patriarch's child-
vine Poems) (a collected volume, 1630, ren, with their families, gather for the
representing ten years), and Divine festival. Round the hearth God's justice
Fancies) (1632). They mingle something and providence and the mystery of evil
more
was
XXX-16


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242
SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
are discussed. Israel stands for faith. future generations. Lien Chi Altangi
Ruth expresses her doubts, having looked became real, and lives. He detects and
in vain for justice in the world. David, exposes not merely the follies and foi.
a poet, husband to Ruth's sister Grace, bles lying on the surface, but the greater
undertakes to teach Ruth that there is evils rankling at the heart, of English
no incongruity in the existence of evil society. He warns England of her in-
in a world created by beneficent design. secure tenure of the American colonies,
His first illustration is drawn from na- her exaggerated social pretenses, and the
ture, as David and Ruth seek the cellar evil system of the magistracy. He ridi-
to bring cider and apples for the com- cules English thought and the fashions
pany, and is epitomized in the couplet:- which make beauty hideous, and avows
« Hearts, like apples, are hard and sour,
his contempt for the cant of professed
Till crushed by Pain's resistless power. ”
connoisseurs. The abuses of church pat-
Grace, and Mary, a foster-daughter of
ronage did not escape him; and he com-
the house, exchange the stories of their
ments on the incidents of the day. As we
read these (Chinese Letters) all London
domestic sorrows, while each finds in the
other consolation and sympathy. Grace
of the eighteenth century rises before us.
tells of her husband's apparent interest
Beau Tibbs, and the Man in Black »
in some unknown woman; but admits
who accompanies the philosopher to the
her griefs to be trivial beside those of
theatre, are immortal; and (The White
Mouse and Prince Bonbennin' is founded
Mary, whose dissolute husband has de-
serted her and their child. The question
on an actual experience of Goldsmith.
is next illustrated by story. Joseph, one
of Israel's sons, tells to the children the Aino Folk:Tales, by Basil H. Chamber-
Twelve hundred years ago a
old story of Bluebeard. The older folk
find in it serious lessons in line with the
Chinese historian wrote that on the east-
main theme of the poem. Finally there
ern frontier of Japan there exists a barrier
is heard the cry of a man perishing in
of great mountains, beyond which is the
the storm which rages without. Brought land of the Hairy Men. ” These were
to the fireside and revived, he proves to
the Aino, so called from the word in
be the weak but now repentant Edward,
their language signifying “man. ) Like
husband to Mary. The injured wife for their language, their folk-lore was largely
gives all, and discloses that the friend adopted from the Japanese. In the dawn
who has been comforting her is the poet of history they appear living far to the
David. The revelation shows Grace that
south and west of their present haunts,
her jealousies have been groundless. Ed-century by century retreating eastward
ward dies peacefully, and all see more
and northward, as steadily as the Ameri-
clearly that God has not forgotten the
can Indian has retreated westward. In
world, and that there is
this collection of stories Professor Cham-
berlain has sought to preserve those
" In every evil a kind instrument
strange folk-tales which were told in the
To chasten, elevate, correct, subdue. ”
huts of this untutored people ages ago,
Thousands of copies of (Bitter-Sweet
and retold to each succeeding generation.
have been sold, and both critical and un-
The interest in these stories consists in
critical readers praise it as revealing the their pictures of Aino ideas, morals, and
very heart of Old New England.
customs. The stories of (The Salmon-
King,) (The Island of Women,' and others,
Ching
hinese Letters, by Oliver Goldsmith. are based on episodes of Japanese tales,
Published under this title in the
sometimes belonging to world-wide cycles
Public Ledger, a weekly journal of of myth, as in the theme of the mortal
London, they ran through the year 1760, who eats the deadly food of the under-
and were published in book form in 1762 world. On the other hand there is much
as “The Citizen of the World; or, Letters genuine Aino matter in the collection.
from Chinese Philosopher Residing
in London to his Friends in the East. )
Ronins, The, by Tamenaga
Their charm lies in their delicate satire Shunsui. This historical tale, trans-
rather than in any foreign air which lated from the Japanese by Edward
the author may have tried to lend them. Greey and Shinichiro Saito, was pub-
They amused the town, they still divert
in English in 1880. It relates to
and instruct us, and they will delight affairs that occurred in 1698. The book
a
Loyal


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SYNOPSES OF VOTED BOOKS
243
an
be pun-
profusely illustrated with characteris- So great was its fame, that the author to
tie Japanese pictures by Kei-Sai Yei- the day of his death was called “Monk »
Sen of Yedo or Tokio. The graceful po- Lewis. The hero, Ambrosio, is the abbot
etic style gives great charm to this naive of the Capuchins at Madrid, surnamed
romance, the names of the characters << The Man of Holiness. His pride of
are quaint even in translation, and the
righteousness opens him at length to spir-
pictures of feudal Japan are vivid and itual disaster. An infernal spirit assum-
fascinating. The Japanese atmosphere ing the shape of a woman tempts him, and
pervades the entire book. The main he falls. One sin succeeds another until
story is very simple, though there are he is utterly ruined. Upon the fabric of
numerous episodes touching or humorous. the monk's progression in evil the author
Lord Morningfield, Daimio of Ako, is builds wild incidents of every degree of
condemned to commit hara-kiri (through horror.
the treachery and deceit of Sir Kira,
master of ceremonies to the Shogun). Amelia, by Henry Fielding, was pub-
lished in 1751, and was the last of
and his property is confiscated. His
widow, Lady Fair-Face, assumes the
that novelist's works of fiction, as well as
one of the most famous novels of the
religious name of Pure-Gem and lives
in retirement. Forty-seven of his re-
eighteenth century. He was forty-four
tainers — now Ronins, or outlaws of the
when it appeared, and in impaired health.
Samurai class ---sign with their blood
It has, perhaps for this reason, less of
agreement to avenge his death.
the exuberant vitality which characterized
(Tom Jones,' a novel preceding it by two
Under the leadership of Sir Big-Rock,
who divorces his wife and disowns his
years. The plot is more serious; but in
children, that they may not
a rich, quiet fund of humor it is not far
ished for his deeds, the Ronins slay
behind that masterpiece. In Amelia,
Sir Kira in his own house. After im-
Fielding drew the portrait of a virtuous
posing ceremonies of respect at the
and lovely wife; his own, it is believed,
tomb of their illustrious chief, the Ro-
furnishing the model. It is a story of
nins surrender themselves to the Council
married life. Mr. Booth, the husband of
the heroine, an impoverished gentleman,
at Yedo. They are condemned to death
and sentenced to commit hara-kiri.
is introduced to the reader in prison,
Forty-six forms clothed in pure white,
where he has been taken for participa-
headed by Sir Big-Rock, mount the hill
tion in a street quarrel. His companion
of death, plunge into the dark river,
there, Miss Matthews, is a handsome
and pass over to Paradise, where they
young woman of easy virtue, who has
are welcomed by the spirit of their
murdered her betrayer. The relations of
beloved chief.
Booth and this woman are improper; but
the husband is saved from this, as from
other faults of conduct, by the purity,
A"
mbrosio; or The Monk, by Matthew
Gregory Lewis, was published in
goodness, and devotion of Amelia, whom
1795, when the author was twenty years
he devotedly loves. Eventually she brings
him a fortune, he is released from prison,
old. The book is one of the dime novels »
and happiness reigns. In contrasting
of English literature; a fantastic medley
of ghosts, gore, villains, cheap mysteries,
Booth's poorer nature with the noble
character of his wife, Fielding is sup-
and all the stage machinery of flagrant
melodrama. Like Mrs. Radcliffe's novels,
posed to have had himself in mind. It
it belongs to the class of the pseudo-
is noteworthy that the novelist, in depict-
terrific. At the time of its publication,
ing her, emphasized her beauty of mind
and heart by stating that her bodily
however, its exaggerations were not so
apparent. Horace Walpole's Castle of
beauty was marred through the disfigure-
Otranto) and Mrs. Radcliffe's Mysteries
ment of her nose in a carriage accident.
of Udolpho had popularized the mock-
The story is strong in portraiture of char-
heroic. The air was
full of horrors.
acter, in sincerity, in analysis of motive,
(The Monk' seemed to contemporary
and in wit; but modern good taste objects
readers one of the great books of the
to its freedom of speech and indiscrimi-
day. That it was not without merit
nating use of incident.
was proved by the verdict of no less an
Epistolæ Obscurorum Virorum (Let-
than Sir Walter Scott, who ters of Obscure Men), 1516-17. A
styled it “no ordinary exertion of genius. ” | satirical production which had a great


## p. 244 (#280) ############################################

244
SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
influence in aid of the Reformation. A friend of Erasmus, afterward introduces
first part appeared in 1516, at Hagenau the reader to his life at court, and the
(but professedly at Venice), and a second prosperous days when he stood first in
in 1517. One Crotus Rubianus suggested bluff King Hal's favor, and pathetically
the scheme, and probably executed the describes his downfall and tragic death.
first part. The second part was from the The record of the high-minded and cul-
pen of the humanist and poet Ulrich von tivated Margaret presents a delightful
Hutten, the same year in which the Em- picture of a lovely home life, and of the
peror Maximilian made him poet-laureate noble and accomplished gentleman who
of Germany. The plan of the letters was its head and its inspiration. Her
was that of representing certain German devotion to her father never wanes, even
ecclesiastics and professors as writing in the terrible hour when, after his exe-
merciless denunciations of the morals, cution, she clasped in her last trance
manners, writings, teachings, and way of her murdered father's head. ” The sim-
life generally, of the scholastics and plicity and sincerity of the author's treat-
monks. One of these had attacked the ment give the book an air of reality,
great Hebrew scholar Reuchlin for his while its faithfulness to the tone of the
leaning to the Reformation; and these period makes it more historical than his-
(Epistolæ) were the reply. Their circula- tory.
tion and influence were immense.
Essays and Reviews is a collection of Remarkable Providences, by Increase
Mather. In 1681, when the agitation
seven scholarly papers upon differ-
in the Massachusetts Bay Colony over
ent aspects of theological thought, writ-
ten by as many well-known English di-
the questions respecting the imperiled
vines and Biblical students. It appeared
colonial charter was rapidly approaching
in England in 1860, and made a sensa-
a climax, and the public mind was al-
tion because its writers expressed views
ready feverishly excited, the ministers
which were then deemed radical and dan-
sent out a paper of proposals for collect-
This
gerous. Inasmuch as the writers were in
ing facts concerning witchcraft.
several instances associated with Oxford
resulted three years later (1684) in the
University, the book became known as
production of a work by President In-
the Oxford Essays and Reviews. So
crease Mather of Harvard College, which
was originally entitled (An Essay for
great was the opposition it aroused that
three of the contributors were tried and
the Recording of Illustrious Providences. )
Into this book President Mather had
condemned by an ecclesiastical court; the
known
gathered up all that was
decision being afterwards reversed. The
influence of the volume was fruitful in
could be collected concerning the per-
drawing attention to a broader interpre- leagued with the Devil.
formances of persons supposed to be
It is rather re-
tation of religious truth and the methods
markable to learn from this work that
of modern scholarship. The papers and
modern spiritualistic performances — rap-
their authors were: (The Education of
the World,' by Dr. Frederick Temple;
pings, tippings, trances, second sight,
and the like — were well known to the
Bunsen's Biblical Researches,' by Pro-
fessor Rowland Williams; (On the Study
grave fathers of New England, although
of the Evidences of Christianity,' by Pro-
they unfortunately looked upon them as
far more serious matters than do their
fessor Baden Powell; (Séances Historiques
descendants to-day. The book also con-
de Genève,' (The National Church,' by
tains a remarkable collection of wonder-
the Rev. Henry B. Wilson; On the
ful sea-deliverances, accidents, appari-
Mosaic Cosmogony,' by C. W. Goodwin;
(Tendencies of Religious Thought in Eng-
tions, and unaccountable phenomena in
land, 1688–1750,' by the Rev. Mark Pat-
general; in addition to the things more
tison; and (On the Interpretation of
strictly pertaining to witchcraft. Palfrey
the historian believes that this book had
Scripture,' by Professor Benjamin Jowett.
an unfortunate effect upon the mind and
House
[ousehold of Sir Thomas More, imagination of President Mather's son,
The, by Anne Manning, (1869,) is the Reverend Cotton Mather; and that
written in the form of the diary of the it led him into investigations and publi-
Chancellor's daughter, Margaret. The cations supposed to have had an im-
story, beginning when More is merely a portant effect in producing the disas-
private gentleman, a great lawyer, and trous delusion which followed three years
or


## p. 245 (#281) ############################################

SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
245
so
later, in which Cotton Mather was voyage, to explore the hypothetical Ant-
lamentably conspicuous.
arctic continent. He investigated the speci-
fied latitudes, and sailed farther south
A"
Ibert Nyanza, The: Tue GREAT BASIN than any previous navigator. Having
OF THE NILE AND EXPLORATIONS OF
satisfied himself that no such continent
THE Nile Sources, by Samuel White existed, he turned eastward and discov-
Baker, 1866. The record of over four years'
ered New Caledonia, Georgia, and other
explorations in Africa, from March 1861 to islands. On his return he received many
August 1865, by which the geographical honors, and was elected to the Royal
knowledge of the sources of the Nile was Society. His third voyage was in search
completed. Bruce, ninety years before, had
of the Northwest Passage. Sailing about
found the source of the Blue Nile, and Speke
in the Pacific, he discovered the Sand-
and Grant were about to report finding in
wich or Hawaiian Islands; and then, hav-
the Victoria Nyanza the remotest eastern ing explored the unknown coast of North
source of the White Nile. Baker's explor-
America, he passed through Bering's
ations made known the immense lake, Strait, and surveyed the coast on both
named by him Albert Nyanza, into the
sides. Baffled in his attempt to reach the
northeast corner of which the outlet Atlantic, he returned to winter near
stream from the Victoria empties, and out
Honolulu in the Sandwich Islands, where
from the northern point of which the
he was treacherously murdered by the
White Nile issues to flow through thirty
natives in 1779.
degrees of latitude to the Mediterranean.
The narrative is especially important
The equatorial lake system, by which the
because Cook was animated by the scien-
Nile is fed for ten months in the year,
tific spirit, and made valuable observa-
became fully known when Baker had sup- tions in many departments of science.
plemented the discoveries of Speke and Throughout the book appear the resources
Grant. In a second work of great inter- and courage of the man, and his humane
est, «The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia,' discretion in dealing both with his sail-
Baker completed the true story of the
ors and with the savages; while its publi-
Nile, showing that the annual food by cation gave a new impetus to discovery
which the special agriculture of the Nile
and exploration.
valley is created, would not take place at
all but for the Blue Nile and other Abys- Cotton Kingdom, The, by Frederick
Baker
Law
spent twelve months in exploring all the
of a traveler's observations on cotton
Abyssinian tributaries of the Nile; and and slavery” were published in 1861, be-
he was thus able to give an accurate ac-
ing compiled from three previous works
count of all the sources through which on the same subject, which had originally
nature gives to Egypt, not only a great
appeared as letters to the New York
river all the year round, but an immense Times, between 1856 and 1860. The book,
fertilizing midsummer flood.
written with especial reference to English
readers, was dedicated to John Stuart
Cook's Voyages. The accounts of Cap- Mill. It is intended for the class of per-
tain Cook's three voyages were writ- sons that would consider (Uncle Tom's
ten by as many hands: the first by Dr. Cabin) overdrawn and hysterical, and
Hawkesworth; the second by Cook him- deals exclusively with facts. Authorities
self; while Lieutenant King prepared the are cited, government reports quoted,
third from Cook's notes, and completed names and places specified: everything is
the narrative.
done to make the work convincing.
The first voyage was undertaken in 1768, Though the author began his observa-
to observe the transit of Venus. Having tions in a fair and judicial spirit, he was
made successful observations at Otaheite everywhere impressed with the disadvan-
in the Society Islands, Cook explored the tages of slavery. Even in States like Vir-
South Seas, and determined the insularity ginia, where slaves were generally well
of New Zealand, which had been consid- treated, the economic evils were great,
ered part of a great Antarctic continent. while farther south things were much
He discovered the straits named after
The slaveholding proprietors ex-
him, and amid great dangers explored perienced so much difficulty in managing
the eastern coast of Australia, hitherto their estates that they had no energy for
unknown. In 1772 he started on a second public affairs. There were no good roads,
worse.


## p. 246 (#282) ############################################

246
SYNOPSES OF NOTED BOOKS
an
un-
and no community life existed. Though honest growler » found much to criti-
the railroad and steamboat had been in- cize. He detested slavery as
troduced, they were operated in a primi- mixed evil, and made it largely respon-
tive and desultory fashion, mails were sible for the prevailing ills. Everywhere
irregular, and intercommunication was he finds plenty of servants and no serv-
uncertain and precarious. Slave labor, of ice. He is astonished at the familiar
course, made free labor unremunerative intercourse between blacks and whites,
and despised, and the poor white lived which however appears to be only toler-
from hand to mouth on the brink of pau- able to the latter as long as their mas-
perism.
In the cotton States the large tership is recognized. He finds that the
plantations were worked with profit, but South has advanced far less in civiliza-
the small ones frequently failed to pay tion than the North since the Revolu-
expenses. In every instance the cost of tion. Shiftlessness prevails everywhere.
maintaining and managing the negroes The slave system seems to enervate the
was so great, and their labor so forced whites, while rendering the blacks child-
and reluctant, that much better results ish and irresponsible. It takes more of
could have been obtained from free labor. the latter than of Northern workmen to
In fact, had there been no other ques- do a given piece of work. In spite of
tion involved, its monstrous wastefulness the abundance of labor, buildings remain
would have condemned slavery. But the out of repair, estates are neglected. The
moral evils were incalculably great. The farming is unintelligent. There is a
slave was reduced, virtually, to the level surprising quantity of uncultivated land,
of the brute, and all efforts to raise him and of land needlessly impoverished by
morally and intellectually were regarded repeated plantings of the same crop.
as unsafe and revolutionary. He lost the The Southern economic conditions need
good qualities of barbarism, and gained revolutinizing; and already Mr. Olmsted
the vices of civilization, and was deliber- notes their instability, and anticipates the
ately made as helpless as possible. The storm of civil war soon to break.
degradation of the master was even more
deplorable
.