Major Joshua. By Francis Forster. (Longmans )—The Major gives his
name to the drama in which he plays the part of the Chorus, as did the Trachinian women long ago to the tragedy of the Passion of lieracles. He is a notable person in himself,. scarcely possible, we venture to think, with what we may call his blatant selfishness. We see indeed the outline of caricature when we find this gentleman breakfasting at four in the afternoon. Such people are bound to be careful of their health, as good health is essential to their theory of life,—and a four-o'clock breakfast, with dinner in prospect some three hours later, is am impossibility. The interest of the drama centres in the family of Mrs. Fenwick, a woman who, having loved a heartless husband,. has brought up her children on the plan of regarding the heart as a superfluous organ. She has accepted the Major, in fact, as her guide. All this is cleverly done, but one cannot help feeling that the thing is unreal, The imperturbable Margaret and the volcanic Ida are not beings that we recognise. Captain Beresford is a dummy, though Phayre and his father confessor are live, creatures. If this is a first story, and we see no mention of other works on the title-page, its faults are of little moment, and its. cleverness full of undoubted promise.
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