New-York tribune., 1874-12-12
BOSTON,.
LITERARY NOTES.


HOLMES BAyARD TAYLOR LoNGFELLow, AID
RICH AND OTHERS - wEIMAR - CONSTANCE
wooIsoN's srORIEs-KAIIE KING-MARK TwAINs
EARLY AMBITIoN-wHAT is THE POSTAL SERVICE
FoR-NEw POEMS BY LoNGFELLow.
svpou A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
BosroN, Dec. 10.-To make the January
NUMBER of o magazine unusually good has grown to be
ss universal trick Of the trade with publishers as to
yut the strawberries top Of the basket s with
eruit merchants The Atlantic Monthly is good nearly
always In my opinion its uniform standard OF excel
higher than that OF Of the English monhhes
but IL Is not always good is the forthcoming mum
Der for January. Here is truly an embarrassment OF
riches. Here are poems by LOngfelow, ana Aidrlch'
and r. II. stoddard. and Mrs Piatt; here are prose
papers by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Bayard Taylor
Robert Dale owen and others; here are stories py
Henry James, IT,, Mark Twain, and Constance Fenmore
Woolson; and the reviews ana speciai depart
pents The opening article is the first instament OF
Henry James. jr.s new story Roderck Hudson" IL
spens extremely well; for characters We have
pretty widow and her pretty chida rich cousin tmas
sune who likes art. and travel. and refined pleasure
Of all sortsa poor sculptor with genius which lacks
everything in the of culture but which promises
much and young girl. Already these people alive
for under vivfying touch Of Mr.. James IL re-
mains for future numbers to shows US what he Will do
with them.
En- saoboru gives us the first Of his series OF papers
on John Brown Bayard Taylor writes OF "Au'uln"
Days In wemar," aud makes one ions W ko '
though he tells us that to the traveller with d .no"s
ticket weiinar but dull little to~n III non0"'
among bare windy uplands. Even one VINO spares q
day from his itinerary-who reverenty inspec'' oo
Ls room looks at the outside Of Goethe's house, Walks
The length OF park, and gives an hour esch 70 tue
library, castle, and museum-will be apt 10 "onuer
what drew so many Of Germany's greatest mlDus 'o
place 90 SOBER quiet and contracted In all It's ways anu
circumstances II he be familiar with the history OF
The iusrious period the remembrance OF the primitive
aiyersions OF Duchess Anna Amaa and young Kari Au
gust will suggest q hveler life than be now
snds in the streets OF welmar. He will scent
perforce, an atmosphere OF prosaic convention
snsm, whence the ancient magic Is as 'noi-
susbly zone as the scent OF roses when the
Bummer is over. But Wemar, among other German
cities is like stltongued inconspicuous, yet very
genuine person In gay and laxative oompany-notto
be known easily. but loved forever when once Truly
known Mr. Taylor says that he himself went there Tor
day at four different times with intervals OF years
between took the walks the same sights, and
eft each time with the vague sense OF disappont
DeDt regret But the time came when ne went ior
longer stay, and learned by heart the quaint quiet
old town. lie had special interest In informing hmsei
concerning personal characteristics of both Goethe
and Schiller task which would suppose to be easy
sn wemar but which presented some difheulties be-
cause such variety of conflicting memories
and traditions among those who mad seen both the
poets alive.
direct violation OF the truth Toe two figures are coos
sa being niue feet nigh and schiller WHO Is stsnpg
during the last years. of his le is about t%o inches
not more than feet ten inches, and probably little
lss his very erect carriage and wonderinly imposing
said be the tqest % man in the the Grand 1SH
inches But mis- gait was loose aud awkward ne gener;
ally walked with stopped shoulders aud bent head aud
snd large. gentle eyes of color ing between blue
gray and pae-brown. made him personally majestic
Goethe had darkbrown hair and eyes, the lat
Ger large and almost pretern9!uraiiy luminous. %
nose nearly Komsn but with Greek breadth
a. ahe base ana ennor ne apn bn so epupeV
beautiful that they seemed smaller than their actual
proportions. His face was always more or less tanned
he rarely lost the brand of the SUM- In bis later years
became raddy ana slight Increase OF IGnsss t enaS1o ~
the Goe painted when the poet was eighty
expresses astonishing vital power Preler once said
Go me: There never such life In so old man
seannon oa had suddenly grazed ny head could not
have been more startled than when heard OF bis death
felt sure that he would live to be hundred and NIFTY
II Goethe illustrates as scarcely any other poet wet
Imagine Homer and Shakespeare TO have possessed
same) perfect accord of intellectual and physical
Forces Schiller equally remarkable example Of
smind triumphng over incessant bodily weaknesses
and tOrments. During fourteen he never knew
day OF complete unsnsken health. he was far ana
feckled, with delicate skin that the slightest excite
ment OF bis blood blusbed through IT, His thin, sggra-
waited aQuilne nose was SO conspicuous that he OFTEN
Iaughngy referred TO 1t as the triumphant result Of
constant pnchinx and pulling during his school days
His chin was almost equally prominent, giving him
ful under lip" His shock of hair, not parting into half
curls Ike Goethes but straight aud long was of
yellow brown hue, "shimmerng into red," Caroline
Won WOizogen POLITICALLY says Tne picture OF him
does~perhaps because he represents suffering and
struggle so papaby. Beside him. Goethe seems 10
stand crowned Uy efortless achievement But wnat a
pair they are Retschels great in statues
lies his subtle expression of their noble friendship
Goethes hand schilers shoulder, laurel
wreath which the hands of D0th touch In such
you cannot be sure which gives which takes,
symboiEe reality lar too rare IN the annals Of itera
ture.
T. g. Perry contributes interesting paper on an
other German author. Fritz Reuter-" wrote good
novels, and who has recently died Germany. Miss
Wooson's story, "WHhemina," has 10 do with Ger
ans also but with transpanted Germans belonging to
community OF German separatists living 10 OF the
rich valleys Of the Ohio This tale in Miss woolson's
best and how good that best vein is the public
rapidly finding But all her finest stories, like this
end sadly. IL she would bit let her clear.
sometimes, upon happy world. should be grateful.
II her tales OF the commonplace kind that one
reads IN hour and forgets the next 1t would not
natter but they real and vital that the memory
OF them aodes with u.s. and we feel sort OF lingering
pain, az at the sorrow OF some one who is dear.
What shall be said about Mr.. Owens Chapter Of
Autobiography. Touching VisItants from a Higher
Iife"f To his accounts OF his communications from
"voe and Others have accorded respectful atten-
ROD IL seemed impossible to believe that his fair
young love had kept ghOstly tryst with him. and had
told him Of the mysteries OF that world whittier
abe had preceded him. But when he asks believe
In Katie King-with her moist, warm hand, and her
pulse beating "a beats TO the minute-as visitor from
the world Of ghosts faith fails aud credulity canot 20
90 far He her the place she freasents
house in Nnthst., Philadelphia the abode OF @
medium named Holmes-walk about in shining rainent,
rise bodily the air. smile and weep. He has touched
her talked with her. made her presents and be says:
The reader who may have followed me to this point
will have concluded Correctly that longer
taDed the slightest doubt touching the genuine charac