The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-10

Litcrary NaIcs.

Literary Notes.
.. u. Lppincott g. Co., of Philadelphia, have
JUST purchased the stereotype plates and copy
rignt OF the entire series of Worcesters Die
tioharles, seven in number, and will hereafter
publish them in improved styles
Inc Atlantic for April will contain an article
on Morals in South Carolina, by the author of
the remarkable article ON the political condi-
ton of that state in the February number.
The London Academy devotes much space to
review of the librarians conference at Phila-
delphia, and regrets that SO few foreigners were
present 1.-THE science of library management
has been so zealously and successfully cult.
waited in the States that had the governing bod
les of large English Libraries sent their chief
officers to attend the conference and inspect the
various American systems, the expense in
Cured would probably have been more than
compensated in most cases by the attainment
OF far higher efficiency. The unequyocal sue
cess OF the conference and its permanent re-
suits suggest the advisability of English libra
rians holding a similar meeting and establish
ing a similar organization for mutual inter-
change of IDEAS"
Is That All? has fallen into British hands,
and the Academy reviewer, George Saintsbury,
after depreciation of being criticised for his
criticism of an American novel, declares it ga
pleasant little story, with rather ostentatious
absence of completeness or defnitensss in its
plot" But he adds: "The most comic thing
about the book is its illustration of Times re-
venges. For some centuries, our own writer's
have been contrasting the polished and fascinat-
ing but immoral foreigner with the honest, but
rough and nngainly, Briton. Aud now, be-
hold, it is Britain that sends her polished
scoundrels to futter the dove cotes of America,
and be COMPOUNDED by the virtnous, if rugged,
manhood of the youthful Yankee
There has been an attempt to explain The re-
cent increased sales of Miss Austen's novels by
calling attention to the circumstance that the
University of Bombay has prescribed Sense
and Sensibiiity as one of the books in which
students are required to pass an examination.
Investigation shows, however, that the demand
has been about equal for all the novels, and that
the most expensive editions have been preferred
The original suggestion of the Athen@um-
that Macaulay's high praise of Miss Austen, as
shown in the recently published biography, is
the cause of the new interest in the subject
seems to be sustained.
The Spectator says of James Martineau, "He
stirs you into ardor, exalts you into wonder
goads you into resolve confutes your poor ex.
cuses tears to pieces your wretched sophistries,
convinces you of the reality of the spiritual life
with which he is dealing, and yet is apt to
leave you with the feeling that rest is beyond
the limits of this lower sphere and that the
nearest approach to it is the stretched wing on
which the lowering soul is poised between the
intervals of flight -
Lander had no love for Byron He said !;
"Whenevefhe wrote bad poem he supported
bis sinking fame by some signal act Of profit.
gacy; an elegy by seduction, a heroic by az
adultery, q tragedy by a divorce. On the re
mark of a learned man, that .irregularity is M
indication OF genius, he began to lose GROUND
rapidly, when on sudden be cried out at thu
Haymarket: There is no God! It was ther
surmised more generally and more gravely that
there was something in him. Say what you
will once whispered friend of mine, there
are things in him strong as poison and origina
as sim At last he is removed from among the
living. Let US hope the best; to wit, that the
mercies which have begun with mans forget
fitness will be crowned with Gods forgive
ness
r. Worthington of New York will issue next
week TEN Years of My Life," by the Princess
Salm-Salm. 1t is book of history and biogra
ply, of personal adventure and memorabilia
full of anecdotes and "reminiscences of distin
guished persons. These ten years cover thre
great wars, in all of which the adventurou
princess took an active part, and of which sh
gives striking inside views.
Mrs. Celia Thaxter is writing a novel, the in
cidents of which are to be taken from her OWL
romantic life at the Isle of Shoals, where he
father was the light-keeper for many years, ani
where she married one of the first men WHIT
came to the island for shooting and fishing.
Among the subjects discussed at the late
Librarians Conference was a uniform system o
indicating the size of books, the old designa
tions of 4to 8vo., 12mo., &c. which were salts
factory when printing papers were made b.
hand in the one-sized mold, being now a con
fusion Of confusions. The system reported by
the committee for discussion by the craft, and
If satisfactory for adoption by the next confer
ence, preserves the old designations
only to designate the actual fold OF
the sheet in printing. For bliographical
purposes, the hight and width are to be given in
centimeters, prefxed by the letters b, p, or t,
according as binding, paper or type is measured
The general designation, however, is to be by
letters corresponding to the present names of
the sizes, and these are to be confined within
specified limits of the outside measurement in
centimeters. Thus T(32mo) will designate all
books not more than 10 centimeters (about foul
inches) high; S Q6mo.l those between this apt
10 centimeters high; d Q2mo.) those with
in 20 centimeters; o (8vo.) 20 centimeters;
t4to.) 30 cehtimeters; F (folio) 40 centimeters
while larger books will be designated as FL. F9,
&c.. according as their hight is within So go
and other tens of centimeters If the width is
more than four-ffths the hight but less than
the whole, the letters So. (square) are to be pre-
fixed; if more than the whole hight the letters
Oh. ioblong.l This sizing is intended to an.
proximate closely to the present system, il
system it can be called. The Little Classic
books register at s.; most 16mo. and limo.
books according to present designations as D
the magazines as o; Webster's Unabridged as
y; the Tribune newspaper. as F6. There will,
no doubt, be considerable discussion of the
measure, but its adoption is probable.
The Schlieman Discoveries.
A.