New-York tribune., 1879-01-29
LITERARY NOTES.
the hooks

II is noted that while fOur-ffths of the books
,unIshed in Paris and London are written in those
.itie only the smallest portion of the books puosheu
an cnsc the great book centre Of Germany are writ
fen in the town itself There are printed in Germany
every year almost many books as IN most OF t mt
o,ha. cbiof Turopean languages taken together but
ths number of such books that well written does
NOT stand in favorable proportions to the total.
Count Arnim in his new pamphlet ascribes
n the late NJ Theirs the telling Of good story OF
Napoleon which the exPresdcnt used TO illustrate
point respecting the Fsk laws. contractor on 'he
field of Waterloo noticing that the French Army wac
falling 70 pieces tried revive the Emperors spirits py
telling him that the English had lost an enormous num-
ber Of men. "Yes." was the prompt reply put h"'o
lost the battle"
To the demand for small and cheap books
there would seem TO be end The latest noVeiS lS
Chambers's CycopRda OF English Literature WHICH
the American Book Exchange, OF No 90 Beeklh"h-S''
arc publishing eight 16mo volumes, and the nrst 'o
ume of which is just out. The other Nolumcs WIZ
follow at the rate Of month. The complete WORK
will comprise 5000 pages, and have an index re-
ferrng volumes The price OF 1t Is one o. us s9nsest
recommendations being less thah lha' VI 'he oiuH"'
twO-yOlume octave editions
Thomas Paine, the anniversary of whose
birth is to-day. is not beloved Of The Ahenonm In ts
current number IL declares that " more despcapIe
man than he cannot easily found among the ready
writers of the eighteenth century He sold himseIi 10
the highest bidder" and "cOud be bought at very
low price" His writings have long since " gone the
way OF all shams" In his private life he
was addicted TO the most degrading VI
vices" Referring TO his assault upon Washington
II saws only thorough paced rascal could have had
The assurauce TO make it, The occasion for this extra
ordinary OutpOurlng Of the visis OF re Amen0mm
wrath a proposition made by the writer OF a recent
life of William Cobbett that monument shOnId De
erected recording the wisdom and political virtues OF
Thomas Paine"
The first number of The BiOgrdph, a new
london monthly contains ftysx pages and consists OF
biographical sketches of twelve English celebrities
among whom Wflke Collins, Henry Irving Francis
George Heath and Theodore Martin There are In prep
araton numbers sketches of w L Glad
stone. Charles Reade Brket Foster and LcWellyn
levitt The February number will contain from MI
Gladstone answers which have already been written
10 the following questions: a. by what mental
changes or external causes did Mr.. Gladstone CON
kcouSly pass from the TO the lIbeTaside
(2) ITO what statesmen has Mr.. Gladstone been most
Indebted his tuition in the principles or The admins
iratlvc art in politics :" 49, "Was Mr Gladstone really
surprised at the of the Irish University Bill or did
he persist dealing with the subject as matter OF
duty. knowing that he riskcd almost all that to9Wed
al In the event OF carrying through his Irish Uniyer-
sity BIZ, other IRISH scheme, If any, was IN ms
lflt he wholly moral as many persons contendto Lord
BeacOnsfed date from the attacks made ON Sir Robert
Peel, on is 1t Of more recent orlglnf tOl FOr Wbat
precise reasons the late Earl Russell excluded from
The Liberal Cabinet III 1sGs g
Mr. HamertOn acknowledges that in writing
his Life OF Turner" which is Just out, he owed much
10 his predecessor Mr. Thornbury, whose work
though hastily written, is full Of interesting ma
tcria," but he" thought there was room for another
biography executed more at leisure" He has taken
MS time in writing it, and believes that u
"omits nothing OF essential importance" Mr. Hamerton
reckon il great misfortune that Turner all his life was
without good female influence He relates that, when
draughtsman Turner loved the sister OF an old school
fellow and was engaged TO marry her. The Young lady
had a stepmOtncr who dislikcd the match and during
long absence O his she intercepted his letters so that
when the young artist returned he found the girl en-
gaged to another, to for whom she had no
affection" The painter entered upon half century OF
ceibacy- OF celioacy without chastity" There was
only left for him-fOr he renOunced abso-
ms mistrcsses might by chance have been superior
person" This has happened, though rarely III the case
of great Ceuuses. 1t happened in the early connection
between shelley and Mary Goodwin and IN the case OF
Lord Byron ami the Countess GuccOl Turner great
"A poet az either of twO knew what il TO
have such cOmpanloDShp as. theirs with any woman
Shelley" They were "twO OF the most poetical, the
learned and least material Of poets, each in his
Turner's "save ship" aud the controversy ii aroused
two years ago this country. The volume is uniform
ines from works nv Turner. MI j. W. Bouton has the
English edition. An American edition is III press at
Roberts Brothers, Boston
The history of the Reformed Episcopal
Church movement has not yet been written. There
have been reports, magazine articles and pamphlet
sketches OF It, but extended and complete history.
Life of George D. Cummins, the first Bishop OF this
Church, will be published in a day or two by Dodd,
Mead & Co., and 1t contains many important
facts relating TO the inception Of the move
ment. From this it appears that Bishop Cum
minis was not among those who first proposed
Withdrawal from the Protestant Episcopal Church.
lie had always been "low" chuTchman, however. As
early as February 1865 at the meeting of the House Of
Bishops this city, lie wrote. in reference to the cleo
ton OF missionary bishop for Oregon: know he is
utterly opposed 10 the school Of rtuasts and Roman
izcrs" A sermon utterly condemnatOry of all
modern Innovations and especially the doctrine Of priest
hood sacrifice and altar" and he thanked God most
heartily for this noble uteIance" In May, 1869,
he writes auding the disposition OF certain men TO
withdraw from the Church of their fathers" IN dis
approval Of that To desert her nOw he
seems like deserving parent assaed by fa1thleSs
children About the time the Rev Mason Cal
1agher then of Paterson, OF Brooklyn, urged him
10 JON movement for reforms leading 10 separation.
saving Church was "ceTtan TO be formed. ana
very soon" The wisdom OF this course was doubted by
Bishop Cummns, who, Il his reply gave his rea-
sons for seeking reforms within the Church. year
later he wrote: II feel Ike devOtng my whole life 10
exposure Of the ystey of nlquy, and ferventy
thank God that have been able IN some way to warn
the insldiOus approaches or the awful III
i1uity in church," TlTee years and q half later
than TINS the first General Council OF the Reformed Eps
COpal Church held IN this city.