The Portland daily press., 1879-02-01
Literary Gossip.

A German periodical in its January number
has an article on the "Society of Disttanti In
London, in which is given an account of the
curious Dilettanti Club, of which Horace Wal
pole is reported once to have said that the
nominal qualification for membership was
having been to Italy, bat the real one was '0e-
ing druuk."
The London World calls for translation of
Won Hartmsnn's curious pamphlet on the sub
jsct Of the Veronese lovers called "R ,meo und
julia" Herr Won Hartmann is chiefly known
as the author of an ingenious and profound
work, in the pessimistic style, on the "Philoso-
ply of the Jnconscious;,' and. true pessimist,
he could see nothing to admire in the ideal of
love as presented iu the 'Romeo ami j Jaliet' of
Shakespeare. He blames juliet for having fall
len in love with Romeo at first sight, aud de-
clares her to be an undutiful daughter for hav-
ing consented to marry her lover without her
mothers permission. Romeo he considers
more despcable character even than Juliet;
and he points out that IL Romeo had liyea
under the Prussiau law he would have been
heavily fined and subjected to term OF several
months imprisonment for having taken from
her parents custody girl who was not yet
sixteen years of age.
1t is wall to remember that total abstinence
! from fictitious Literature was urged not many
years ago upon the very same grounds that
total abstinence from the theatre is now put
upon. If all good psople had refused to read
novels of course none but bad novels
would ever have been written. The
supply would have met the demand.
But when good novels were written,
they were read, and wonderful purgaton Of
our lighter literature has resulted.-Rsv. Mr..
GLADDEN..
Among the articles ia the Saturday msga-
zine for February LIST, that which will attract
most attention is ghost story of the circum-
stantial and authenticated sort, with some
original letters of Charles Dickens, now first
printed, showing that he. Lsysrd, Bulwer and
others, thought the account very remarkable.
There is also the usual range of bright and
reada ls selections. To such as desire to
see the Saturday Magazine the publishers
offer this aud the next three numbers as trial
subscription at 20 cents the four
GAN is not gold that glitters." The fact here
is, says the Saturday Magazine, that the sem
tenoe does not say what it means to. But this
its most com mon form-and the other, CAN
that glitters is not gold," do 10 fact say that
nothing that gliters is gold, for the quality of not
being gold is asserted Of whatever gltters. In
order to convey the idea that although some
gittering Substances are gold, yet others are
net, the ptoverb must stand, "Not ell that gilt
ters IS gold" See an instance of the correct
COuStruCtlOu lu MattusW Will, Wuofe, III tne
passage were worded as the proverb usually is,it
would assert that no one who sail uuto Christ,
Lord, Lord! shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven.
The Paris correspondent of the San Frau
cisco Pos. says: The public taste is in favor Of
science made amusing. of being dished up as q
novel; this plan is calculated to falsify sci-
entdc knowledge in youth. The fairs tale Of
science ought not to compete with "Littls Red
Riding Hood" and "The Sleeping Beauty in
the Wood" Lola classes the productions Of
Scribe, old Dumas, Ponson du Terr Ill and
) Paul Feval, as worse than literary lumber-all
! their sentimental, amorous and poeti,al jagon
is as dead as the love dialogues Of Molere-
CorDe'lle and Racine, and as Dsipld as Ros
seau's "Nouvele Heloise." Such IDEAL novel;
lists have not lived the scenes they depict; their
? pages are not living; the eyes are captlvated.
never the intelligence aod the heart 1t Is q
pretty quarrel as it stands; but, bevoud doubt,
= public opinion snd tastes to-day ranged
, with Balzac and his defendants, Lola, Daudet,
, etc.
Professor Balm will edit volume of republ-
cations of the earlier aud more ephemsrat
political writings of the late Mr. Grote. Sew
) eral OF tnem are said to bs of the character of
: prophecy, now verified.
: Eugene Schuyler says that the death last
year of the Russian poet, Nskrss5f, has left
1 the nation without poet. There are men re-
naming who write poetry 10 their way, but
0 Nekrasof was inspired" "He had caugh,
It the idea Of his generation, had expressed 1t Of