New-York tribune., 1881-12-10
LITERARY NOTES.

Mr.. Leslie Stephen has undertaken
Che English Men of Letters SERIES
Herr Bodenstedt, the German poet VINO 'io,.eu
tbs country several months ago, Is pfl'leile o"e
new volume In when are ~ "P'
gested by the New "o'lu'
n Alpbonse Daudst's novel; "Nnma lAou'heS-
90. Il having ar extraordinary success P""S
II IA supuosed to contain, in the hero, por-
trait OF NJ. Ganbetta. II can be Oong"c III in'to
for seventy cents; the German Translation OF IL Is
sold for two dollars.
Mr.. Herbert Spencer has, with volume cailed
"French Civilization. concluded tha mouuinept tu
worI, which ne calls " Descriptive socl'losy." 1t
is tie eghth OF the seres, and is to he the iast oS
b cause the enterprise has proved so lar from re-
murerative that Mr. Spencer cannot continue ~ "'
bis own expense.
Apropos of the last volume of Dckenss Letters
The PaL Nal Gazette says that IN son'e Respects
Dickenss cgctsJa seeias to have had r''hei a'',,o
efeets deeply rooted conviction that one Is really
"ipi,nital,l. goes far to choke out the seeds OF
envy and Jealousy which sometimes gernlnate In
the literary breast.
InMr.F. T. Pagraves new volume of historical
poeus 1.-THE Visions of England" occurs one OF the
most unfortunate lines that poet penned IL is
iu" A Ballad Of Eveshan"
"And triple swcrd-thr'ists meet his s"ord
And thrice the charge lie foils,
Though now in threefold food the foe
Round those devoted boils.'
The novels of Professor Ejors, The author OIL
"Narda,v "An Egyptian Princess" ETC., are saiu W
be the works Just now mos. read and discussed III
The American Athens The Professor VIII shortly
pnblsh new romance, the subject OF whlch Is l"'
taken from Egypt or the ancient world ou1 ho'H
the stirring history Of the Netherlands III IN SIX
teenth century. 1t is called The Wife OF the Bur
romaster." An English translation has been al
ready begun.
Professor Lounsberys volume on Cooper, III the
.'American Men of Letters" series, VIII correct
nanv errors Iii the former slight biographies OF tAe
,,qstv author of Leatherstocking." and will pre-
sent much new and deeply interesting matter. lhe
extraordinary success which COopers novels OBJ
tanned in France and Germany is matter OF literary
history: but il is not SO well known that IL Dem
mark Poland and other remote Europeah
countries transatOns were made which had as
great popularity.
Mr.. Browning has in hand a new volume OF
"Dramatie Idyls" which will be ready early IL the
nav wear There are now two Browning societies
in England-one in London one IN Cambridge
They work III union, though independently. and
exchange papers, etc. At the first meeting OF tEe
Cambridge society were discussed the claims
which "this great and original thinker" has on all
cultivated and earnest men. Sir Frederick Leigh
ton the president of the Royal Academy Is one OF
the yice-presidents of the London society
The total abolition of the German alphabet Is
Incoming the burning question of the day IN Ger
MANY. Scholars and historians are using the Latin
type. while Prince Bismarck and the chief news
papers and reviews cling TO he ancient conlor IONS
The argument that it is patriotic TO retain the old
aphabet is met by the fact that that alphabet was
originally Latin; that all German DOCKS
before the invention of printing were
written in what is now dStinctlvey
called the Latin character; AMI that the ingenious
ornamental perversltios of the monks who were the
CHEF copyists naturally came to be considered the
tvre Of a good handwriting and these were closely
initiated by the first printers. The printers OF
France. Spain, Holland and even England at first
used similar character but gradually emanclpated
themselves from its trammels. The extraordinary
prevalence of short sight in Germany is largely
ascrbed to this type