New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-09
LITERARY NOTES.

around ones self Myself an identity anu ue'
make that self the nucleus of the whole u''ei ""''
Professor Hunt of Princeton has In p''S'
froatlse on the principles OF written DISCOURSE
,o,orocterstic and amusing anecdote OF Words.
worth is recorded by Mrs. Watts in the Lhe 0,
har husband first published in England. lie askeu
,"o sbc writes what thought the finest eegiac
composition i'll the language; and when l
1ieadently suggested 'Lycidas,' he replied You
orc not far wrong 1t may, think. be affirmed that
NI;lton's .Lycidas and my 'Laodamia' are twin
immortas.
I. To DISAGREE with Wordsworth in any question OF
,,oet;cal criticism was not pleasant undertaking
AIRS Watts SAYS that he spoke always as though he
were upon oath. Ho was patient and courteous
listener paying the most scrupnlous attention 10
every word, never interrupting, and with certain
fxedncss of his clear gray eyes which made one
feel that whatever ones opinion might Oe. one
,oust he prepared to give substantial reason Tor H.
and in doing so. to discard all that might appear
fanciful and not to be readily explained
A comprehensive cyclopGdia of German poetry
IL announced by Henry Holt & Co. Each seloc'oi
will be printed both in German ana Ehs"Sn "iu
the volume will be enriched with coplouS ho''0 ~
the editor, Mr.. Karl Kuortz.
aGrcv Hawk" d. b. Lippcncott IL CO.. was inc
I,dian name of John Tanner, who as a lttie o"y
wa
nv sayages and thereafter spent most Oh MS me
omong them In everything except dress anu
language he had the appearance tastes, ana haoIts
Of AN Indian; was married to an Indian wlle' anu
delighted in the wild life OF a hunter ne on'0i
incidents of his life he narrated to one VINO wro'o
them down and it is these details which, 1reed lroh
n good deal of extraneOus matter nave ooon
reprinted in this volume The story OF lndian liie
and hunting adventure ought to interest healthy
minded boys.
Literary Life is the title of a new paper which mas
inst made its first appearance III Cleveland IL
PROPOSES to print original and selected crtcSuS'
and all manner of literary news.
Mr.. Brinsley Richards is writing an answer to
.'Iohn Bull and his Island" in the shape OF de-
scriution of France and Characterization of its
people.
Mr. Matthew Arnold has had small audiences at
ST. Louis, and The RcpabIicG" OF that city says
ave are essentially practical people, and not
even the glamour of great name can weave Iascl-
nation around procession Vi oiu'c'0 iu'"" "'"i''
exhibited in a vast hail."
Mr. George William Curtiss manly and poilshed
address at the unwilling of the statue of Washing
ION in Wal-st. has been printed by Harper Brothers
IN nomphet form by order of the Chamber OF Com
MERGE With It's rich paper, broad margins, Deaut-
ful printing and refined ornament, Ii Is gem oil
the book makers art 1t is the proper dress Tor so
wise and graceful a speech. \ short description OF
the ceremonies attending the unveIlng and
photograph of the statue are included III inc
pamphlet.
A story for critics is the one told by Professor
Austen about ColcTidge, who himself related IL 10
the Professor. When Colcridgo first thought of
literature as a means of support he formed some
connection with one of the reviews. " He was at
that time living somewhere in the Lake country,
together with Wordsworth. parcel of books
were sent down to be reviewed, among the rest
volume of poems. He wrote a smart review
of the work every sentence OF his article was he
said an epigram. When he had concluded, he read
his review aloud to the ladies of the family ono
of them, Wordsworth's sister, burst into tears aud
asked him how he could write it. Il was thinking,
said she, how must feel if wer e to read such
review of a poem of yours or Williams. And hash
this poor man some sister OF wife to feel for hImT
Coleridge described himself as affected that he
never afterward wrote review, and lie appeared
TO ME to have even morbid feeling on the
subject"
Mr.. Stewards Pen Pictures of Modern Authors"
G. p. Putnam's sons is handsome volume well
printed on thick paper. 1t contains series oil
animated schetches drawn from books, magazines
and newspapers of divers famous authors. English
and American Some of this matter has permanent
value some of it is the merest gossip; altogether 1t
hardly deserves the wide margins, the somewhat
extensive dress which would seem to characterize
IL as a book intended for collectors and scholars.
The work of compilation is executed with discretion
and it will amuse those who like gossip of this sort
Mr. J. NJ. Comstock, chairman of the Board of
Examiners for Customs, has prepared, and Henry
Holt g. Co. will shortly publish, a d" Guide to the
Civil Service of the United States classified I'M
% G mol
information regarding the examinations for adj
mission and list of all the non-electye offices and
subordinate positions under the Government aud
the salary or compensation of each also tho State
services of such States have adopted the com
petitIve system, and an appendix containing inc
text of the National and State Civil Service Acts
and the rules and regulations which have been
issued in accordance Herewith; the annual report
of the United States Civil Service Commission; the
names of existing Boards of Examiners, and full
sets of questions which have been used in examina
ton for various branches of the Civil Service.
Mr. Dana Estes Of Boston. makes the following
interesting statement in Tile Fablishers' Hcektg:
.What consider TO be the chief thing lacking IN
the book trade is the enterprise of the local dealer
He allows large proportion of all the good books
to be sold by book canvassers. simply because he
will not move out of his beaten track TO get Gus
tanners for the best books. While the bulk of re-
tailers are making precarious livelihood in selling
stationery, toys and Yankee notions, enterpnsing
book canvassers are earning from five thousand to
twenty thousand dollars per annum upon the sale
of standard works such as Guizots History of
France Encyclopedia Britannica and Others of
this class Ii all very fine for people to indulge in
slurs and filings at book but it is literal
fact that they doing the bulk of the book trade
of the country at the present time, simply because
@Lev show ENTERPRISE and determination in their
calling. 1t may be news to many that the desplsed
eanyasser earns the magnificent income indicated
above but it is strictly true. Those who do so are
Of cnnrse excnltinnal nersnns. hnt LARGO prupOr-