New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-30
LITERARY NOTES.

James Bryce. whose noble work on The Amer-
can Commonwealth. reviewed In Inc Tribune las'
Sunday Is one OF the busiest men OF the time. ho
was successful Member of Parliament. ana as Cnuer-
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Il is said that he OK
changed the quality rather than the quantity OF his
Parliamentary abors Besides this he has been doing
full duty ss professor at Oxford. as lecturer AT
the Inns Of Court and as an active participant In
social and phlanthropic works In London NO won
der he was tired and had to start for India the other
day. Ardent pedestrians think that the secret Of
Bryce's power OF work is his fondness for walking.
He is a delightful scotchman. fifty years old, some
what frosty about the locks and full OF wisdom sym
| pathy and humor. He has pretty house In Lohooh
| of which his sister is the hostess.
Mr. James whtcomb Riley declares that, in his
opinion the poetr- Of the future will celebrate deeds
! that arc not ancient but happen daily. Isn't this
! taking A rather narrow view? Tho poem which de-
serves to lve which has in 1t the thrill OF real poetry
Will live without regard to the date of Its subject
1t is dangerous thing to nurse theories ABOUT poetry
II is especially dangerous to communicate tnem 10
| mob of young poets. great many OF the young
poets of the day might study with advantage the
| benedIction bestowed upon Mr.. william Nye by a
visitor. who desired that Heaven would bless you
for your unpublished works and especially for your
posthumous works.
! publisher not long ago showed volume OF Fred
Dougasss autobiography TO the Washington CORE
spondent OF "The independent That book had
a great sae,' said he; Mr. Douglass rewrote almost
entirely the first pamphlet of his lfe which was pub
lshed years ago. and then added to It, bringing 1t up
! 10 the present time Then no married his white vile
after that It fell dead. We sold no more. 1t was
very odd-as II the blacks felt that he had gone out
from among them by that act. / don't suppose he
has he felt that he old enough and had money
enough to please hmself-but all tho same, we could
sell no more copies Of the book"
"Transactlons I'm Hearts, IL the suggestive title Of
new novel by Edgar saltus. which is TO appear In
the next number of LippIncotts Magazine"
| Mr.. Arlo Bates tells in the forthcoming January
Book Buyer a funny story illustrative Of the bus
ness capacity Of the average young woman. The
story was told to him by publisher to whom the
particular young woman in question brought MS
This after due consideration he expressed himself
willing to publish in paper, 5ocents series, paying
the usual 10 per cent royalty. Tho young woman
expressed herself willing to accept this Offer although
she frankly said that she had hoped for better terms
But she added thoughtfully 'ifAit costs much to
make the book, l should not think % cents would
leave you great deal of proht' Twenty-Five centsP
repeated the publisher not at all understanding
why explained she, there five Of us girls who
wrote this together Ten per cent OF 80 cents is B
cents, and five times five IS twenty five IL 1t taxes
quarter OF a dollar to pay five girls our royalty
that leaves you Just the Same amount The naivote
of the proposition amused the publisher that he
declares he was tempted to leave the error unex-
| planned. He said, however, But Of course you can
SEQ that we shall not lose much as we should II
there had been ten of you for then we should have
10 make the book for nothing, and lose the book
sellers discount beside. Really, though, fear you
will be obliged to do with cent apiece And his
proposition rejected with Indignation the anus
ing part Of tho story being that the lady who con-
| tIaro plt
one author 10 per cent would do very well, but that
anybody could that It would not amount to any
thing divided among five people,
The famous Song to Old Union7 which IS sung by
all Union College men, written hurrIedly by Fitz-
hugh Ludlow. An old classmate of Ludlow tells this
story "One evening about 10 O'Clock the boys wero
playing whist in their room when a rap was heard
at the door. and Moses stepped in, saying Mr. Lud-
low. tho Prex desires TO you immediately What's
up said the boys. and Ludlow followed HIS leader.
On entering Dr. Motifs study the latter looked and
said: Mr. Ludlow, | want you 10 write song for
our commencement programme, and / must have 1t
to morrow for the printer All right said Mr..
Ludlow, and meandered back to his room. meditating
on his theme lie sat down, and in ten minutes
from his table with the song of songs written without
an alteration blemsh. 1t was sung with great
applause. and Will be sung wherever Union men are
to be found long Union sends forth loving sons"
About Lord Tennyson's wellknOwn horror OF
publicity 1t IS told that once, when walking in his
own grounds, he informed that some enterprlslng
tourist was looking down on him from tree almost
over his head. The enthusiast soon brought
down from his cogn of vantage. The Laureate how
ever secured page boy to Keep of all such n1ders
in future he being too shortstghted to notice them.
Soon after this youth had begun his duties happened
that the Prince of Wales walked over from Osborne
to SEQ Mr.. Tennyson. Arriving at the poets house
| he hid thc bOv w
son was In The boy, thinking he smet rat, said,
And what's that TO you II he Is ~ "Tc him."
! said H. r. H., that the Prince of Wales wishes to
sec him" The knowing youth wherewth, not to
be caught, said, You don't take me to be so green
as thstis and to emphasize his remark he "placcd
HIS thumb to his and spread his fingers out"
Tho Prince, however, had parleyed sufficiently, so
taking tho young hopeful by the collar he placed him
aside, and walked into the house.
Mrs Humphry yard is far from we'll She is
suffering from Insomnia. and very much needs the
change of air which her rumored Journey g. America
will give her. She has been writing IN answer to
the various criticisms on Robert Elsmcre.7
Guy dc Maupassant IS writing book. For commo
la Mort which appears to be a French solution of
the problem presented years ago in an american
novel; Can the Old Lover" NJ. dc Maupassant. when
he finishes his book. is going TO take an excursion
| Trough Africa.
| Exceedingly Cardinal Newman When Mr..
j. II. shorthouse published " John Inglesant' I'm a
| small private edition. copy sent to the Card-
nal with a request for his opinion upon II. Cardinal
Newman replied that he had read the book with
much Interest," :" but,' he added, in qualification Of
tho request for opinion, observe that # lacks
an Index
| Miss Blanche Wills Howard says that probably
no publisher is so lavish in the matter Of authors
| copies as Tauchniz, and amable I'm sending not
only ones books but other peoples Of fresh and
delightful nature. and this in profuslon and at
pected moments. Some published correspondence be
tween the Tauchniz house and its authors abounds in
expressions Of grateful and for the most part sur
priscd acknowledgements OF packages OF new novels
sent Paris Rome by way of little friendly at
tentiOn.n
| Englishmen are beginning talk about Car