New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-16
LITERARY NOTES.

varwickshlreass a new Henry idol. washington
Irving and his Sketch Book have long heln urn
Mace I'm the heart Of Sraford-On- AVON No" WIN.
lam Winter and Shakcspearcs England have Secuio'
, coodly share Of that empire Tho sales OF tho
Sketch Book there continuous, but i"r MI
Winters volume the demand IS now much greater
Dr McCosh's criticism Of Robert Elsmere," which
was read I'm the Doctors library the other DAY oelorc
invited guests, is to be printed in The New
Ledger"
An English novelist writing about the inferlorfy
OF the average English short story, says mat inc
short story IS Of the highest forms OF srt' out IT
IS not remuneratve "A short story" he says, needs
a, least three times the preliminary study of long
one lis characters must DC clearly defined, ana the
plot worked out beforehand; but the most skiiiui
novellsts- scott, Thackcray. Dickens, George EIot
herclf-could not the end of their own lapors
Once the right vein is struck In novel there are
long stretches Of straightforward work where one
no,d never pause except on account of fatigue Inc
story develops, the characters act almost OF their
own accord and the copy is made as If by magic
STYLE Itself ceases to trouble But every new short
story demands a fresh invention, often change oil
STYLE always new characters. So when one Is COM
plotted the beginning Of new one Is as bad as The
starring Of a new novel Hence It IS that the produc
ton Of them has fallen almost entirely into the hands
OF incAlcilcICcu btclHHciS anu JIM H"N"'
One Of the pccularItIes Of the British short story
writer IS his passion for putting murder or ghost
or both into HIS Christmas stories. AS a rule, the
English holiday story IS the very worst of Its kind
W. f. Norris, who IS the author Of exceedingly
clever short Stories has in the current English
Illustrated Magazine which bears curious resem-
blance In conception and method to those of Henry
James The heroine Is an American and might have
stepped out of one Of Jamcs'S books
In another column will be found several poems
aiken FROM the volume entitled a Century OF Austria
ian Song white Il AllcnJ These absolutely
all which an unprcjudIced reader finds worth quoting
In this bulky volume Most of The It contains
are on the commonplace level of English magazine
poctry and ono loohs in vain FOR any glimpse OF
The vigorous and unconventional spirit of wild-liie
poneer DAYS The g litor Of this volume Mr.. Sladcn.
is now baslinc in the literary eulgence of Boston
and it IS understood that Australian Song IS subject
Of burning interest In that city. This information
leads us 10 wonder at the taste Of the Hub In
poetry. The Hub, in literary sense, Is rather tire
some nowadays.
A CORES pondcnt Of Z" The Boston Transcript" says
that Mrs Tyler, the heroine Of the Mary had little
lamb poem is at present living few miles outside
Boston and IS over eighty years old. The verses
wero written in Sterling, Mass, by John Roulsono,
Young man then preparing for college. lie CHANGED
70 be visiting the school when the lamb episode oc-
cured.
Mrs Amelia f. Barr has written new novel
which she will print, not in American, but In an
English periodical 1t Is entitled woven OF Love
and Glory and it VIII appear In" The sunday Maya
zne' 1t Is Story of struggle for Independence.
It was Of Or. Whcwcll. the famous master OF
Trinity, that sydney Smith said " If science was
his forte omniscicnce was his folblc.' Concerning
this foble Temple Bar tells an amusing story
rival alkcr resolved for TO get the better
Of Whewen and crammcd the subject Of Chinese
metaphysics. He lost no time in deXlerouSy leading
the conversation toward the topic, and at once hucnty
and confidently expressed his opinions, when to hi:
establishment. Whe~ell rushed into the subject quite
| al home and in direct contradiction to his views
| Sir, said the master Will you have the goodness
| TO give me the authority upon which the opinion,
Won have expressed are bascdl" Certainly SAID
| his opponent; an article in the Encyclopedia;
britannica CON" said Whewen. IL wrote tn
article myself ten years ago. and have since seeI
good reason to change my views"
| american Notes and Queries quotes the follow
ing: Robert Bro wings earliest effort at rhyme f.
said to have been made at the age of four; when hi
mother was about to give lin dose OF medicine
he struck attitude, and said:
| An people. If you wish to see
A boy tako physic, look at me-
| Mr.. w. H. Maock, at the age of eight, wrote:
The breeZes signing
About me- above me;
Oh ! could be- happy
II Celia would love me.
But without Cella's love
The breezes may blow,
And for aught that care,
To tho ID may go"
David Swing has been writing about Browning Fl
| a way TO madness In the bosom Of every Brown
| ing club In the country Robert Browning h
! saws, has great poetic powers ard IN hi
soul but he cannot make poem except by an occa
slonal accident. lie has poetic sentiment enough 70
| the endowment OF a generation, but he cannot eX
press himself; having clear conception Of rhym
and rhythm having great senslbllty to languag
and having none Of that mental syntax which make
sentence OF thought stand out like marble statue
His beauties often gorgeous, but they arc nike
in with the grotesquc; his mind is lofty, but It's con
cepiions are vague his whole Intellectual cosmO
Is great and beautiful IN part, but In part II Is still
| I'm possession Of chaos The power 10 evoke orde
! out Of confusion IS absent
! Beautiful form and lovely melody left out o
| Brownings pocical composton-thats all
| A queer statement comes from Berlin that IN
statistics OF the free libraries show that foreign M
| erature Is more popular there than the German Ma
| tonal literature Each volume OF foreign literatur
was lent last year at the Of 80 In the year
and each volume VI the National literature at the rat
Of 81 times.