New-York tribune., 1888-03-25
LITERARY NOTES.

careful reader writes to THE TRIBUNE I'm
The Country Gsntlsman of November 2. 1859,
find one of j. whftcomb Rleys latest Tor latest pub
lished) poems, swhep the Frost ls on the Punkin,'
credited to sB g. johnson in the fndsaapolis jour
nal do not doubt that Mr.. Riley ID the suthor.
but how does 1t happen to have appeared 20 long 40
in the paper to which he contributes yct under an
other namc?" 1t is easily explained. Mr Riley
when he began to publish his did so under the
namc Of B. +. Johnson often introducing his poems
with humorous editorial comments
The forthcoming volumes Of Ticknors Pspcr
Sores Will be Mrs. Mary Hallock Foote'S Ted
Horse Claim' and g Len Gansett.' By opss p. Read,
Editor Of "Tho Arkanssw Traveller The last
named book is . story Of Southern life
Mary Robinson's poems-or rather selections nom
thcm-have been turned into French prose By M
James Darmestetcr The translations arc said to DO
admirable.
Mr. Henry James's paper Robert Louis Steven
son will appear in the April Century II VIII DO
accompanied by q portrait Of Stevenson
Tho late David Gray showed his wise judgment In
nothing more striklngly than In his estimate OF bis
own powers. He 10 quoted Is saying; III have
not done any great poetic work, the fact must DO &C.
copied as proof have not great poetic genius
Such q gift would enable mo to sing In spite OF all
distractions or compel mo to abandon all Other things
and devote mysel to song. Not doing so. It Is not
fair to Infer that have the power or tho mission OF
q
vers6ooud acquire as reasonable IN opinion concern
Ing their Own work
Tho London Academy declares that 10 10 N France
that tho keenest love for poetry manifosts ITSELF
Not only tho French poets popular: there seoms
to bo largo number Of Fronch readers eager Tor the
best work OF contemporary German and English pocS
Tennyson is fairly widely read abroad. and Browning
is read about: for Rossetd. bis name Is oerIAnu
moro familiar In Partisan literary circles than that
=. .r, norarv Erouch poet After Victor Hugo
among ourselves
Isaac Henderson. author Of "Ths rrelsts!s has
wrtten now novel. which Ticknor win publish fort
night hence. 1t is to be entitled: Agatha Page:
Parablep Another novel. which the Same nrm will
shortly bring out is IsIdra" BY Willis STEEL 1t s
story Of Mexico
Tho Hon. n C. Moak. Of Albany. Is said to DO the
possessor Of tho most extensive Bnvats law ubrsS IN
the Union.
There 10 exceeding good sonss In Colonel Hesinsons
comments in The Bazsr' on Miss Alcotfs ndeAugs
bic labors: When ono reads hc SAYS. OF MISS Al
cott,s coming Into the of1cc OF Tho Woman's Jour
nal, and bringing a hundred dollars that she had
earned before breakfast one Is led to ASK whotnef
would have been better not to have earned u than
to give away lavishly as 70 have TO 70 70 WORK
after breakfast for another hundred dollars Instead OF
taking day of and letting the tired brain rest 1t
the last learned by writer's ana ARTISTS 70
be wisely economical Of themselves. and to spare tho
sources from which prosperity and usefulness TOO
easily flow.
Miss Alcott's intellectual work itself found llm
tation in It's grade BY reason Of Its ready abundance
She had the OF her public she was as was SAID Oh
her. "a bencfactor Of households. and perhaps sho
dd-it Is impossible to prove the conrary-the very
highest work Of which she was capable. But 1t was
not very high or very permanent she never coualed
her rst successful work Of 6 on and for the rest OF
her lfc as In tho case OF Bret Harto she simply 70
heated the samo few delneauOns- They were. OF
course more innocent and healthful than Hartes but
they were as chdrsn doubtless continued
to cry for them but msturcY reader-at least none
familiar with licraiurecared to keep the run OF them
Morally and socially Miss Alcott may well DO model
10 all young writers: but II they moved by = pro-
found passion for the Of literature itseh IL they
wish to reach an audience rcmoer than that Of to-day
If they wish to do something that shall add to the last
Ing treasure of the grsa literature on which hss have
fed-they must look beyond her to greater and more
nArmanent modelss