Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-03-24
DRIFT.

1t sometimes hsppensthat the oriis PICK
up along the current OF life and litersturei IL
almost too large and heavy TO bring into
this column, great logs and cumbrous stud,
such az few are interested In. Just ~ often,
however, u Also happens TINA RcshtsR but
splinters and fragments weeds and sbreds
such light and slight tribes arc washed ur,
tha, even II worth gathering, they don't
seem worth talking about and showing to
any body else. III there were any copRruity
or even slight relation between the different
bits, they might be strung together along
some connecting thread. But there isn't
wha, am 1 to do then All can do is TO
simply dump them out before you as ] have
found them, and let you look at thom, or
not, as you please.
Just now that tho old emperor oi Ger
many Ia gone, and the now one apparently
liable to follow him at any time, a good
many people have become interested 10
Germany and German politics who meyer
thought Of them before. Consequently
they know nothing about them. And
therefore they are looking about them for
some work that shall inform and Instruct
them. II you are one OF that class, let mo
| advise you to get the History OF Prussis,"
by Herbert Tuttie, az boing decidedly the
beet history OF that country In our Ian
guage. 1t Is true 1t Is not history OF Ger
| many. But 1t gives tho only key to tho
| latter. To understand the history OF Ger
many you must study that OF Prussia first
and most thoroughly. And to understand
| the Prussia and Germany OF to-day, you
must DO well acquainted with tho Prussia
| Of Frederic the Great and Of his father.
| Tuttle's first volume gives you most ad-
| mIable account of the development Of the
kingdom up TO Ffoderic's accession, and of
| tho latter's tyrannicsl aud brutal old father,
who cared more for his famous liie-guard
regiment OF giants than for hi. own son, or
indeed for anything elsa In the world
| and who yet, by his very eccen tricity ana
| tyranny, laid the foundations OF his king.
| dom's future glory. Ia the second and
third volumes, just out, Is given very
complete and graz bic account, descriptive
and historical, OF the first hali OF Fredefic's
reign. People who have only read Ger
| lyle's 4" Frederick the Great" don't really
know the real Frederic, whom Tuttle in
these volumes most fully aud fairly pre-
| sents TO them, from a study OF original
| sources never before accessible to writers
| IN English. The same author promises two
more volumes in the near future. covering
the period OF tho Seven Years War and
| down to the death tf frederic. The set OF
| five volumes will be decidedly the fullest
| and best history OF Prus ,ia In the language,
| and q work that will add TO the fame OF
| American historical writing already so
| firmly established by the great histories OF
Prescott, Motley, Bancroft and PArkman.
The other day told you Of a n ew weekly
literary magazine, called Literature, that
tho New York publisher, John Is. Alden,
had started. 1t IL not literary advertise
ment, or kind Of catalogue OF tho pub.
lisheT's books, like Appleton's Literary
Journal, or Scribnerh' BOOK Buyer, or
WansmaksI's Book News, but genuine
weekly journal OF literature, containing in
this weeks number, for example, twenty
three pages OF original paid for contributed
articles, selections from other periodicals,
and from new books, literary reviews and
notices, news about authors, publishers,
magazines, &n-yet, what do you think
, | The postal departm, mt refuses TO transmit
II through the mails as "second class
matter" and makes the publisher pay
third Glass rates, that II, makes hin
, pay $3.50 postage on every weeks
issue, instead OF S2l,35, which second
class rates would amount toN Wha
3 is tho reason for this pleee OF arbitrary dis
| | crininationf The only reason allowabl,
by law would be the plen that literature 4
: "designed primarily for advertising pur
poses," or "ior free circulation" or a
''nomlnal rates" But that it is not the ii rs
n Is proved by the quality and proportion o
|, purely literary matter 1t contains, create
and better than that found In most weekly
1 "ree circulation" Is proved by tho fact tina
: IL cannot be had for less Than The subscrip
n | tion price Cf Slayear, 1t might indeed
plead guilty OF "nominal rates" for 1t
wor h at least double the price but theI
the publisher declares that with its larg
| ciFpulatiDn Va hiph ~ ia Tuni1ly ua
4 IL sure OF a net fifty por cent. profit n
that II seems to me simply illegal 10
Mr.. Harris, the third assistant postnaste
general, to charge anything more thai
second-class rstes. Certainly 1t strikes ri
outsider AZ such. Indeed Il seems it'll
short OF an outrage, particularly when W,
| remember what tons OF trash, moral poison
like the Police Gdcctts, the Oid SicitN Ii
brdry, and others little better, are circ culatet
through the malls all the time at second
class rates Low-priced good literature
I pure, thoroughly wholesome, like tina
D | which Mr. Alden Is giving tho world, is tn,
= best II not only sntidoto against the stut
4 the perussl of which ~ corrupiing GU
, | youth and iilling our prisons aud asylums
| 1t seems worse than illegal for our posta
: department TO circulate the latter and yir
n tuslly To put fine upon the former. Blu
y then the law IL sometimes "queer," au,
4 olice- holders still "queersT."
a Have you noticed how many literar
| people Of high standing havo died with
i. the last few weeks First OF all, not to &
n back any further than last month, was tn
, ! distinguished writer on social and legl
I subjects, SIR Henry Maine, who died
Cannes In france on February 81. aite
having held nsny high political ofIices /
h England, filled proiessoriai chairs
t Oxford aud at Cambridge, and enriche
1 English literature with such learned work
rs "Apcient Law" In 1861, "N Illsge Com
munities in the East and the West" in ISL
"Early History OF Institutions" in ls7
"Eariy Law aud Custom" and "PJpuls
o Government In 1855.
Il That reminds me that Sir Henry Main
8 was the hero or victim OF literary romano
o rs strange and almost tragic as that OF Can
8 lyle and the burning OF his manuscript
8 "The French Revolution" by John Stua
Mills servant, who used IL for kindIinl
% The account Is given in London Figari
Before Maine went to India In 1862 Us
member Cf the supreme council OF uu
eastern empire, he had well.nigh com
o pletod work OF International law, and IN
!, manuscript OF the volume ne left benin,
. | him In this country with other property
u 1t was not until 1870 that he returned I
England, on his appointment as professo
3 OF Jurisprudence at Oxford, and one of hi
l. | first thoughts was naturally directed to hi
4, precious manuscript, the contents OF whic
q | he knew would furnish him with suhieC
!, matter for the series of lectures with whic
he proposed to inauguia ate his professor
q ship. Imagine then, his dissppaintmen
o ana disnay when ne was unable, eve
q cover any trace OF the packet he had Ie
behind him. IL was gone, cOmBletely v an