New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-04
LITERARY NOTES.


DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes has written chapter
the dialect OF Massachusetts, for Mr. Leands forth
coming book on Amcrcanisms. No living writer
could do this work well the Doctor whose know-
odgc OF this dialect aud whose ability TO put It on
paper arc alike perfect Never better example
of II given than tho inmItabc description Of Colonel
sprowle's party in The Guardian Angel
Mr.. Donnely is sad lie writes to tho Editor OF
"The London Daily News. snow, l put II TO you
as fair minded manand all Engshmen pride them
selves their of fair playwhcthcr It was right to
refuse TO review my book whole, and pass by all
tho multitudnous evidences which present that Fran
els Bacon wrote the plays and ignore tho thousands OF
proofs which give that two, at least of the plays
contain tho cearcst evidence Of the existence Of an
arithmetcia cipher their text, and content your
self with lighting down upon trihng, little, sup
posed error TO blow II into dculc with the masot OK
your ostcntatous learning Is there not room enough
for your genius in explaining how tho playactor OF
stratford acquired all this Creek Latin, French and
Italian scholarship Il say nothing about Spanish or
Danish, which no cribs can account for! Was IL
before he left school at fourteen years OF age2 Or
1t while he was engaged In the intellectual task
of killing calves? Or was It while he was poachlng,
or being publicly whipped or lying drunk under the
famous crab tree, being imprisoned Or was 1t
while he holding horses before the gate OF the
play house? Did he hold horse and study Sophie
clcs, or tbs Orlando nDamorato at the same time
And ii So how comes It that not single tradition has
down 20 us that refers TO him as a scholar,
student, or a lover of books while we have great
many other traditions one OF which is credtabe TO
him.
"Ihc English papers of to-day arc standing guard
with Journalistic bludgeons the rotten carcass of
tho national dclusion, while all Thoughtful men are
rapidly arriving at tho conclusion that the greatest
writings Of that age were written by the greatest
man of all the ages-Francis Bacon"
We fail to see that Mr. Donnelly is qualified to an
swer for all thoughtful men,
The third volume of Professor McMastcr's His
tory of the People Of the United States' Is growing,
and the author expects deliver the Ms to the print
ers at the end of this year.
The next Hawthorne Byrnes novel is to be entitled
" Anothers Crime.'
The health of Monsieur Taine is improving, and he
Is again at work for few hours daily upon his
- French Revolution
This bit of verso by W. E. Henley presents what
might be considered good portrait of Robert Louis
Stevenson
Thn.leggcd, thin-chestcd, slight unspeakably,
Ncatfootcd and weak-fngercd In his face
Lean large boned curved of bcak and touched with
race,
Bold-lipped, rch-tintcd, mutable as the sea,
The brown eyes radiant with vvacity-
There shines a brilliant and romantic grace,
spirit intense and rare, with trace on trace
OF passion, impudence and energy.
Valiant in velvet, light in ragged luck,
Most vain, most generous, stcrnly critical,
Buftoon and poet, lover and sensualist;
deal Of ARIEL just streak of Puck,
Much Antony, of Hamlet most of all,
And something of the shorter Catechst.
Advance orders for over 10000 copies Of Mr. Ste
vcnson's Black Arrow" received by Messrs.
6crbncr before the day of publication.
"In Hot IIasteD is the title of novel which is
ing from the press of Henry Holt & Co. Tho hero is
a German Count, who marrics in hot haste TO secure
Inheritance.
Jane Strickland, tho sister Of Agnes Strickland and
a writer of much ability, has just died in England
Her last publication was biography OF her sister,
The clever story by Forbes Heermans, entitled
aThc Widow of Smith, which The Tribune recently
reprinted, may be found in a volume published by
C. w. Bardeen last year Tho book is called " Thir-
teen Stories of the Far West.s
Tho Boston correspondent of the July Book Buyer
says that friend gave an recently of visit
she paid last summer, while staying at LacoDia, to
tho Shaker community at Canterbury, which Is pic
tured In Mr. Howells's "Undscoverod' at was
wonderfully like the book" she said, and the best Of
It is to how the sisters feel about the book They
will not approve Of anything worldly as novel,
but they secretly proud Of having been put In
print in this way. asked the head sster-SStcr
Lucy Ann, isn't it what she thought of Mr. How
clls's description Of their life. l think she an
swcrcd, that he said very queer things about
u.s. She had way of pursuing up her lips that was
evidently meant to give the impression she could dis
approve very strongly If she chose, and so asked a
lovely old edrcss with a placid face and beautiful
eyes If she thought the book did the community inus
tee wish you could have the delicious, kindly
way in which she answered: Oh, no like the book
/ think Mr.. Howells did we'll he could with his
light Wasn't that charning?'