The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-06-22

BpenUB
studios, and looking at nature and buildings as II
he were going to paint them, though he never
makes any such attempt He does not read other
peoples novels much these days, though he has
read all the standard Ones not only in English but
in French. He does not personally care for lola
and Tolstoi, as his friend Howes does so greatly.
He cares for form he reads new novel by Thomas
Hardy when comes out, and one of his favorites
is "The Scarlet Letter." but for the most part he
reads poetry and essays rather than stories
1t is no simplifying on what W. ID. Howells
reads, for he tells every month in Hdrper's. He
is fanatic the modernest of modern literature.
lie is Tolstoi apostle, and finds everything good
il is like Tostoi and everything bad as it departs
from that model. He read poetry we'll as wrote
il in his YOUTH but he don't do either now, and
thinks that all the classics he is acq TAINTED with
are sadly lacking in very essential qualities Miss
Austin's are the standard old novels he has most
liking for.
In talking of Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnetts
reading the past tense must be mainly used,
because like other very successful people, she lives
in press of affairs these days that prevent much
devotion to literature-of other peoples producing
She does even now what 80 many don't, che keeps
up with what is going on She "keeps up" in .
measure. OF course no one can do ii fully who
does thing else. She takes some interest in pol
itics skins the monthlies, and likes to peek into
the book that is being talked about If she does
not read it. Two of her old favorites, dating back
many years, are Mrs. Browning and George Eliot.
had great sensation over him, though she looks
upon Browning societies with horror akin to
hate. Goethe, too, she has read good deal, her
guide there being her husband, who is much
more scholarly person than she is Dickens has
been one of her favorite noveists. She sought the
acquaintance of RhOda Broughton in England a
couple of years ago because she liked her novels
One of her excursions into "sold" reading was with
Spencer's Educational Essays" when her boys
were little and she now enunciates emphatically
them. That was said however, in q gay converse
ton at an evening gathering, and as | don't know
anything further of her views education am
not inclined to take this very seriously. marked
contrast to Mrs Burnetts desire to "keep up" with
current literature is Edith Thomas the poet. No
ones name is seen oftener in the magazines, but
even that fact is insufficient to her interest in
them. She is not proud of the fact that she doesn't
read them; quite the contrary, she is apologize
about it, but she doesn't She has excellent judg-
ment in almost any literary field, but she finds no
inducement to exercise In any save very few. She
is that most singular thing, mortal who does not
and never did care anything for stories. She
"braces up" (she would not know what that meant)
once in while and reads q novel she hears other
people talking about and tries to believe she is en-
Toying herself. Her bewildered struggles with "The
Quick or the Dead" were the most humorous thing
| saw of all the funny phenomena about that hook.
She is uncommonly well read in English poetry,
including the old dramatists, and she likes peckiDg
at the Latin poets, for she is very fair Latinist
Chapman's "Homer" is one of her standbys and
another, of course, is Keats but now, and day
after day, she reads but little She'd rather write
and study languages and practice the guitar, and
above all get out in the country. She doesn't like
to have it assumed that the love of nature fills her
whole existence, but that is only the shyness of a
genuine passion; it does fiji big part of it.
One of the readers of Miss Thomas, by the way,
is Miss Mary Lathbury, whose pictures and write
ngs very popular with large class of religious
people For years she has been an especial admirer
of the other ladys work, though not a personal
acquaintance.
AS we are getting into the realm of the writers
of lesser note, it might be mentioned that Nine.
Mama is a special admirer of George Moore, that
very able gentleman whose novels were made
famous by Nudes refusal to assist in their crcu-