New-York tribune., 1890-04-20
BOOKS AND WRITER'S.


A comnIeta entirely new and extremely handsome
large. paper edition Of the works OF James Russell
Lowell Is announced by Houghton' Miniih .o MI
annear in ten volumes under titles suggested by the
new classification All his Writings up 10 od'c VIII"
ho cares to nreservc will be included in these volumes
and in the form which he regards as hnai' lie mas
carefully revised the whole, prose ana poetry ana mas
.ddod f,u ovnlanatory notes to the Bigow Papers
rhoo * IN he an excellent index TO the prose Writings
and the last volume of poetry VIII be competed oy a
table Of first lines Of all the poems. Inc co''oh WI"
include only 900 copies for America ech copy 10 oe
numbered and registered when sold The irst volume
will be delivered to Subscribers uu'nis t"o sP'i"s' "
the last early in the autumn.
A. this edition is TO contain In It's final form all
,bat Mr. Lowell, up date, wishes to preserve, 1t
Is 10 be hoped that the grubblng penny OF hc
next century will be content 10 lesNc 10 opi'on o
unimportant writings which he has discarded. Inc
ronrint,nC Of material which an author mas thro"h
aside as unsatisfactory ana not representative Is |"
mistake and a wrong 1t does not benefit literature
a whit
, little nerson named oliver Elton wrthes in agony
IN "Tbe London Academy" over the wcarful woes OF
Walt Whitman "Coud there be-" says this sad being
n greater and apparently, more dismal paradox than
be sight Of the seer democracy sitting serene under
the total neglect of the democracy IL anything couid
bcy the faith of the Democratic Vistas, If anything
could make one think the loud energetic CIVILIZATION ol
America nothing but gigantic imposture' IL Is INC
spectacle of the only great living American poet De
pepdent in his old age upon the sym
nathv-and at one moment almost upon
the maintcnance-of foreign friends. And yet
he keeps his faith the fathless peopolc unshaken
or il is not at the mercy of personal neglect or per-
sonal discomfort and, if he is right In his ROBUST DC
lief, surely the solution Of the paradox lies III .no
meaning of that much-abuscd word the people Inc
.reople, in whom his confidence burns so unquench-
ably are not the rich people, not the mohs VI WIZ
nullers and place hunters, not the spurious elite OF
cu,ture hut the mass Of the people, who know little
of Whitman and his books Of any books, who labor
obscurelv manfy and rcstlessly. who represent inc
vast sumtoal Of energy comparable TO the energies
Of nature herse-the Of the people whose force
and fertility Independent OF all possible Vlciss-
udcs in Institutions There is great deal of base
less nonsense in this presentation OF spectacle
but if the sympathetic Elton likes TO weep about
nothing in particular, let him weep.
william Fraser Of Ledeclunc. says, In letter ~
aNotes and Queries" that he conducted General Grant
over the Houses Of Parliament and showed hlm the
"humors" OF the place. lie adds that the "enerdIS
character for silence was certainly indicated. ie
did not utter one word until had called cab FOR him
in Palace Yard when he uttered the historical words
sir, j thank YOU
uappy Stevenson As the Hermit Of Samoa
he has il In his power to do the best work Of his HE
There is much truth in what The London Globe says
concerning the effect Of city life upon man OF
genius London j. fatal to more promise than Is
usually imagined. What with publishers chnorine ioF
copy from every man who makes success aHu h'i''H
cques tempting him either TO join or to fight tc ana
obrusive admirers, and ono thing and another IL i
almost impossible here to get that perfect serenity
T. ltfrr
What the writer of creative talent gains In converse
with his fellows is often more balanced in ways
indicated by "The Globe As for Mr. stevenson
seated in the midst OF 400 acres Of land and with no
towns nearer than sydney and Auckland. 1t may DC
supposed that he will he able to write in peace Miles
away from England America | certainly shall be, "
he writes but shall be secluded free from visitors
able to please myself, and untroubcd by anybody
That there arc no coming literary men In England
is the recent lament Of Justin Mccarthy" if there
be any young strong singer with originality and
genius do not know o. him" The British para
sraphcr is very severe with Mr. Mccarthy, ooa
eerninc this opinion but 1t is to be observed that
the casticator while laying on his stripes doesn't
point ont any young strong singer"
The following paragraphs concerning hlphonse
Daudet's new book from the pen Of one Of the
ablcst and most accomplished critics OF our time:
We are not so happy in sequels7 the French. for
what Is their great Ealzac but sequence OF scquel-
Alphonsc Daudet. who docs not particularly resemble
Balzac in other poets treads In his steps In TINS art
Of taking a story up again and adding postscript -
postecript suc at least is the testimony Of the three
books OF his history Of the great Tartnrn OF Tarascon
The second and the last Of these po-scrp.
inasnuch as il dsposcs deinltivcly OF the delightful
hero IS embodied In Port Tarascon,7 the new
humorous novel which, in advance Of its appearance
In France IIarpcr's Magazine Is about IN publish
an illustrated serial. This suprcmcly droll and charm
ing episode in "A wonderful nctiyc career has been
translated by Mr. Henry James. and the English speak.
ing public will Thus enjoy the privilege Of an cnvabc
forcknowlcdgc. They will be in possession Of N.
Daudct's crowning condolences on the subject Of
Tartalin while the compatrots Of both arthor and hero
are stllI in the dark. This six months conspicuous
existence Of Alplionse Dauhet as an English novelist
yhl, he remains mashed and yelled a. French one
is startngly modern phenomenon. flashing with 4
sort of electric light the cosmopotanans Of the future
No similar case-cven NJ Daudct's high distinction ill
his own coantiy-has probably ever occurred.
II is not a secret, and there Is no reason why 1t
should be- that the subject Of Port Tarascon7 was
suggested by one Of The most curious and pathetic trials
In the recent criminal annals Of Fmncc-thc case re
ported by the Paris papers few years back under the
name tf LANdiic du Port Breton" Tort Breton was the
invention Of llilc gang Of swindlers who had taken
Just measure OF human crefulity-a delusivc settle
nicnt beyond the seas 10 which community Of simple
minded children Of Brittany were Induced TO commit
their scanty savings and their artlcss persons The
adventure had "A miserable end the cmigrants planted
OIL some dcsoate sand bank in the antpodes, where
they nearly pcrished Of starvation struggled home
again, sadder aud wiser men, 10 demand the chasse-
ment OF their wrongcr. Alphonse Daudct had been
greatly struck the lime with the evidence, the est
mony OF the victims produced at the judicial inquiry
and the whole thing remained in his mind as the seed
Of an extraordinary comedy. lie has been free 10 feel
the comic element most, inasnuch 40 the happy
restoration Of the vctimzcd colonists TO the homes
they such fools to leave has been an essential
part of his vision Of the drama. Moreover. he has
transported the wonderful affair TO his own muchlovcl
and much chaifcd" Provence where. to his sense all
life is much delciously droll than anything
is anywhere else Tartarin is Of course the principal
illustration of this dioery. which In the authors
hands becomes q satire upon the cxubcrant capacity
for humbugging and being lumbugged disccrnlble IN
a certain sort Of southern temperament.
The temperament Of Tarascon has been a mine Of