The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-01-23
PERSONAL AND LITERARY.

-Philadelphia is said to be the great
est novel-reading city in the country.
The favorites are Dickens, George
Eliot, Z. p. Roe, Black and Ouida, Il
the order named.
George Ebers, at ffty-two years Of
age, is Professor Of Egyptology o
Leipzig University, and says he writes
novels because persistent illness pre-
vents his doing harder work for living.
Lewis Carroll, the author of s'Alice
in Wonderland and Through the
Looking Glass" is said to be Rev. c. L.
Dodgson, OF Oxford, good-looking,
white-haired old gentleman Of over sixty
years.
The late Martin Farquhar Tupper,
the poet, once defeated Mr.. Gladstone st
Christ Church College, Oxford, in :
theological essay contest but generous
IL allowed him to take one-fifth Of the
prize money because he was good
second.
I'm year or two the country will be
deluged with cheap editions Of Ameri-
can works which were written forty or
fifty years ago and have consequently
fallen into the public domain. Richard
H. Dana's Two Years Before the Mast"
heads the procession Of these works.
Thomas s. Townsend has compiled
from newspapers and periodicals during
the past twenty y-eight years nearly 100
volumes relating to the late civil war.
Tho work has cost SIS, 900, the news
papers and magazines from which tho
articles were taken also costing SIS, 600.
The collection comprises GO. 900 pages,
or 24O. 600 columns Mr.. Townsend
values the collection at S45, 600, and 10
trying to sell it to Columbia College.
The work of William Duncan among
the Indians Of the Northwest coast has
received such commendation recently
from Bostonians that Mr.. Ballou's tes-
timony may be added as interesting
corroboration from . traveller. In his
new work upon Alaska Mr.. Ballou says
Of the missionary: by his individual
effort, with most miraculous success, he
raised from the depths Of barbarous
life law-abiding, religious, Industrious
and sclf-supporting community, who
Justly consider him their moral and
physical savior"
The Queen Of Italy once tried to
write novel. It was enthusiastically
praised by the court ladies when one
day she read them . few chapters. She
was bright enough to wish less partial
test, so she sent it under an assumed
name to . leading publisher, who polite
II declined to accept it. The publisher
was much chagrined when the affair
came out and. on the story being para
graphed in the London newspapers,
three English houses telegraphed to the
Queen asking for the book, but she SEN
sibly thinks best to abide by the decision
given when no royal name protected tho
child Of her fancy.
Some time since gentleman wrote
to James Russell Lowell asking which
were his favorites among his own books.
Mr.. Lowell sent back the following an
swer: II would willingly help you II I
could; but to be perfectly frank, can't
say that l have any favorites. After
they have stood long enough to cool
am not At all satisfied with any Of the
things I have written. wish could
| be, but can't" II such critical
mood possessed the ministry we think
that the literary qualities Of sermons
would be improved and the spiritual
| qualities not impaired.