New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-02
LITERARY NOTES.

Mr.. Gladstone being who loves his books,
is arranging his library at Hawarden with his own
hands As they in serried order on the shelves. he
marks in each those passages which seem to him
most important, and which have had most influence
on his own mind and life. The collection will thus
be in some sort an autobiography
Mr.. Gladstone's recently printed magazine article
poetry does not please "The London Globe" 1t
goes so far as to say that his classification of the
poets is incorrect and nelegant in style and only
@that of an ucriica old gossip; declares that his
collection Is Of ninth-rate sapphos and adds
Sentiment Why the ex-Premer might be young
lady cullng verses for her first album. All his
favorite poetry is about funerals, dying children,
ghosts, dreams and sorrows."
Marion Crawford is credited by g The Book Buyer"
with the ability to speak German, French and Italian
huently; to read Latin, Greek, Sanscrit, Arabic and
Persian; and to understand Russian and Turkish He
is described by that bright little magazine as over
six feet in height, with broad shoulders, small feet
and large head, the latter being we'll covered with
a profusion Of brown hair; beard of the color
conceals the lower part of his face fine but rather
large mouth is partially hidden by mustache Of the
same hue his beard his teeth handsome and his
smile exceedingly sweet He talks well. in carefully
modulated voice. enjoys good Joke and is easily
moved to laughter.
That Mr.. HowelIs is the genuine connecting link
between the crude reasts in method Hike Tolstoi and
the crude realsts in thought like lola is the opinion
Of The London Academy And the critic goes on
to say:
Perhaps realism in literary art may be approx
mately defined as the science OF exact presentment
Of many complexities abstract and concrete, In one
truthful, because absolutely reasonable and apparently
Inevitable, synthess; this plus the creative energy
which in high development involves what is mislead-
ingy called the romantic spirit, AID minus that weak
ness OF the seectve faculty which Is the dominant
factor in the work of the socalled realists of the
Zolaesque school Thus regarded, realism and romance
found TO be as ndlssolube soul and body in
living human being. The true artist no doubt is he
who Is neither realis nor romanclst but in whose
work IS observable the shaping power Of the higher
qualities of the methods of genuine realism and the
higher qualities of the methods of genuine romance
II Mr.. Browning had had his bread and butter to
earn he would hardly have exhibited this instance
of kindness of heart young girl set, school
task to write explanation of Prospice" Not salts
fed with her essay she ventured 10 send II to Mr..
| Browning, TO whom she an entire stranger. and
he took the trouble to make sundry corrections and
| additions, winding up with: There, my dear young
lady, I have done the little that necessary. and
| hope ii may suffice. Afectionately yours, Robert
| Browning" 1t must be said that. If young student
could ever be justified in intrudng upon total stran
GER in the of one tortured by the reconcile
| mysteries Of Browning.
| "A great scholar" observes The London Athe
naeums once said that 1T is only the highly educated
| man who knows the sham of education' This may
or may not be So but certainly it is he who has had
most experience in the world who knows how little
this kind of experience will do for him when he comes
to write verses-uness indeed the verses be vers d.
| societe. To suppose otherwise is to confound Tho
poets function with that OF the novest-the function
Of him who deals with the innermost kernels OF lft
to the exclusion OF LIES husks with him whose func
ton IL is to deal with huss first and kernels after
ward. The elemental in man, and not the accidental
Is the poets material and that Is why Homers render
ing of the interview between Achilles and Priam is a
this moment fresher, more modern. as we'll as mor'
| ancient than any scene In Tom jones' But this Il
the very quality which no amount of dningout vii
enable poet TO SEIZE Nay, for aught we know. thu
much dlnlng-out may be in the poets way. 1t is II
society more than anywhere else that souls hid
| themselves within the net Of Manners