The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-11
LITERARY FOOT NOTES.
THE DEADNEsS OF LITERARY RE-
CEPTIONS.

dote of Current Atlantic" Story
Mr. R o. Johnson's Work in Behalf
of International Copyright.
(CopWightl
NEW Y DIRK, May lot has been noticed
of late-so much as to occasion some COM
ment-that the old time literary reception
in New York mas sadly faded out the past
season. But no one seems to think its alb
sence other than the effect Of a change in
taste and fashion. While agreeing to the
decline OF this species Of reception, it is not
! difficult, think, TO find far more efficient
| cause for its decadence than the one named.
The true reason is, not that it has not been
| delightful, OF is no longer liked, but that
those who gave it its existence and celebrity
are no longer with US. Mrs Botta, who was
one of the pioneers in giving literary rscep-
tions here has recently died and OF how msuy
others at whose houses 80 many of Us met
may not the same sad sentence be written ?
There waste go back little way-the re-
ception given by the poet sisters, Alice and
| Phoebe Carey. Both these charming host
esses are long since gone; but men as busy
as Horace Greeley and p. +. Barnum
attended at their call. Mrs. E. Greeley
Cleveland, whose receptions were most
unique. and whose guests were every noted
person, died a little over a year ago. Mrs.
| o. b. Bruces pleasant evenings came to an
end by the death Of her gifted husband and
Miss Booth, who gave such fine ones, is also
not living.
1t may be easily predicted that the half
photographic life of Murray, the pub
Usher, called Byron's Murray, will go along
with Walter SCOTS Journal as among the
most interesting books we have imported Of
| late.
Robert Peel's early letters are soon to be
| published by Murray, and we have an
1 uounced for the autumn here Gen. Buffers
autobiography. There can be no doubt that
this work of the Lowell politician and law
| yer will be marked by no end of bright and
| graphic comment.
have from the lips of literary man
little incident concerning the brilliant story
| of the late w. d. O'Connor, now COM
menced in the Atlantic. 1t seems he sent
it himself to that magazine many years
| ago, only to have it returned with request
| that he prune 1t and modify it according to
certain rules that the editor suggested.
! For any one who knew Mr.. OConnor we'll
it would not be hard to imagine
that the advice was not received in
| a meek and humble spirit. He would evil
| IDENTIFY do no such thing, and therefore
never offered it again for publication.
have no doubt it will now be printed some
what as the author wished, and will fulfill
the brilliancy we have right to expect of
it. MIR. OConnor was a special friend of
Walt Whitman and John Burroughs. His
two best remembered exploits for dash and
chivalry were his book on THE Good Gray
Poet" and his defense of Mrs. Elizabeth
Akers Aliens right to her poem Of Rock
Me to Sleep"
Speaking of Mrs. Elizabeth Akers Allen,
reminds me 20 say that she not very long
| ago removed from her home in New Jersey
to New York CITY. She does not write as
often as she did, though her manuscripts
are always welcome to the editors and are
embodied in a chirography that is uniquely
formed and of unblemished beauty. 1t is
double" Of her's-another Mrs. or Miss E.
A. Allen Of New Jersey-who wrote the
book of Pegs to Hang Golden Memories
| Upon"
With the exception of Walt Whitman.
and, perhaps, William Cullen Bryant, we
| have never had in this country q more
| picturesque and patriarchal looking poet
| than the octogenariau Arkausan, Albert
| Pike, who recently died in Washin ton.
! His muse has been silent fer generation,
but few southern writer's have done better
in verse than he did in his singing days.
Not long ago volume of his poetry brought
a high price from book collectors when il
could be found, which was very rarely
indeed.
A literary production which deserves
mention, though not at present to be
printed, is DR.. William Emerson's lecture
on Thoreau, which he has a few times
delivered; and once, very lately in this city,
where it only reached a private audience,
and got no printed report whatever It is
interesting TO note that he affirms for
Thoreau a true originality, and not an
| affected one caught from the lecturers
father.
There are many here who suggest that
Columbia College ought to ask E. G.
Stedman TO repeat his Johns Hopkins lect-
| ures on poetry, of which only meager skele-
ton reports have been given, and those only
by two or three of our papers. These re-
ports, though, are sufficient to show Mr..
Stedman'S theroughnesS in studying and
clue dating his theme, and indicate passages
having a marked poetic beauty of treat
ment
Mr.. Howells plea for signed criticism
instead of the anonymous sort which be-
lieve Oscar Wilde has lately discussed
seems to have an alarming following in
| Minnesota, whore a large part of the legis-
lature came near securing personal signat-
ure to every original paragraph and news
| paper article in the state.
Mrs. Mabel LOOMS Todd joint editor
| with T. w. Higginson of the remarkable
book of poems of the late Emily Dickinson,
lectured few days ago at Amherst, Mass,
upon the characteristics of this newly dis
covered poet. She said that Miss Dickin-
son was not quite the severe recluse that
| some of the vagrant newspaper reports at
| tempt to make her. Then she had, as those
| who have read her verses must infer, very
marked individuality. Nearly 200 poems
were found among her MSS, and out of
these a new volume of verse will be made
up, which may very likely appear in the
| coming autumn.
The statement that Col. Don Piatt is to
return TO Belford'S Magazine as its editor
| is still going the rounds of the press. l
| have it from his own lips, however, that he
has no intention of doing so.
r. U. johnson Of the Century Magazine
editorial staff, who received lately from the
| French republic the cross of the Legion Of
Honor. in recognition of his services TO-
ward the establishment Of international
copyright, has had-his labors in this
behalf still further recognized
| In this instance the gift came
from a number Of our leading publishers,
and their token of acknowledgment is a
bountifully sized, solid silver Loving cup, Of
excellent design. The inscriptions upon it
| give in appropriate style the incentive for
the donation, with not only Mr.. Johnson's
name, but those of the publishers making
| the gift. There Is room In 1t for a good
do Ill.