New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-23
LITERARY NOTES.

That one person should collect records OF incident
and coate facts for use as material OF hction by
another person. is reasonable and desirable but Vlc
thought Of collaboration in any other form Is not III
vitlng to the reader Nor is it, IN most cases, we vent
urc to say, more than pretence or farce The COZ
lection Of material hardly entities the collector 10 inc
printing of his name upon the ttlepage; and work
of the maginatOn which is actually the composition
OF two authors will probably never become classic
IL is not possible 10 conceive OF great work OF genius
as the fruit of two minds, owing its existence equally
| to each.
| Mr. Iowelps critical method is thus characterized
| by "The London Spectator: when some minds
would crcumvent subject with nolseesS approaches,
and work its reluctant secret out OF II msolousy'
| he challenges it TO a decisive engagement 10 open
field where swords fash in the brave sunlight and hot
sparks arc struck from Diluted armor But the method
gIanted-and it Is picturesque and robust method
| his mastery of it is indisputable'
| Mrs. Cruger's new novel; "A Puritan Pagan" hns
already gone into its third edition. The first edition
was exhausted within week Of publication.
Speaking Of novels, here are interesting SEN
fences from Mr.. Edgar Fnwcetts paper in the new
Lippnc0tto "The novelist who studlOusly concerns
himself with the tastes OF the average reader is either
made or lost and on certain occasions he Is both. II
he writes purely for popularity he and then attains
it, but often quite misses it, and II he writes
for popularity and attains IT, he is not seldom wouly
sefdissatsied recall being greatly astonished 70
hear a writer Of rather cheap tales in decidedly IN
fcror journal say that the authors whom he chiefly en-
jOycd reading were Mr. Herbert Spencer and Professor
Huxley. had never found the least trace Of this
declared cult in his own compositions and presently
the truth came out lie was creator who despsed
his own creations notwithstanding that he reapcd from
them good deal OF solid pecunary profit. His con
fession pointed, for my later reflections, noteworthy
neral. Perhaps it is not true that there many
neglected novellsts I'm the word who have happy
time of it, but might feel safe in asserting that
these same walhowers in the big garden Of fiction
would not be cOntented they now are If trans
planted 10 partcrre whose associate blooms they did
not consider good floral company"
Professor Joseph Le Contcs book on Evolution and
Its Relation to Religious Thought" has already had
four editions, and the fifth is the press. The
work has been largely revised and three chapters
have been added.
Sir Michael Hicks Beach, the president of the British
| Board Of Trade addressed some words of admlrablo
common-sense to the trade deputatlon which visited
him 10 present unpleasant views the subject of our
Copyright bill " / do not think" he said, " that We
ought 10 exaggcrae tho possible operation of the
American act the publishing and printing business
Of this country. believe that that business be
said TO be mainly newspaper and magazine business
printing. and prospecses and reports Of companies
posters. bills aud all kinds Of circulars that to
by post all those things the great mass of printing and
publishing in this country, absolutely outside the
operation of the American Copyright Act" And he
concluded with the telling statement that book print
ing is not than per cent OF the British printing
business. Thereupon his visitors loudly cried "No.
no." but without the least effect upon Sir Michael who
calmly observed that that the estimate which had
been given 10 him. aud that he did not think that the
question should be looked at as If the whole paper
making industry would be ruined by any possibility. or
| the whole publishing trade"
The young Lady who signs herself "wir Allen
DrumeoOe' Is about TO bring out volume Of folklore
tales OF Tennessee.
Lord Tennyson has contributed four lines as
prefix TO the edition Of the beautiful fourteenth
century poem, " Pearl, which 1t is thought may
have been the work Of the philosophical Strobe
referred to by Chaucer In the Troilus.o Thus run
| the lines:
| We lost you-fOr how long time
True Pearl Of our poetic prime
We found you, and you CLEAN reset
| In Brtaln's lyric coronet.'
Here is a comparison between Poe and Whitman
| lately made By an English writer edgar Altar
Poe had an almost Incompatible siugingvoce, and
at times he had strange and beautiful motives fol
song: but his verse never touches humanity. Mr.
Walt Whitman, who has never even attempted t.
sing seems to have been trying all his life TO find
words for a really burning sympathy with humanity
which In the hands Of an artist should have made
! fine poetry The writer holds that Americi
| has let loose upon the world q very Niagara o.
mediocre Verse. open" he says, almost any
volume Of American verse. aud YOU will find worl
so good you amazed 1t is not better; and yet
| for the most part 1t proves on examination to bC
but u cunning imitation OF excellence, a clever
counterfeit, and no more To turn over page afte
page and to find everywhere display, display-as i
the precious qualities Of poetry were not quiet, ret
lcent, unsought-ths Is ones disappointing experience
with the Eroat OF contemporary American
verse Deliberate cleyerncks, this critic asserts
mars fiction and ruins our poetry-and he j.
not altogether wrong.
Lord Monkswell. chairman at the July dinner O.
| the English society Of Authors, held chief,
TO celebrate the proclamation OF tho Amerl
| can copyright bill, uttered some vigorous
words Oh the subject Of English copyright lie de-
clared that Engllshmen were still groaning under a
copy right that unjust unntellgibe and grotesque
and Is Condemned oy every person who knows any
| thing at all about IT,
| Mr. Brander Matthews reminded the assembled
authors that imperfect the American law Is IL puts
the American and the foreign writer exactly the
same level. For the American author" said he.
cannot have copyright unless his book is manu-
featured In America. In respect the American
law Is more liberal 10 the English than the English
lav is t. the American. Under the new law now, the
| English novelist can reserve his exclusive right to
dIanatiZe his story I'm the United States, right stili
denied 10 you In this country The laws Of both coun-
tries are very imperfect but they much better than
they were. When think OF them am reminded OF
| the remark OF tbs Old negro 20 the parson who wa
conducting series Of revival meetings said the negro
| 10 the parson You do not know what power Of
gJol your preaching has done liz. Why, In my own
family here, since have been sitting under You,
have given mp evlspeking and profano swearing,
lying, and stabbns, aud shsatpg-to . considerable
exanLs