New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-10
LITERARY NOTES.

Higginson presided and various addresses and poems
were delivered. Mr. Lowell could not be present. az io
is compelled 10 forego ALL even pleasuraoie eA'U0
| ments" Dr. Holmes sent a kindly letter IN winch H0
! said 81 met Browning in society many times IN Eng
land and found him most agreeable, interesting anu
unaffected companion. 1t seemed to me that he was
everywhere needed, and everywhere acceptaDle' Inc
| immense vitality which VIC recognize IN MS poetry
showed Itself in his sturdy frame ana aouhdaht coh-
versation I almost thought of Ben Jonson when
met him. and could hardly help exclaimlng when iei'
| him. 20 rare Robert BrOwnngP"
Dr. Edward Everett Hale in the course OF his little
speech declared that the secret and the power OF
Browning the great masses of men that ne talks
as II he were talking archangels, and, even II we do
not understand, uplifted. think that TWO or
three hundred years hence. when we do not know SO
much about the Fenans, about the italian question: OF
about Baron Rudini Robert Browning will be remem-
bered.n
"The Brazen Androd,' that vivid and fascinating
story by the late W. d. O'Connor will be one of a
series Of his tales which will probably be collected In
q volume and and published in the autumn.
volume Of Recollections and Impressions" by the
Rev. o. B. rockingham Is announced by Putnam
who has. moreover the press Minister Lorngs book
on his Year in Portugal
Mr. Arlo Bates writes to The Book Buyer that the
trouble with the present condition of authors IS, on
|
protect them in their ownership Of the product Of their
braans and the other their notorious ncapacty
for business. The latter" he adds, cannot be
helped the former may mend in time with the abolition
of the Copyright Law altogether II the Copyright law
were but out of the way, and ownership in literary
property were protected by the common law Il was
Of old the authors Of the present age would be far
better of than they are at present The Copyright
law Is at best only statute which, while pretending
to protect the author robs him OF his property the
end OF specified time. We're this principle applied to
real estate the whole social fabric would be shaken ;
but the creative brain has been the to pro
itself against the quddities of the law. and
from the beginning Of literature, when doubt the
bards had their most popular ballads stolen from Them
the servant the has had his bones picked by the
unprincipled wording, until this day, when, in the
of the law, his books given TO whoever choose
TO assist in the robbery the simple plea that he has
owned them for a certain number Of years'
Mrs Rose Hawthorne Lathrop says of Emerson :
This hero not too stately 10 associate with his
apple have actually Emerson on the
border of his orchard afectiOnately holding apple
In his hand. ! have also seen him receive humble
hearts into his house with graciousness which painted
his features with a refulgent beauty. have seen him
fetch and pour amber wine for wayfarers as though
Ulysses had arrived with news of courage. l have
every atom of his face turn TO the genteness Of
Gala lilies he has mentioned the of woman
'Queeniehs wife,
These are fine days for the Kiplngs. Papa Kipng
has written book about Indian beasts; and now
comes the announcement of a novel by Miss Beatrice
Kplng, the sister OF Rudyard. The Heart Of a Maid"
is the title of the back which will be published shortly
| by the United States Book Company.
The plays of Ibsen are not regarded by the critics
Of The saturday Review with that awed and savsh
admiration which is exacted by the Scandlnavian's
adorers The production of an Ibsen play, says The
| Saturday" impels the inquiry, What is the
province Of Artl "If it be TO elevate and refine. as
we have hitherto humby supposed, most certainly it
cannot be said that the works of have the very
! falntest claim to be artistic We no ground on
| which his method is defensibe. When Shakespeare
| spoke of holding the mirror up to Nature he surely
did not holding it that it reflected only the
base and strumous. An appropriate quotation to
stand at the beginning OF edition of IbSen might be
| culled from Shakespeare:
| o fe tits an unweeded garden
That grows TO seed things rank, and gross in nature,
! Possess II merely.
Things rank and gross in nature alone have place in
the mean and sOrdd philosophy Of Ibsen. Those Of
| his characters who not morally in
tellectually-the wret6ed George Tesman with his
thusiasm about the old shoes his careful aunt brings
him wrapped up in a BIT Of newspaper, is case in
point. As for refining and eevating, any human
being II may be asked. feel happier better in any
way from contemplation OF the two harlotS at heart
who do duty in Hcdda Gablcr? IbSen has no idea OF
a gentlcman still les OF a gentewoman; and as for
his taste straightforward coarscness Of the RestOra
tOn plays seems to comparatively wholesome by the
side Of the nsdious nastlness Of these Photographic
studies of vice and morbdity. II is an altogether
| minor point perhaps for in duoloGnes some Of the
best scenes Of drama found-Macbeth and Lady
! Macbeth. Hamlet and Ophelia Otheo and Iaao. Or
| lando and Rosand. Sir Peter and Lady Teazle-but
Ibsen's plays mainly succession of duologues
he does not possess the art of constructing dra-
matte work.
George Macdonald's new novel. " There and Back y
has Just appeared in Boston His first romance was
issued thirty three years ago. and almost every
year since then has novel or poems from his PEN
lie still spends his winters in Italy, coming to England
with the early and flying South again before
the advent Of the November fogs
Mrs Rltchie Thacleray's daughter in her charming
| "reminiscences, says that her father always loved
music and understood it, too; he knew his opera tunes
! BY heart. Il have always liked she says, 1.-THE
little story of his landing with his companions at
Malta on his way to the East. and of the
company happened TO speak Italian he able to
interpret for the whole party by hunming the lines
from various operas Tn blglietO-EccOlo qua says
my father to the man from the shore, Lasce darem
la mano and he helped Lady T. up the gangway' and
so on. He used sometimes TO bring Mr.. Ella home to
dine with him. and he liked 10 hear his interesting talk
about music. Through Mr.. Elias kindness the doors
Of the Musical Union flew open wide u.s. and Ii was
there first heard Dr. Joseph Joachim play. Yesterday
| when listened 10 the familiar happy stream flowing
once more before the crowding listeners could only
marvel with wondering gratitude that such strain
should have accompanied the opera of ones long life in
all IFS varying scenes and combinations
This odd glimpse OF a noted Englishman is given by
Mrs Richie:
ON certain day We went TO call at Mrs Proc
tor, with father. We found old man
standing In the middle Of the taking leave Of
his hostess. noddng his head-he was like little
Chinese mandarin with an ivory face. His expression
never changed Dut seemed quite fixed. lie knew my
father spoke to him and to us too, st in his odd
fixed way. Then he looked at my sister. NV little
girl, he said TO her. will You come and live with
me NOu shall be happy as the day IS long, you
i.tv. srbit many 4, eed rod