New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-15
LITERARY CHAT.

The new biography At Thackeray contains para
craph written by his friend syngc-a paragraph which
vii! deeply appeal the hearts OF those to whom the
great writer's memory is dear. His friend says
Just before sailed for the sandwich Islands. and
when was staying in Thackeray's house in Palace
Green, my host and | one day met IN
the library lie said: 4 want 10 tell
you that shall never you again.
feel that am doomed. ] know that this Will gr1eve
YOU: but look in that book, and You will find something
that am Will please and comfort you took
from IL, shell. the book he pointed ont ont OF II ie
piece If paper on which Thackcray had written
PRAYER all II which do not pretend to remember
only know that he prayed that he might never write
, word Inconsistent with the love OF God the love OF
man that he might never propagate his own pIe)udccs
or handler 10 those Of others that he might always
speak the truth with his pen. and that he might never
be actuatcd by a love of greed. particularly re-
member that the prayer wound up with the worus
For the ,aac OF Jesus Christ our Lord
The extract, from the Taeyrand Memoirs thus far
printed in The Century emphasize stnhngy the
many petty traits IN Napocou'a character even "hie
they reveal his undcniabie greatness But what may
he said Of Talcyrand's sclfrvela0n therein! There
an, gimpscs here and there that lrresiSuoy fehhu
one Of Barry Ll ndon.'
The Far West paper Of The Century" promise to
lie among the most interesting American historical col
lection, If the time. Editors are every day more
bccnly realizing that own country Is, TOR Amer
lcans decidedly worth writing about and that the
actor, In the startling transformation scenes in Amer
lean history alc the men to write about them.
Colonel Carter /, charmng-the delightful mixture
Of polished gentleman and simple minded big baby to
l found only I'm certain sunny regions Of the United
STATES: bu why don't have more OF himl These
uttie glimpse, are tanalizng. They are series oil
GOOD stories aud clever ,ilhoucttcs strung on thin
thread Of stories good ard sllhouetteS 50
clever that one IS 10th TO count the few pages they
occupy The volume in which these sketches VIII
finally appear will be notable addition To the studies
Of the american" birth of our new SOIL
There i, A characteristic glimpse of the American
of an old type in Mr. Pages short paper on Robert H.
Lee WHO would have looked for Puritan among
the Cavalier Leesi Yet there he sat on sunday
morning in Richmond when one came to him OH a
matter of business The good man was courteous yet
ter,e II Is my rule said he, never to ransact
matters of business the Lords day, except III cases
of necessity Or mercy
II must be said thai the Ms story left by the late
author of The sparrow grass Papers ana now hrSt
printed in "Lippncou' might reasonably have been
kept in Ms II is commonplace; story of the type
prevalent in the sos, II type evolved from reading
rather than from study of actual life and character
Mr. Cozzcns was wise In f)rbcarng TO print it, 1T is
not even a curiosity
Walt Whitman. in his somewhat inc0hercnt paper
In The North American Review observes that the
greatest feature in current poetry I'm literature any
how" is the almost total lack OF rst-cass power,
and simple natural health. nourishng and produced
mt first hand, and typfying orr own era "TI plying
our era" may mean several things Does 1t,
for example. mean that a work OF noble genius
which might happen To "Nplfy' another era would
be sccond-rato and artificial y piece of high in
spiraion In which human nature brcathcS and buins'
IS surely for all time; Shakespeare is much man
OF our day a. of his own, II Mr.. Whitman means
that the supply great poets Is short he is At lib
crty to say s0-well not quarrel with him.
Mr. Whitman is making ready for publication what
he calls his last book II Is collection of both prose
and poetry lie will call II " Good Bye, Ny Fancy -
a name which is mistake In consideration az the fact
that there is In existence volume OF verse bearing
the .ar more apt title OF Halo, Ny Fancy
Other temperaments. other habits. Mr. Curtis
quotes In this months Easy Chair" what Wendell
Phillips once said OF the keeping OF diaries: You
count on the fingers OF your two hands all the robust
minds that kept journals. Only mllksops and
fribbles indulge in that amusement, except now and
then a respectable mediocrty.7 Mr.. Curtis declares
that even Phillips would have admitted Waller
scott to be "a robust mind and one might reasonably
add that If ten or even i've robust minds indulge in
assertion concerning mlkshops, fribbles and medoc
rites. Who decide the question but the man
hmselfl 10 Phillips the keeping of journal was
as the wearing Of ones heart upon ones sleeve 10
scott IL the talking to ones "own familiar
friend"
There is . pleasant thing to remember In Ne