The morning call., 1892-11-14

The cheapness of chap copies of
| good literature in England is remarkable.
ALI works on which copyright has expired
! may be purchased for very small sums in
deed. and by large sales the publishers
make handsome profit. Lord Rosrbery,
Foreign Minister, recently gave some inter
esting facts on the subject. With paper
binding all the poets. except Tennyson,
may be purchased for is cents apiece. Shake
speare. Milton. Byron, Word sworth, Pope.
Cowper. Longfellow and others may be
al ed to a working mans library al that
figure. The whole OF Scott's novels, well
printed and even illustrated, are procura BILE
for 9 cents each. So also are many of
Dickens novels. There is even an edition
OF Pickwick Tor cents, but it is expurgated
and that Is demerii Thackeray will be
as cheap eventually. As Lord Rosebery
remarks: For the price OF hat you can
get a library of works that none of the
merchant princes of the middle ages-the
Fouquets and the Medici-could have OBJ
tanned had they given their LIES blood
for il"
One other discerning remark his lordship
makes. He points out that books are the
great Democratic agents Of the world"
Printing took learning out or the monas-
teries and gave it to the world, and it is now
in the homes and hearts of the people. This,
he remarks, "means that the men who pos
sess that literature, whether they pay only
the lowest price of eight cents or $3.50 for
first edition OF which there are perhaps only
three copies, are placed on a level. This in
huenee is democratiZing. not in the sense of
dwelling but IN the sense Of elevsting." In
| the United States we have not yet reached
| the point of very low prices for books. Our
| publishers continue to make enormous hauls
| out Of returns they are not entitled to, but
tho lie hQrc fhaTr
| in a way they do not yet perceive. News
papers are providing the reading world
with a library. Sunday editions especially
| supply a family with almost as much in
| structiye and eleyating reading as they can
| digest, and IL is quite certain the reader
cannot exhaust the supply. Nor is the
| newspaper of what are termed ''week days"
deficient in great variety OF general and
particular reading matter. Some newspapers
4 supply as much interesting literature for two
cents as book publisher does for fifty, and
even the arts of establishment are not neg
| Iected. Many magazines are doomed in face
! OF this ccm leiltloD. especially IN America,
| where the newspaper has become a very pro-
| digiOus production.
| Cancer as a disease Is known to be on the
| increase. and the cause is still extremely
| obscure. and the remedies, il any, almost
equally obscure. The belief that cancer is
| confined to the human species now requires
| correction. 1t is stated on the authority of
Professor Scott in New Zealand thar the
| American brook front, which has been
| acciimated in that colony, shows cancer in
| both males and females. III this be the
| fact there sbOuld be strict care exercised in
| eating this species of fish. The diagnosis
| is possibly faulty, but if confirmed the in
ference may follow that the disease which
| sfflicts salmon in polluted rivers and leaves
| large numbers of them dead before the end
| of the season is Of the same character.
| Anything til at Injuries the canned salmon
| industry would be q grieyOus blow to bust
ness.
| A strange story is told connected with the
! poisoner NELL, who is now under sentence
| of death in England for possibly a score of
murders, and who is believed TO have put a
few victims under the sod in the United
| States. When arrested the charge against
| him was simply that of Dlackmailing, but
| an Inspector OF police was sent across the
| Atlantic to ferret out his anteeedents in
| this country. The inspector encountered
| on Broadway, by the merest chance, prom
| lnent scoundrel In finance, who had fed
| from justice. AS soon as the fugitive saw
the inspector he concluded it was all up
| with him, and he surrendered at discretion.
| The officer knew nothing about him or his
| crime, but II was enough that conscience
| stricken simpleton should rush into his arms.
The Inspector pumped the dsfaulter of all
he had to say by way of confession. and in
| due time papers of eXtradition arrived. In
| this sense. Neill has somewhat at0ned to
| society for his monstTous crimes.
| The railroad companies Of the United
| States evidently intend to make as much
| out of the Worlds Fair at Chicago as they
| can. Chicago will do the same in the sup
| ply of food and drinks and lodging. The
honor to Columbus also means profit to the
| Lake City, 1t is proposed by the compa-
| MES 10 lower the rates of travel by % per
| cent. That is much too small a reduction.
| The double journey should be made for one
| fare. That would tempt people to visit the
| fair. But what Is there 10 encourage
| travel from the remoter States II such
| charges are to rule? A half rate would set
| the whole continent In motion, buf a patry
reduction will operate TO keep many iDqnir-
| ing ana junketing people at home. The
| railroads might have come to some terms
] with the Exhibition Commission on the
| subject of travel. rates and tickets of ad-
| mission TO the exhibition. So much could
nave been agreed upon for ticket from a
| given point and so much for number of
sdmission coupons purchased before the
journey began.
New York is to have system Of electric
| underground transit on four tracks. No
city needs the Improvement more. and other
cities may have TO take the lesson. Broad
| way is simply an awful street for traffic
| Were 1t twice Rs broad as IL Is IL would still
be gorged with yehicular arrest of motion.
| But With the underground RAILWAYS more
or less on the London system. New York