Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-02-14
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The Book Buyer has been sending out
to literary people some blanks which
they are required to ill out, telling who
are their favorite prose authors. poets,
painters, etc., their favorite books, heroes
Of fiction, what they most enjoy and
most detest, and % on. Some OF the 10
suits are amusing-none isvery instruct
I've. Il would be moro amusing than
anything else. for instance, to zee Mr..
Brander Matthews attempt to reconcile
his favorits prose writer. Hawthorne,
and his favorite poet, Dobson, with bis
favorite musical composer, Wagner; but
when, opposite the sentence, "Where ]
should like to live, he writes 'New York
Of course" we begin to comprehend ~
well a. to be amused. Mr.. Joel Chandler
Harris makes very frank and cheerful
avowal Of his preferences; II II odd to ses
Uncle Remus including Landor among
his favorito authors OF prose; but one
would expect Shakespeare and Burns to
be his favorite poets, and II II consistent
and significant that he should write down
"The People" o. his iavorite musical com.
posers.
Mr.. T. Russell Sullivan writes the best
lot Of answers In the lot-which Is 90
much as to say, Of course, that tho Lis
tener Is most In sympathy with them.
His favorite authors Of prose are Sterne,
Sir Thomas Browne; his poets, Shake
speare, Heine; his painters, Velasquez,
Rembrandt; his ''composers," Dinner
and Sleep, which is "goak;" his favor.
Ito play Ii "Othello," and his favorite
heroes In fiction are Mephistopheles and
d'Artagnan; his fayorite heroines In &c
tion, Juliet and Beatrix Esmond; his
favorite heroines In real life. "The Un.
complaining Poor" He mostly enjoys
travel, and most detests an electric
street car, while the historic event al
which he should like most to have been
present" was the interview between Eve
and the serpent!
Miss Agnes Repplier's answers are II.
Eliminating as to tho character Of that
gifted lady. Naturally Scott is one Of
her favorite prose writers, and Keats
goes with Shakespeare In poetry, while
her favorite composers are Gounod and
Verdi. That "Marius the Epicurean"
should be her favorite book Ia rather an
odd thing to some warm admirer Of Mr..
Pater, who doesn't share Miss Repplier's
general romantic and sanguinary tastes
In literature. The exquisite civilization
Of "Marius" seems very far away from
the silly barbarism Of "Ivanhoe." But
whether II Is she who IL inconsistent or
whether they are. each party probably
would not leave II to the other to de.
eide. OF course Miss Repplier's heroine
In real life Is Mary Stuart, and the his.
toric event at which she would most Ike
to have been present was the battle OF
Agincourt. No circular need come from
the mails to find that out.
Tho literary ladies, by the way. who
have such an unwomanly taste for gore.
and who pour out so much tardy ink In
the praise Of thirsty sword, illustrate
anew the tendency Of their sex to come
briskly In expressing mems thoughts
Just after men have ceased to think
them. All, well, ut the Same time that
Miss Repplier avows these things she
avows that she would rather live In
London than anywhere else, and de-
clares that the gift Of nature she would
most like to have IL health. which Il ~
much as to say that she has II not, and
illness, and life In Philadelphia, and .
liking for London will account for Q
great many backward and morbid thixgs
In ones understanding.-Boston Tran
script.