The Washington times., 1894-06-10
Some Fresh
Literary Gossip.

An interesting discussion has been raised
by Richard Harding Davis story Of "The
Exiles," published in the May Harper's Maga-
zine, and afterward in q volume Of sketches
to which it gave its title. The New York
Times called attention to the criticisms Of tho
American consul which Mr.. Davis placed in
the mouths Of the American residents at Tan
gier, and remarked that IL the accusations Of
completely with gamblers, and the sale Of pro-
lection to wealthy Arabs. upon whom the Sui
tan levies tribute, were true, the information
should be laid before the Department OF State
at Washington. The New York World scorn-
fully called attention to the fact that such ac-
cusations were brought against q consul of
the United States five years ago, resulting in
his dismissal from the service by Mr.. Blaine.
and charged Mr. Davis with appropriating his
information from the newspapers of that
time. Mr.. Davis himself said that his inform
ants were American and other residents Of
Tangier, where the scandal Is still fruitful
subject Of gossip.
The famous old Brick Row at Yale will lose
another building this summer. North Mid
die, rs the dormitory is called, is to be torn
down to make room for more modern, spa
cious, and practical accommodations. 1t was
built in 1900, and 1rst named in honor Of
Bishop Berkeley. who. On his visits to this
country, took great interest In Yale. Many
men of national prominence have roomed in
North Middle. The name of John @. Calhoun
is branded in one OF the bedroom doors with
a red-hot iron. Rev. Leonard Bacon, Presi-
dent Stuyvesant, OF the College OF Illinois;
Bishop Kip, OF California; Solomon Stoddard,
and Senator Higgins, Of Delaware, are others
who have roomed there. There was a tradi-
tion that North Middle WIS haunted, but the
.'ghost" has not been seen since written up
in the Yale Literary Magazine In 1871
Instead of chattering over the charms Of
books such as 'Ships that Pass in the Night
and "A Yellow Aster,'' should Ike to see
the young people hereabouts having some
thing to say OF Du Maurier's "Trilby," which
has been running for several months in Har-
per's Magazine. that exceedingly interesting
philosopher and critic The Saunterer says:
story that suddenly places Du Maurier near
II not at the head of English novelists. 1t
seems the closest thing to Thackeray that We
have had in this generation. I count ON my
confrere, The Onlooker, to tell US all about
the true merit Of ''Trilby'' when the took
comes to close. think he must like Z; IN
fact, he has complimented portions of HUk-
ready. 1t is my opinion that "Trilby" ought
to be the sensation of the year in books. But
there is nc saying that it will be, for perhaps
it is too clever to attract the people whose
minds are enthralled by '.Dodo."
Time was when the literary craftsman,
whether doing fine work in gems OF thought
or merely hacking away at some tough and
knotty question Of the hour, concerned him
self little with tickle Dame Fashion. He was
content to hit his subject with force and pre-
cision or to carve, polish, and set in 1T sur
roundings any jewels his plodding fancy
might unearth. To-day fashion is a jugger-
naut and rides over everything, including the
author and all that In him is. II he wants
shekes in his purse. and it goes without say
ing he does. If he would ride on the top wave
OF fame. then must he bow to the dictates Of
the hour. If literary fashion DEGREES bad
grammar inaccurate spelling, and the use,
in season and out, of an execrable dialect
possibly once spoken in remote country dis
tricts, brt now largely thing of the past-and
by no means characteristic of our peo-
pie, then must the would-be popular writer
forget that delicate precision of expression,
his Addisonian inheritance. the dignity OF
classic phrase. the grace Of Gallo idiorn. and
tumble together mass OF double adjectives,
plural subjects and singular verbs. words
clipped of final syllables suggestive OF herd
of dock-tailed horses, and crude vulgarisms
that the devotee of fashion would not tolerate
outside of book for a moment, saws the Bos-
ton Transcript. It Is fad of the times, how
ever. and the autho, who can do it fairly gal
lops into position at the heed OF the line.
Or fashion decides that immortality shall be-
interesting, and, presto, the sweet honely
virtues, the simple faith OF the fathers pail on
the taste: the author, IL he is squeanish, dons
mental rubber coat and 1ong-legged boots,
and founders about in mud and mire till he
produces bit of literature CO suiting the
spirit of the time. II hypnotism, atheism,
naturalism, or any other ism rules the hour,
he must dabble in that to the extent of his
knowledge or OF that of some other fellow,
with all such reading as never should be
read
Explain a thing till all men doubt It,
And write about it, and about it.
1t is net an American liturature We are
building up it is simply up-to-date writing.
II the phases which it depicts are not ephem-
eral, the authors vogue is. A well-read
woman suggested a work OF the kind, though
not without literary merit, as a prize for
whist clubs victorious com5atant. A chorus
OF dissenting voices rose. "That thingi Why,
it is two years old. We must have seme book
more swell than thatr' One can look with
genial indulgence on fashions foibles, but
when it is question of making the literature,
as of making the history of great nation,
tull-grown In other respects, too much ia at
stake Literature which begin with Prescotts,
Motleys. Websters, Everetts, with Bryants.
Longtellows. Emersons. should rot dwIndls
to meager dialect and cheap sensationalism.
One would invoke the spirits of the fathers,
masters of the grand and forceful English
tongue, to aid us in stemming the turgid
food. in escaping from the floating masses OF
'Be-you-a-goin' and ''I-dunno-as-Fd-
orters," which to-day pervade so-calied cur