The Washington times., 1894-07-01
Library Gossip.
Howard MURRAY.

|
that some of US did not care to read quite to
the last page. has this to say In Harper's
Weekly OF that just little the best of our
| new friends:
| Ii we should never. as the ancients had 1t,
| count a man happy till he dies, so, doubtless,
| woshouid never call q man clever so long us he
has not written novel, We had tasted George
du Maurier's talent, we had spplauded his
! pen for many year. and had ended by feel
| ing familiar with their exercise and range,
| only to find at last that we had been Judging
| them on half the evidence. The penetrating
| instrument to which We owe so large mass
OF consistent pictorial satire suddenly puts
| forth q second point and dips 1t into literary
| ink. This is a great comfort Tor frienniy
commentator who hns accepted atresh the re-
| sponsibility OF speech. have so repeatedly
expressed my appreciation of Mr.. du Maurier
| as q various draughtsman. as a painter in
| black and white that / should now have little
lett to say had he not kindly put new ground
1 under my feet-ground firm enough to sus-
| tain a very jubilant step. From the moment
| he, in the common phrase, takes to writing,
| it is possible once more to write about him.
| Every one, everything is beautiful for Mr..
| du Maurier. We have only TO look to see it
proved, ut the admirable, lovable little picto-
| rial notes to his text. will not profess for
| moment that the effect OF these notes is not in
| sidious and corrupting. or that with such
l
| can Judge the text with adequate presence OF
mind There is an unprecedented confusion
| in which the line seems to pass into the phrase
| and the phrase into the line; in which the
| .'letter press in particular borrows from the
! illustrations Illicit advantages and learns i'm
| pertinent short cuts though this. indeed, is by
no means inveterate, the written presentation
| of the tall heroine, for instance, being, TO my
sense. decidedly preferable TO the drawn.
The reader who would Gain ask himsel: how
| it is that our authors vision succeeds in be-
| ing so blissfuIly exclusive, such a reader ends
| by perceiying, think. that this is because it
| is intensely vision OF youth and of the soul
OF youth. Everything and every one is not
only beautiful for him; 1t is also diviuely
Young. Turn over his work In Punch, in
Harpers, as far back as you please, and you
will find almost only sous and daughters OF
the gods, spended young people In the prime
OF their six or seven feet. This admirable
Trilby promises to be. quite much as its
predecessor a poem in honor of the long leg
a.d the twentieth year. In the twentieth
year the glamour is glorious; in the tenth it is
even greater.
.sThe Swinbu ne of the cantsen'' is what
Conan Doy'e cil.i Ruiyad Kiplins. II
would be Interesting TO know what Swim
bum, thin S of the pIo.ane association OF
b S name.
ArtnLr NnuCl, IN Ms lettef 10 tre Ofltic.
gives us the a her startling information that
Mr.. KiDling is one of the likeIisst candidates
for the pc e. laureateship. The Boston Com
monwealth G Ills on the shade OF Tennyson TO
&C IN back and stop it. The Commonwealth
further imagines how the auspcicus &C.
cusion OF the Queens anniversary would il
spire the gifted ballad writer:
This ere lady's the widow at Win'sor:
10 dy she is seventy-three;
'Er subjects relyces an iyses our vyses
To pryse 'cr-Eespecially me.
(Ow, hi III laureate, you see y
hi puffs the old lydy outrageous,
An 'er Toiniuies an sailors well;
But The lansces pie-eatn, hi gives them
beatin,
Cause that wy Hi makes my books sell
abuse hof the Yankees do sell)
Then 'eres TO the widow at Winsorl
Long li:o TO the ariy old dame
writes 'er this measure to do 'er pleasure
But HIM gon for 70 publish tae same
CTo gain shin : an plenty . iame.)
There is no doubt that Rudyard kipling is
the best paid man of letters to-day. Last
week bis publishing firm in London sold the
English and American rights to four short
stories by Kipiing for goo, or 80. 500. The
stories averaged 1000 words, and COM
maniei. Il ecefore, nearly 300 each. To
this revenue from these four stories must be
added that which will come from the Aus
traiian. Indian, Canadian and German rights.
Queen Victoria has lately been apprca a .hed.
II is reported by several biogfapners who |
want details OF the life oil The court sirce 1897
that she uniformly refuses to do anything |
tor them, feeling that the historians VINO |
wish 10 deal with her reign will find sui.i lent [
trustworthy material in the memories OF the |
chief officers OF the household. Imme ise !
stores o: memoranda from the Queen Olyl /
hand are among the royal archives which are |
sNF flr,.
An American who met Sarah Grand at an /
authors club reception in London says that |
the famous missnthropc lazy held n little /
court Of her own during the evening. and II I
WIS composed almost entirely OF the despisei /
sex Nine. Grand was dressed in black. which /
Sc. OF 10 advantage her lovely white ssiu
al,nos: lily fair. contrasting strongly with 4
her dark hnir ami brows. Her nose had u /
curious pirkness oi tint 10 1t. The American /
writers ree-ent were Mrs. Burnett and Mr.. /
VIII Harlem.
Tolstoi SAYS Ibsen doesn't understand his
own plays. ''He Just writes them and sis
down and waits. After while h.s expoInd-
ers and explniners come ami tell hItu what
he meant" Ii is likely that Tols;oi has
hit it.
W. D. Howells will make n careful study of
1lOlianu MS .i.ScDct III turOpt.
Walter i,esant the novelist. is guilty of the
following maxiins. rs cynical as they are
clever:
Out Of ten men nine are born 10 work for
the tenth Resolve TO be the tenth.
Without trampling. the cieverest cannot get
rich.
The consolation of those who fail is to de-
precia;e those vino succeed
The greatest things are done by the great
est fools.
Wise men never attempt anything.
When you lose Il let, begin at once to prac-
tice with wooden one.
Mems motives are mercifully hidden by
their SHIRT fronts.
observe moderation in all things-especially
in virtues.
The best way to make a man homes: is to
make him ashamed of beng found out.
There may be pride even in confessing mis-
takes.
Everybody says that gentle birth is an acci-
dent. and everybody treats it as an achieve
ment
The most charming attribute OF friendship
is the right OF candor.
A quarterly magazine devoted 20 illustra-
tion, original, and the reproduction OF cur
rent art is the Quarterly Illustrator now
nearly closing its second year. 1t has come
to be recognized as something that we may
be proud of. The idea Of the publication is
unique. First, the text. although by we'll
known and liked writer's. is subordinated one
can readily see TO the almost perfect work, of
the artists. Every field OF illustration is en-
in line. in half tone in
OF oils. pastels, water colcrs.
charcoal. and pen sketches. The magazine is
in fact quarterly review of art, fine in text.
finer in illustration.
In the contents of the Summer number are
IA Magician in Line by Julian Hawthorne.
with original illustrations by Harley D.
1.-The Natural Bent OF an Artists
Mind by Hillary Bell originally illustrated
by many artists; Etching and Painter Etch-
ng.' by james D. Smillie. with orig;na!
Illustrations by members Of the New York
Etching Club; eighteen portraits of American
irt;sts: the first installmeat OF "Mouda, u