Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-03-21
LITERARY NOTES.


A correspondent writing about Mrs.
Cralgie, the young American authoress
who has achieved so much success in
London under the pen-name John
Oliver Hobbies, says that while the am
bitlon of the average English novelist
is toward a three-volume novel; she has
a different standard of value. Her eff
fort is toward condensation, concise
ness, the brietest form of expression.
These chiseled and polished sentences
do not come by nature. They are
works of art. Maculay used to allege,
with Just pride, that many q brief
phrase, the statement Of q single fact,
had cost him whole days hard work.
1t is not Mrs! Craigie's business to be
historical, nor to plod in library. Her
books are records of human experience
and emotion. of reflection, Of, | judge,
her own observation of life and her
own views of life. More than day or
than many days are expressed in few
words It is quite evident that she
writes from her own point of view, and
that it is anything but conventional
point of view. She has mastered the
Horatlan secret; SO to speak OF matters
common to all as to make them her
own. There is a touch of bitterness
now and them as if her own expert
ence had been bitter. She does not
shrink from the dregs Of the cup
"The Rambler" in the Book Buyer,
appeared when he read from "The
Prince of India, at the Authors Read
ing in New York, recently: "Gen.
Wallace is man of sturdy build, slight
~ above the average height, apparently.
He held his book half way between The
reading desk and his eyes, and the GEES
lures of his right hand were a constant
reflection either of the action described
in the text or of the readers desire to
bring home to the listener the serious
significance Of the sentiment of the mo-
ment
Miss Margot Tenant, who is said to
be the original of "Dodo," is the daugh
ter Of Sir Charles Tenant, who was
made baronet and trustee Of the
British Museum by Mr. Gladstone, and
who is the head Of the great chemical
firm. Miss Tenant is described as an
extraordinarily clever young woman,
| who numbers the Gar of Russia and
| Emperor William of Germany among
| her acquaintance.
George Meredith, the English novel
list, celebrated the Goth anniversary Of
his birth recently. He lives in a little
house in the Surrey Hills, a mile away
from a railroad station. He is great
worker, but he has found that he cannot
| toll except IN complete quiet and soil
Jude He works like machine, turn
ing out SO many thousand words every
day.
Swinburne and Theodore Watts, the
painter, live together in an English
manor-hOuse. Swinburne has been
growing very deaf, and now hears an
ordinary conversation with great diff
entity. For this reason he denies him
self, as rule, to visitors, although his
| personal inclinations would lead him to
see his callers.
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, who is
now 81, still goes into society occasion
! ally, and is this winter enjoying excel
lent health. He writes but little, save
in the way of correspondence, but will
prepare at his leisure his last book,
which is to be the autobiography which
| which he has long promised to write.
Henryll SieniliewicZ, whose powerful
novel, "Pan Michael" follows "With
Fire and Sword" and "The Deluge,"
was one OF the colony of Poles who
were with Count Bozenta and bis wife,
! Nine. Modjeska, in their Brook Farm
like experiment on q California ranch.
1t is interesting to learn Of Miss An
! ma katharine Green's recent novel,
Marked Personal" that, in spite of
the hard times, $4,000 copies have been
in this country, and the demand for it
still continues. 1t has also been pub
lisned in England, Germany and Italy.
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett is a
great pedestrian, and believes in a walk
before breakfast. In summer she starts
as early as o'clock, and is generally at
work at her desk by 9.