The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-12
LITERARY GOSSIP.

Numberless stories have been pub
lished with regard to the original Oh
Mr.. Du MauI-ier's character Little Bill
lee. in the book "Trilby." but. accord
inf, 70 the Unicorn, the following is Ine
only true one. One morning, when Du
Maur;er was writing '"Trilby' (he hadn't
then begun to illsutrate III, there ran
past his window handsome boy or
about is. Du Maurier started up.
There goes Little Billee!' he cried,
and hatless, rushed out and overlook
the boy. IT beg ten thousand pardons,'
he said, but might 1 sketch you FOR
a character in a book I'm writing?'
Little Billee seemed a little put out at
first, but eventually consented.
Now that "Trilby" has waned. Nc
Laren's Bonnie Brler Bush" Is far and
away the leading book of the year The
"Bonnie Brier Bush began to be prom
inent on 'The BCokmans' lists IN Feb
ruary 1t was then on ten out of twen-
ty-five lists; in March 1t was on twelve.
in April on seventeen, in May on six
teen, in June on eighteen, in July on
twenty-five out of twenty-eight lists,
and now for August on eighteen out of
twenty-one. The records will certainly
show 1t far and away the most popular
book of this year.
Apropos of Miss Reppliers recent
word of protest against "the oppression
of notes." the Chicago Times-Herald
says: 1.-THE explanatory note ordinary
that is to say. the fine print foot-note
in English. which the eye, led like the
magi by star. follows. to the detri-
ment of consecutive thought and in
terest. is seldom of value. Edgar Poe
condemns both foot and predatory note
in his essays on style. If q poem or a
STORY is not clear without preliminary
explanation, 1t is apt not to be worth
the reading. And usually the explainer
tells nine things out of ten that every
body knows and fails to elucidate the
tenth. without which the sense Is lost.
The average reader asks to be let alone;
If he comes to a very tight place there
is always the dictionary, and there Is
the encyclopaedia; there are almanacs.
ANIMALS. familiar quotation books,
| peerages. men and women of all time,
evcrybody's notes on everything separ-
ately bound"
Writing in the October Forum con-
cerning "The Renascence in English"
Richard Burton observes: ''To say
that the English language, especially in
Its literary uses. has within the second
half of this century experienced ven
| eTlIdDle TeHdSCtIice, Iiidy setHl " nc
making a stiff claim. Yet there Is
much to justify so strong a term and
statement. The original impulse has
come from the specialists. who have
devoted themselves to the study of
Old English. to the language and lit
erature lying back of the Norman con-
quest. The past thirty years have wit
messed a wide popularizing Of the
earlier native literary treasures
through their efforts; the principal
texts have been edited and translated
and Iectured about, and their use in
schools and colleges encouraged SO
that now the gra duate from one of our
leading and liberally endowed institu-
tions may. If he choose. know his 'Beo-
wulf' as his father did his Horace.
These elder classics of the mother ton.
| que have not only been taken into the
currioula of instruction. but have been
put forth for broader literary stimu.
lation as we'll as linguistic drill Then
too. the com para tive study of the al
lied literature-the output of the Ger
manic group OF German. Dutch and
scandinavian peoples of which English
Is a. kinsman-has done its share ir
shedding light upon our tongue as ar
organism governed by linguistic laws
and possessing powers long unsus
pected.
Il Il. Il
ITO this cultiva tion of Old English
at first the province of the few, bu
rapidly becoming the work and pleas
ure Of the many-may be added thu
closer study and appreciation Of Later
literary figures and epochs: Chaucel
and the Ellzabethans and Spencer. t.
say nothing of Shakespeare himself
together with the marked attention
reaching almost to the dignity of cult
directed toward the historical Eng
fish ballad; and last, but by no mean!
least, the increased sensltiveness to thu
literary quality of the Bible To an
ticipate no effect. sooner or later, upor
native modern literature, from all tn,
exploitation Of the older fields-allowed
so many of them, to lie fallow for
long period-is to overlook cause ant
effect in the interrelations of speecl
and letters. Nothing could be furthe
from the truth than to suppose thi
movement to be a matter of mere III.
erary fashion; it goes far deeper thai
that. The return to Old English ex
preston always, of course, within
limits of common sense and controlled
by custom and convenience is not
temporary fad, but will prove per
manent enrichment of the force ant
splendor of the speech"