The herald., 1895-06-09

A new series of books is upon us. moth
ing less than the classified gaeties of
nations under the title OF International
Humor. Scribners are the publishers
ana the list already comprises The
Humor of Ireland and the Humor of
Spain. Our own fear is that it will turn
out rather dsmally since fun must never
be massed in bulk nor strung out on
dead level. 1t must flash unexpectedly
and be mixed with much other material
to make it appetizing and digestible.
Joe Miller is the dullest book ever pub
lished, probably. Still International
Humor may possibly be so treated as to
make it popuiar-we hope so. at least.
The following Is a bit of Spanish drolleiy:
very ceremonious Spaniard, when
asked why he was not present at the
funeral of certain parsonage, replied.
Because: he owed me call.
4 4 H
This is the season OF the novel, pure
and simple, and the lighter the better.
The authors of these may really think
the public cares something for them, and
that II they can write n good story which
Will please will remember them and
shower upon them praise and honors; but
they who picture the public as caring for
the book beyond the passing hour are
gilevouSly mistaken. Nobody these sum-
mer days reads books except for their
sedative quality. And the author is not
taken much into account nor long re-
mem bered. HIS productions are merely
summer merchandise and all the pub
Usher needs is simply the commercial
instinct. The summer II jvcl is exactly
on level with caramels, summer soda
and the summer girl-not to be taken
seriously.
The most inveterate novel reader we
ever knew was a hard working Judge, who
hnd 1nr ntn .,,d nj Nnat
worked and worried to death. as most
people supposed. But he read new
story of the lightest and easiest kiEd and
never was without one in the intervals
of real labor. When he had little of
actual leisure he read books for their
worth; but when in the midst of perplex
ing duties he rested and saved himself by
forgetting everything else for the moment
by complete diversion in the way of light
literature. Until past 50 he worked and
read yellow covers. as he called them
and perhaps he belonged to the only
class of re aders who ever get good results
with no urts.
Speaking OF yellow in literature. and
alternated The Yellow Book. Banewel
who Just now is perhaps the most famil
lar and striking figure among the new
literary lights of London, has this inter-
esting bit of speculation
The real origin of the modern sym
oolic meaning OF yellow is. | take it,
quite an accidental association of ideas
unconscious of itself. And here 1t is. In
a book buying nation, where there is no
library system to evoke expensive publi
cations. the average book must be bound
in paper. Now the color of this paper
binding must be light enough to show up
the type of the title and dark enough not
to be easily sullied. Yellow is the color
that most obviously fultills these condi-
tions. for it is next to white as an effec
tive background for black lettering. and
so the manufacture of yellow paper for
cover purposes has kept many mill
going. This yellow paper is mostly used
in France. and France happens to pc the
country whose literature is most modern
and daring. Thus subtle association
has oeen created between yellow and the
ultra-m odern. Hence The Yellow Book"
4 4
1t is now definitely denied that any
new magazine is to be launched in New
York this season, and The Lounger who
made the announcement. makes haste TO
apologize for the statement.
t =
One effect of The Yellow Book, other
wise called The Yellow Bore, 'is to make
indecenoy repulsive, as one critic per-
tinenty puts it.
The iovers of Emily Dickinson's poems
have been so eager to see some of her
prose that a collection of her letters has
been made, dating from 1S45, when she
was but IA years old. to 1856, few days
before her death. They have been care
fully arranged and edited by Mrs Mabel
Loomis Todd Of Amherst. and are issued
by Messrs. Roberts Bros. this week. The
letters are said to be ''even more
piquant, brilliant and characteristic than
the poems. Many OF than are addressed
to a number of well-known persons.
The Quarterly Review thus speaks of
the coming woman's 'strike:"
In her wije-spreading, tumultuous
ba ttalions many of them wearing the di
vided skirt. sne advances, with drums
beating and colors flying, to the sound
also Of the PhIygian flutes. disordered
array, bit nowise daunted. resolute in
her determination to end what she is
pleased to define as the slavery of one
half the human race
1t is curious to note the controversy
continually going on as to whether pub
fishers are fair In their treatment of new
writer's. In the last Nation correspond
ent has pitiful and apparently just com
pint at the way he was treated while
She Critic OF the same date tells the fol-
lowing: "A New Yorker wel-hnown in
literary circles had occasion, some time
ago. to advertise for manuscripts in prose
and verse. Liberal terms were promised.
and from 200 to $50 replies were received;
yet not one manuscript in the whole lot
was available And the worst of it was.
that the unavailabllty was due in almost
every case to sheer lack Of literary
merit. A more worthless mass of reading