The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-11-16
LITERARY GOSSIP,

The Putnams have just brought Out
volume Of humorous verse by the late
Francis 8. Saltus from which we make
the following brief quotation, which ex-
hibits the authors skill in the handling
Of the comic vein:
A KIND OF CRITIC.
With pompous mien and all-important afr
He'll say your views are premature and
rash,
And with grave grandiloquence declare
That all the verse Of later years Is trash.
To satisfy his most aesthetic mind, .
In all the modern work he labors
He grieves to state he really cannot find
One worthy line, one thought supremely
new.
You Ssa ask; soma mApG 3,le swinourne" Well, he
He viii aiie "; "but then so very crude. -
Browning; yn,, T.. bah! verbose. of his style
Hugo? "a bard of second magnitude"
Lonsfsllow? "Dabbles in all kinds OF
Lowell? "A fraud. and 30 was Bryant,
They DO not WRITE" he cries. "in language
AS real and god-born poets always do"
And as you gasp and dare not add a word,
This critic gently smiles and says to you:
Il wrote a poem that you never heard,
I think you will admire 1t, 1t is new"
And he will read to you, unhappy friend.
Lines that begin How lovely is the
And Which know invariably will end
With something like "Beneath the
Moons pale light.
BY a lucky accident The writer Of these
lines recently got possession Of the first
number OF q new magazine, which does
not seem yet to have made the complete
acquaintance Of the public. 1t is entitled
''The Looker-On." published at 8 Broad
conscientiously, to musical, dramatic and
literary news and criticism. In the num-
Der In mind-that for October--Henry T.
Finck had an appreciative review Of the
yirtuoso Pederewski and his art; William
II. Fleming contributed an exceedingly
readable paper, with illustrations, upon
THE Boards Shakespeare Trod" being a
description. Of the earliest Elizabethan
Jointly represented by the first half Of O
two-act comedy Of delicate conception en-
titled La Fleur de Lis;" william Foster
Apthorp gave q bright paper iamenting
contributed 2 paper on "singers Then
and Now" being a comparison of the
lyric artists of today with those OF an
earlier generation; and Louis c. Elson
ended the special contents with a read
able article on the "Beginnings Of Nusic''
In addition to these features there were
several departments, one Of current dram
attic news, in Mr.. Flemings charge; one OF
musical news presided over by Mr.. F'inck
some bright book reviews and, last but not
least, q department called "Friendly OBJ
servations," In which there appeared some
Of the best-worded common sense that we
have lately been privileged to read. In
deed, some Of these ''observations'' are 30
apt, fair and truthful that we are moved
to present few quotations. ~ u
The theme OF the first series OF these
''observations'' 10 the scope and obliGa-
tions Of criticism, concerning which the
author remarks: There are at least three
small effort and make large promise OF
immediate remuneration. The first Of
these may be called the thud.nnd- -biunder
school. The easiest way In tho world to
attract popular notice 10 to set out upon
career Of lndiscriminate abuse. II Is said
that the late Lord Randolph Churchill iirst
gained the public ear by the vivacity and
violence with which he boxed II. The old
comedian'e recipe for keeping the attention
Of the audience was very simple: when
you are at loss what to do, smash tho
china Preacher. even, do not disdaih
the path TO fame ~ way Of vttuperatlon.
thi6 insthod delight IN nothing else 80