The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-11
LITERARY GOSSIP.

Some time ago the editor of the Mis-
souri, Editor published at Columbia, Mo-,
wrote to Mr. Charles A. Dana, editor OF
the New York Sun. asking for short
list Of books va.uabls for country edit
ors. Mr.. Dana's reply was published In
the Missouri Editor for March, ISS:
New York, Feb. 26, 1896.
Walter Williams. Esq:
Dear Slr:-i enclose a little list OF
books which seem to be indispensable.
not merely to country editors, but TO
every perscn of American origin. Yours
sincerely c. \. Dana.
The Riiile, the Declaration Of independ.
ence, the Constitution of the United
States. Bancroft's History Of the United
~ published). Irving's Life of Washington,
Franklins Autobiography. Channing's
Essay on Napoleon Bonaparte Gibbons
Decline ani Fall OF the Roman Empire.
Shakespeare.
Those who have u taste for stas.s,ics
will be Interested In the statement Of the
Publishers Weekly that there are 713Il5
words In the authorized version OF the
bible and 2,565,AS2 letters including two
diph,hong AE's ,John Ill, %, and Acts TX.
SD. The figures relate to a text bible,
and are Independent of verse-iigures aud
figures III used) in chapter headings. TO
estimate the total number OF separate
bits of pieces of metal which together
make up the types of AN Oxford reference
bible there may then be added, Mr. Fowie,
calculates. fully l,iOO,OOO letters, figures,
points. spaces. etc., In the text, and 90a 0C0
In the marginal notes, making total
OF o,56S. @2 pieces in all The letters in the
text OF the bible may be divided as fol-
lows; Capltals. l06,992; small caps. 6.s97:
lower case, 3.4S:,5sS, making total Of
1855, ,4S2."
The Following characteristic letter. writ
ten by the late Thomas Hughes to young
American. has just been brought 20
light:
Dear Boy (for you must be a boy stilD:
.'-You ask whether Tom Brown was "a
real boy, as 1t would be SO much nicer
to think that he was a real boy than to
know that he only existed in story No
ne wasn't a real boy unless. indeed. on
He was land l hope is still, and so far
as an old boy Of 73 can Judge, certainly
is) at least twenty boys, for | knew at
least that number Of 7. BIS at Rugby,
and there were no doubt as many at a
dozen other OF the public schools.
What ] wanted was TO draw the aver
age English boy, who came from a good,
ptous English country home, not particu-
larly clever or studious. but with good
church-catechism training which wouidn't
,et MN be an Idle loafer. though he might
look on the masters as the other side
IN the education game. and so long as
they played the game fairly would re.
spect and like them. as he did the other
side at football.
III you want to meet q specimen or
your side you will find one Of the type
at Hymen ranch In the Panhandle o.
Texas. where our youngest boy is tn,
managing partner Of cattle ranch. II
never could take kindly to Latin, Greek,
or mathematics, but learned to rid,
shoot and tell the truth, which was (ac.
cording to HerodotusD considered the bes,
result OF the higher education among the
persons OF 1000 years ago. Almost all CT
such boys get fond of good healthy litera-
ture later on. and regret that they didn't
sap at school. but l doubt whether they
would have made half as good English
men even II they had learned to turn ont
good longs and shorts or Greek alcaics
before they left school. Yours very truly.
Thomas Hughes.
"CheSter March H. 1895"