The morning times., 1896-12-27

could have been expected.
A fortniehtly review writer finds nothing
more hopeful to write about than the de-
cay OF huinor. Sad dogl
Sir Walter Besant, in collaboration with
w. II. Pollack, is about to issue a volume
of eight drawing room plays.
1.-The Mystery OF Sassassa Valley"
Conan Doyle's first story, was printed
when ne was but nineteen years old.
1t is said that Sir Edwin Arnold las
contributed nearly 10000 leading arti-
cles TO the London Daily Telegraph.
1t has been rumored in every city which
Ian Maciaren visited, except Washington,
that he was 10 accept pastorate therein.
The principal American geneologies have
been gathered and printed in book form by
Coates, OF Philadelphia. 1t is an Important
work.
The largest bible in the world is the
Buddhist triitaka, or Three Baskets"
which comprises 325 volumes and weighs
l,625 pounds.
Grace King, the New Orleans writer, has
cosmopolitan ancestry. BY her father
she is Irish and English, and French and
Scotch by her mother.
Field Marshal Lord Roberts, whom Kip
iing has llnmOrtalized as Little Bohs, has
written an important two-volume work
Nsineu II OFty -Oue 1tdTs III lnuid.
The fantastic periodical, The Savoy"
is dead, But it leaves a unique memory,
and a moral. The editor, Arthur Symonds,
would have no advertisements.
4 bust of Thomas Arnold OF Rugby has
been placed in Westminster Abbey. 1t is
opposite that of Matthew Arnold, who was
thus honored before his father.
volume OF travels written by his sec
retary, but recording the Car OF Russia's
impressions while travelling through India
and Egypt has just been published in Lon
don
jeanette Watson Glider wrote stories al
most as soon as she could form letters
At ten years she had published in New
York paper story called "Kate's Es-
capade.'
Prof. Arlo Bates of the Institute of
Technology addressing the grammar school
teachers Of Boston, said the literature
Lest for adults il the literature best for
children" "
Mrs. Warrington Coffyn, the writer Of
The remarkable book, The Yellow ster."
viii call her new story A Quaker Grand
mother. The improvement Is matterfOr
congratulation.
Frederic Remington Will furnish eIab-
crate illustrations To Houghton, Miffim *
Co.'S new edition OF Bret Harte's works
No artist could interpret this author more
sympathetically.
1t is said by philologists that there are
thirteen languages, the Greek, Latin, Ger
man. Slavonic, Welch, Hisca yam, Irish, Al
banian, TarIauan, Illyrian, Jazygian, Chau-
cIn, and Finnc.
Edward Eggleston's first book was The
Mystery of MetropolisviIIe." Conan Doyle's
first was likewise a m ystery story, which
no raj Of D,
10 the adventurous aud wonderful.
\ faceuous contemporary refers to the
ruuior that ia The focus of hand-me down
culture a new calendar is being prepared.
In II Il. {. Goes not mean Bliss Carmau: IL
means Before Chautauqua, and a. ID. is
Ammo Duncani"
kiping'> new story. called William, the
Conquerer." deals with the famine in In
dia. He Is going to write Of the more
serious side of Indian life, and VIII, for a
time at least, turn his back upon Mrs
Hawksbee and her circle.
Herbert Spencer has completed his life
work with a Volume ON n he L Principles of
Sociology He Is now seventy years old
AID has Lcen engaged in writing Iur thirty
six years Notwithstanding the fact that ae
III ) been an invalid the greater part Of that
time.
The latest English writer to be placed
upon the Roman IndeXiS no other than Mr.
Andrew Lang. This distinction mas been
obtained by his work Oh culture and
myths, which appears To have become
known at the Vatican through having been
translated Iuto French.
Il take my work too seriously" writ e.
Hai Caine to a friend WHO had asked him
whether he cared for the criticism his
books received, ''and l am too much i'm,
mersed IN IL and In love with il either to
he carried away by the warmeSt eulUgy oI
disturbed by the severest censure.'
Tolstoi's views of French writers are
Interesting. In Paul Bourget ne sees d man
| whose headis too crammed with facts to be
good novelist, but he grants that he may
! be brilliant essayIst. Maupassant Incett
! Tulstni's ideas better, but Zola appear,
to him as a diligent and pIodding
writer
Maurice Maeterlinck, the Belgian poet
| and dramati>t, lives in the quiet old town
! Of Ghent and enjoys wheeling over the
! flat smooth roads NJ Maeterlinck is a
! barri>ter, but does not practice, sa ying
frankly that as lie was never able 10
| manage MS own affairs, he could not ex-
| peCt to manage others.
George Meredith believes in keeping hose
| about MIN posted IN regard to his own
| literary work Every time he has a new
| book published he presents a copy to each
servant IN his house Hold. IL must be pretty
hard on the inteilec- Of the average British
| houScmaid to be obliged to struggle with
MeredIth's peculiar style
Robert Crockett, an uncle Of $ R
! Crockett, the novelist, has been presented
with a gold watch and chain ON his re
| tiremenI after twenty ven years ser
vice S a porter at a Scotch railway sta
| tiOn. IL was this uncle who paid for his
| nephew : college course, at Edinburgh, out
! OF his own modest wages.
Francois Ccppee pronounces Pere Louys
| latest book, AphrUdite, tile most perfect
| French work Of fiction since GautIcr's Ro
nance OF Il Mummy and Flaubert'S .-Sa
! lammbo." Lcys, who Is barely twenty
! six years old, has already prodICcd hall
a dozen volumes of poems, essays. and
| fiction. de aisu translates from the Greek
The only person of the feminine sex re-
membered IN the will Of the late Edmund
| de Goncourt was small maid daughter OF
Alphonse Daudet. GoncOurt was the child'S
godfather. and il had been his custom tn
| present her each New Years Day with a
| pearl, so that when she grew UP she would
have fine string for her neck. He left
| her So, 300 in his will to complete the neck
| lace.
1t IS pleasant to be able. on the authority
| Of W. Clark Russell himself, to contradict
| alarming sta tements which have been
| printed regarding his health. In a yer,
| CHEEKY letter to an old friend he SAYS
Many thanks for your kind inquiries; thi,
bitter weather is trying me, but though
| still suffering from internal neuralgia,
am better than have been for long
/ time"
Some months ago Hector Malot announced
his retirement from the field OF authorship.
| hp hat D.
pen of the novel writer that he laid down.
He will publish in the course of few
months briefliterary autobio ography. unde
/ the title of lie Roman de Mes Romans
| ('The Story OF My Stories''p, IL which hc
will tell us how he has made his books
/ Il sx-hg