New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-15
LITERARY NOTES.

The reader Of the current Century" cannot com
plain that ne finds little history In the pages or
that magazine. He might protest that ne
finds too much. But most Of It is good, the histor-
cal articles in the February number deserving that
conspicuity which they possess In the opening
essay of this number John Williamson faimer
writes OF Certain Worthless and Danes or oin
Maryland" telling many pretty anecdotes about
pretty women, and concluding with an account or
Luther Martin. the picturesque Federal Bulldog,
the "Therstes of the Law" which revives In teiline
outlines the image Of a character singuary striking
in American legal history. The act passed by the
| Maryland Legislature for Martins benefit may well
| be characterized by Mr. Palmer as unparalleled IN
| American history 1t was requiring every law
yer in the State to pay annual license fee of -
to certain designated trustees FOR the use and be-
| hoof OF Luther Martin " This was in 1922 II
| shows how deep a mark man might make upon
| his time in those days II also shows how odd tho
ways of men and legislators sometimes.
There is history in this number OF tho
Century" There Is a brilliant account of Nelson
| at Cape St Vincent" by Captain Mahan; th"re Is
| a paper by Henry NJ Stanley. THE Story OF the
| Development of Africa" which is history written
| at first hand but probably popular curiosity VIII
| centre in Mr. Crawford's sketch of the Pope. That
is an ideal paper OF It's SORT unencumbered by any
| philosophy or other individual quantities. but full
Of minute details relating to the private life OF Leo
| XIII and making familiar to the public the very
form and movement of that simple yet interesilng
existence which goes behind the gates or the
Vatican.
| Mr. Crawford accepts the Papal view OF things
| He speaks of the Pope shut up for life in the
Vatican" But this is the only hint Of the authors
having any opinions of consequence the subject OF
Ieo's relation to the politics Of the time. He is con-
tent to sketch the character OF the Pope, and to
present as has been said the conditions OF his In
innate existence. Mr.. Crawford evidently has mao
access 10 the Vatican more than once He writes
of 1t well and will tell large audience exactly what
they want 10 know.
There are two unusually interesting papers In
the February Harper" one OF them highly exhil-
arating the other profoundly morbid In theme,
but from both the reader ought to extract whole
some satisfaction. The first. Mr. Whitney's de-
scription Of his trip "On Snowshoes to the Barren
Grounds is the third instalment OF his narrative;
and spirited. fresh. full of crisp air and enter
tanning happenings. 1t is characteristics Of a writer
who is in perfect sympathy with his theme. that he
brings out It's poetry even when he is not a poet
The morbid paper to which We refer Is Dr. Wins
lows "Premonitions OF Insanity" grewsOme
| topic surely. but to understand the things OF
which he speaks is TO understand human nature
little better. TO get some light some OF It's most
frequently misunderstood phases. 20 widen ones
| sympathies. Then DR.. Winsow does more than
give the general public some Information which It Is
| injudicous for physicians to keep altogether to
| themselves He sets the Imagination wandering
through new fields and lends a interest 20 facts
of science which ignorance finds commonplace.
| In the current "scrbner's' there Is article
| Design in Bookbindng." by Miss Prdeaux. which
| offers a beautiful point OF departure for little
| sermon on her subject A few remarks at least on
| what she has to say and show are not TO be with
held. Miss Pr.deaux. who knows her field well and
has written a charming and useful volume about
book bindings. goes in this essay TO tell what
sane thing binding ought to be. how sane X IS when
| II from good hands how Judic!ous an art the
older binders cultivated. And then-nirabile diciu-
she shows us in reproductions OF bindings by her
self that when Il comes TO practice she offend
as desperately the greatest sinner OF them all
the altogether impossible but popular binder known
as Golden anderson. In her text Miss Prlleaux
has proper Of the imper,lnence OF covering
n binding with ornamentatlon especially with deco
ration that means nothing more than repetition
ad nauseam Of motive extracted from the
! contents of the book. But in her Illustrations
find this accomplished lady covering copy OF
"Aucassin and Ncoette." for example with
| quantity of cOnventionalized floral motives which
| make the work look Ike wallpaper bit OF
| chntz. Miss Prdeaux IS such fine workwonan
and writes with such knowledge Of her material
that 1t too bad TO allow only little weigh.
to her apoogetc words these illustrations. She
protests that they not offered as adequate ex
| pressions of the best in design" But presumably
! they Illustrate ain. and that aim only darkens
| the counsel gwen In the text
We speak strongly because this question OF how
books should be bound is to this day suspended in
! midair and there many standards OF costly
and popular work there binders. But the
brotherhood is often wrong. often inclined to fly off
at tangent and produce designs that exquisite
ly decorative. and yet not book bindings at all This
is what Miss Prideaux has done, and 1t is matter
for regret. Just the simple formal lines. the chaste
material OF the great old binders should be all that
| so clever artist needs With them she has taste
| enough and nvenveness enough to do fine things.
| With her flowers and her leaves. fit substance for
the designer Of upholstery. she only makes her ad
| mirers grieve.
| Mr.. Watsons Armenian sonnets. published under
the title OF THE Purple East" spoken of in
some London prints with cordially amounting TO
enthusiasm. but It Is not plain from the extracts
given from the book that this ambitious young
rhymer is quite the master that they he is. For
example, there is sonnet called THE Kne Of
Chivalry" which is singled out for special praise.
but does 1t really rise above the commonplace In
either thought dction? Did inspired poet
a painstaking versifier write the following lines?
0 vanished OF crimson and Of gold
| 0 youth Of roseght and romance wherein
And Beauty snatched from ogres dungeoned holdi
Ever the recreant would in dust be rolled.
Ever the knight in the joust would win.
Ever the sca.y shape Of monsrous sin
Was IT all false, that world Of princey deeds,
The splendid quest. the good fight ringing clear?
Yonder the Dragon ramps with fiery gorge
Yonder The victim faints and easPs and blecds;
But in his merry England our 81 George
Sleeps base sleep beside his Idle spear
The place In the pubic which Mr.. Joseph
Chamberlain enjoys at this time is to be fortified
with all the pomp and circumstance of formal
biography. monograph on him is publishing in
England now, appearing n the series Of Public
Men OF To-day" The author Is Mr. s. ]. Jeyes
and he traces the of his hero from boy hood
up to the present date. the last chapter being
headed "Mr. Chamberlain the imperialism
That lively young periodical. THE Bachelor Of
Arts" announces literary competition which ought
to bring forward some amusing material. Every one
knows how the undergraduate dspors himself in
! the "organ' Of his college. He seems TO proceed
along lines unknown anywhere else in the world. and