Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-12
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of mental scientists at New Orleans. AT
he earnest solicitation of friends the
author published it and added the debate
which followed the reading.
The author calls it a kindergarten
presentation of a theory of menticulture
through the elimination of the germs of
the evil passions, "proven to be of prac-
teal benefit by a personal experience in
everyday life'
The author lays down some cardinal
principles, which, no doubt, the discern
ing reader will accept
Anger is the root of all the aggressive
passions"
Worry is the root of all the cowardly
passions
Envy spite, revenge Impotence, an
noyance, sel1shness, prejudice, unrest
and the like are all phases of anger
Jealousy, fear the belittling of self,
the blues and all interpretive forms of
depression are the children of worry
Anger and worry are thieves that steal
precious time and energy from life."
With great emphasis the author says:
Search for happiness, that it can be
found near at hand through emancpa-
ton" But how this work. SO desirable to
be done, is to be accomplished, the author
fails to make pointed and clear In this,
and other respects he falls far short of
the clearness and illumination of pres
entation which characterize all writings
by Henry Wood.
Thoughts are like atoms, fashioned by the
will
Each has a mission, charged with good or
ill;
Sometimes to bless; anon to desolate;
Loves messenger, or harbinger of hate.
In natures hands one atom plays two parts,
AS may be needed in her several arts;
In alone should love forever Sline
Displacing hate, proclaiming man divine"
A novel of the New Woman" with
vengeance is one just published by Miss
Caroline Fothergill and entitled ''The
Comedy of Cecilia" and one of the most
amusing stories published In a long time.
In the eXigencies of a forced marriage
to obtain her inheritance Cecilia is CAPT.
tally drawn and does not fail to evince
many of the propensities and character
istics of the nineteenth century up-to-
date young woman
In Munsey recently a reviewer speaks
of the ability of authors to OCCUPY edito-
rial chairs and says that Mr.. W. d. How
ellis and Prof Arthur Sherburne Hardy
are two men who have made conspicuous
attempts in America.
In Paris Alphonse Daudet is the latest
author to be "stung by the journalistic
bee" 1t seems he said publicly that he
would rather be the editor of newspa-
per with the power of bringing his own
views daily before the public and point
ing his theories from events in actual
life than be the most famous novelist
and poet in the world.
An American always enterprising)
promptly offered to capitalize a newspa-
per with 100000 francs and give Daudet
100000 francs year to edit it. The con-
tract was almost closed when Nine. Dau-
| det who is an extremely clever business
| woman, put stop to 1t. In her opinion
| the habit of centralizing and idealizing
| which makes Daudets novels successful
would not furnish single quality that
would make good editor Is 1t not Just
possible she made mistake in not per-
hitting the venture, anyway?
The Little Journeys series is an in
teresting one published by G. p. Put
mans Sons. They comprise little
| Journeys to the homes of our most dis
| tinguished men and writer's by well quail
| flied authors-to the homes of Emerson,
| Bryant, Hawthorne, Audubon. Longfel-
| low, Bancroft and others They appear
| in great edition monthly and single
| copies are only cents.
| 1t is gratifying to note that Tan Macla-
rem uhe Rev. John Watson) is coming to
| this country to read from his own writ
ings In October next. There are many
| admirers of this author who will gladly
| welcome him. The Ghost remarks that
| ''He may at times be little sentimental,
but sentiment is certainly prefera BILE to
sin, and we have had so much of that in
recent fiction that we are getting just "a
| little tired of it,"
| 1t is held by many to be true that good
| writer's rarely talk WELL but recent chat
/ with Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett re-
veals the fact that she at least is an ex-
ception to the rule. The interviewer
| found that she spoke with great vivacity
| and with much of that felicity of express
| sion and keenness of observation which
| her written work shows. She said:
| What is my method of writing? / am
| not sure that l have method When
am in the humor l write very fast and
| easily. When l am not in the humor
| have nothing to say l have sometimes
amused myself by saying that it was not
really l who wrote, but something weird
and interesting which possessed me.
| Spooks, you know! 'Fauntleroy'
| haunted me for months How did hap
pen to write 1t? 1t was quite a natural
| outcome of circumstances. When my boy,
| Vivian the is big fellow of II now was
little fellow he was the embodiment
of that delightful. eonfiding, affectionate
belief in the whole world He was also,
in an unconscious way, tremendously ed
| flying in his remarks"
| Although English by birth, Mrs. Bur-
nett is devoted to America, and she says:
81 love the affectionate enthusiasm of
Americans. That is fine and generous
/ dislike the curiousness about peoples
personal affairs. THAT is vulgar. l de-
| light in and am inspired by their vivaci-
| ty. That is charming. l am fatigued by
| their excitabiiity. That is enchanting"
|
| John Kendrick Bangs seems to write
| with a great amount of assduousness,
| for he has just published another of his
| characteristic species of literature The
| opening story in this little volume takes
| off the leading present day fad and is
1.-THE Bicyclers and Three Other Farces."
| If any reader feels attractively drawn
| towards amateur performances l think
| he can find in this little volume new and
original pieces that will fill his heart with
| content
"Enter Yardsley hurriedly, with a
piece of flannel in his handy
"Yardsey-I beg pardon, Mrs. Perkins.
| but have you shawl strap in the house?
Mrs. Perkins Gragically)-What is
| that you have in your hand, Mr.. Yards
| ley?
.'Yardsley with a glance at the piece
of fianneD-That? Oh-ha-ha-that-
| that's a--ah-a piece of flannel!