The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-15

1t is announced that Mr.. Barrie's Mar
garet Ogilvie'' is in it's twentieth thousand,
and his Sentimental Tommy IN its thir-
ty-fifth.
A new volume of verse by Mr.. Robert IN
derwood Johnson. the associate editor OF
the Century, will appear next autumn.
The title is TO be Songs of Liberty and
Other POEMS"
That is a fine saying of Stevenson's which
is to grace his monument in San Francisco.
ITO earn little. to spend a little less.
to be honest, to be kind, to keep a few
friends, and these without capitulation." 1t
comes from his Christmas Sermon and
has more in it than many big published
book of sermons.
Mr. Kipling has written to Brooklyn
boy who asked for more jungle stories:
Dear Clement: Yes, know some more
jungle stories, but they are so bad that
am afraid the mothers of the little boys
who read the other stories wouldn't want
them to read this second crop; this is the
reason l have not written Them"
1t is said that Hall Game spent months
in studying what may be termed subter-
ranean London, in order to obtain material
for portion of his new romance. THE
Christian" just published by the Messrs
Appleton. The titles OF the four parts INTO
Wor Gd T SSo RELIGIOUS Lite are The Devils
Acre and Sanctuary.
This year the Schiller prize was divided
between the dramatists, Herren Won Wild
enbruch and Hauptmann. AS this prize Is
bestowed in the name of the German En-
peror. that monarch decided to set aside
the judgment of the jury and awarded the
whole prize to Herr Won Wildenbruch, the
author of dramas which glorify the Hohen-
zollern race. The eminent literary historian,
Professor Erich Schmidt, was one or the
judges and resigned his seat in consequence
of the Emperor's arhitrariness.
1t is likely that the English edition of
Mark Twains new book, THE Surviving
Innocent" will be known in England
More Tramps Abroad" The English are
learning to read American books, but they
have never taken kindly to American titles
The Marble faun IS known across .,r the
water as Transformation" Poes The
Gold Bug as rs The Gold Beetle Harold
Ware" as illumination" 1t would be easy
to multiply instances of the ease with
which the fastidious taste of London pub
fishers is shocked.
Hall Gaines new book, THE Christian"
was written and rewritten by the inde-
fatigable author no fewer than three times.
This novel is the development of an idea
not altogether unknown to readers of the
Russian Tolstoi namely, that 1t is difficult
for man to live the life of Christ in Chris
tian society as it exists to-day. For three
years has Mr.. Game lived in and for his
now completed work, and the reward for
all this willing but wearing labor is in the
have received the record price of $500 and
one admirer thinks it is quite safe to
prOphesy that, with the Heinemanns first
issue of 1000 copies as an unassuming
start, the total sale of the book by next
Christmas will have well exceeded that OF
any other work of fiction in our day.
The following is from recent talk with
James Lane Allen in which he was asked
his opinion of the noveists of the day: Il
have certainly this to say: That each Is
doing his best. If he is not he is certainly
losing the greatest opportunity that the
American novelist has SO far had in our
civilization Never before was the interest
in American fiction so keen, so genuine, and
so widespread. Never before were there so
many publishers eager to handle a good
American novel or to pay such prices for
it; never before We're there so many critics
and so cordial to rate a book at its full
value and never before was there so studi-
Gus and so sympathetic an audience or
readers. l give it only as an opinion and
it may be worth nothing whatever, but the
literary stua ton in this country just at
present is peculiar. The Scotch school that
have been carrying everything before them
are now a waning influence. Among the
English novelists not a one is gaining on
touched an American subject in prose with
out distinct injury TO his reputation. The
Russians have had their day. With the
exception of two or three foreign noveliSts
new to us, the national attention is directed
toward the future of American fiction. The
novelists of to-day may not be in that
future, but they are certainly trying to be-"