The record-union., 1897-10-24

to be set to music by this years can
didates for the Belgian Prix de Rome.
The disappointed librettists now
threaten revenge by entering the ranks
of composers at the next competition.
Richard Malcolm Johnston is both
story-teller of power and an
analyst. "OId Times in Middle Geor-
gia,' is full of the local color. Sup
posedly the characters are not invented.
They must have existed and the remi-
niseences of them have woven them
selves into the authors memory For
perfect appreciation of this volume,
reader must have some acquaintance
with the South, or more particularly
with Georgia, in the times before the
war. The easy, quiet ways of the peo-
pie had their charms. There were lit
tie rural communities that never knew
nor hankered for change 1t was a
happy Conservatism, and this condition
bred not exactly eccentric persons, but
rather men and women with fixed
ideas.
AS to the names, Malcolm John
ston gives his personages, they are not
fancy one, but belong absolutely to the
SCd4AIAs, ~ l1lc pI6ClSG IOCd1lly. mere
is a quiet sense of humor. an old-fash-
ioned one, which pervades all this au-
thor writes, and it is most infectious.
The Mutual Schoolmaster' is a de-
lightful story, and pervaded with this
pleasant manner. Fancy two lads who.
for self-instruction, starting on the
same level of education, become each
others teachers, and apply the rod,
when it is necessary, to each Others
backs. The love stories in the book
are tenderly written.
Some light may be thrown upon the
question who is the most popular
American novelist by reference to the
! numbers of f. Marion Crawford's nov
els which have been sold in the United
States alone, without considering the
large numbers sold in England and her
colonies, or the numerous translations
made into French, German. Italian and
other languages.
The sales of his first books, "Mr.
lsaacs, for example, are now in their
| fifty-third thousand while his most
popular book ''Saracinesca," scores
more than over 10000 above the hun
dred thousand mark Saint Ilario, -
| Don Orsino,' DIR Claudius," "Kath-
arine Lauderdale, - THE Three Fates,' -
The RalStonS' Casa Braccio' and
'Pietro Ghisleri' follow in the order
named, so that the claim which some
! reviewers make that Mr.. Crawford s
American novels are not equal to those
whose scene is laid in Italy seems to
lack confirmation if the taste of pur-
& hs fob 80
public opinion. Only four novels on
his list have had larger sales, while
these four have been several years
more on the market to partially ac-
count for this The total sale of Mr..
Crawfords S novels in the United States
has been upwards of half million
copies, even according to the incom-
plete estimate upon which this infor-
nation is based, wherein one of the
lesser novels is not mentioned at all
and some years sales of others (form-
/ erly published by other firms than Mr..
Crawford's present publishers are not
included in the total.
There has been a revival recently in
skeptical modern France. of the interest
taken in Joan of Arc" Many are the
! learned volumes which have been writ
| ten on the subject. That some one
should set about presenting the story
of the peasant child in a form suitable
/ for children was, therefore, only fit
ting, and the three years work which
NJ. Boutet de Monvel has expended on
! his recent charming series of water
/ colOrs could hardly have been more
/ profitably employed.