The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-08

Bibles and prayer books are necessities &C
cording to an English county court decision.
and must be paid for by the husband when
the vile obtains them on credit.
small ciyil-list pension has been granted
by the English Government to the widow OF
Charles Dickens the younger. Mrs. Dickens 1t
is said, is in very straitened circumstances.
F. Marion Crawford. who has before this
given public readings from his novels, IS next
winter to branch out into new field. He is
to deliver series of lectures upon Italian art,
at the same time reading from his novels.
Frank H Munsey will establish his magazine
in England and the interests of his publica-
ton will be taken care of in London. There
are sixty pages devoted entirely TO English
matter in the foreign Munsey's Magazine.
Preparations for Mr.. Barrie's comedy are
being pushed ahead in London, but 1t is IN
likely that IL will be seen before the middle OF
october. Many important additions will be
made to the pany for Mr. Barrie's play
which involves long cast.
Mr.. Howells according to a current story,
wrote to applicant for his autograph:
| Have you bought my last book?" The young
I man who wanted the autograph replied: Il
! have not want to sell your autograph In
order to get enough money to buy it,"
!
| George Ebers, the novelist and Egyptologist,
received, on the occasion of his sixtieth birth
day. a specially printed volume entitled
Egyptica and containing seventeen essays by
former pupils of his, among them six who are
| professors Of Egyptology at German univer-
| sites.
Stories about the ignorance of clerks In
| bookstore are always going the rounds OF the
! A No about st. LOuiS clerk
| who recommended books simply from the
knowledge of their titles. This led him to
| speak highly of Ibsen's ga Dolls House" as
| juvenile reading.
| DR.. Samuel Smiles, whose literary work
synchronises with the Queens reign, spends
half the wear in his London home in Penn
/ broke Gardens, Kensington. The other SIX
mon tbs have been generally spent by the vet
eran author in travelling abroad or in visiting
localities in Britain connected with the book
he may have in hand.
HALL GAINES THE Christian" ex-
pected in few days Doxey's.
Messrs. Appleton announce that Abraham
/ Cahan's romance of east side New York,
"Yekl, !" that created such stir few months
ago. has been republished in England and has
! aroused a like interest there, number OF the
prominent English papers having given 1t ex-
tended notices and in most cases the warmest
commentator.
Possibly every man who could write beyond
the pothook stage has manufactured his play.
Some one has started the story that Mr.. Glad
stone had in early youth written drama, the
title of which was, "The Retreat OF the Ten
Thousand" and the play had been rejected by
every manager in the United Kingdom. An
| other yarn is that Mr.. Gladstone wanted at
one time to appear on the boards. Herbert
Gladstone, having been questioned as to the
acting business, said it was nonsense, but in
regard to the play said that might have been
possible Anyhow, he implied that he would
look into it.
.sThe Revue des Deux Mondes'' Is the most
successful periodical in the world in obtain
ing literature from crowned heads, and heads
that are likely some day to be crowned.
Queen Elizabeth of Roumania sent the editor
a novel; the late Queen of Holland sent
historical studies revised by Renan; the
Comte de Paris sent an article on English
trades : unions; the Due d'Aumale sent
fragments of lis forthcoming "History of the
Condes," and Prince Henry of Orleans mar
rated pages of his adventures with M. Bon
valst in Thibet.
In a genealogical way the funniest thing on
record is that Menelik, Negus OF Abyssinia,
| insists on MS descent III d blIdLSut liuS
from Solomon and the Queen Of Sheba. II
this were questioned the august Negus
would have your head cut off, or Ii you
limited that there was a bar sinister some
where YOU might be impaled. There is, how
ever mob e family in France, the Counts of
Noe, who show on their family blazon the Ark
and that most adventurous voyager, Noah,
and thew claim that veteran seaman as their
remote ancestor.
The most effectively busy of contemporary
English playwrights is Arthur Wing Pinero.
He commenced dramatic writing in 1881, and
1.-THE Magistrate was his first comedy. Since
that time he has given us whole series
of successful pieces. Mr.. Pinero was born
in London in 1853. When he was
10 he became an actor; but develop
ing marked talent as a dramatist, he left the
stage, after seven years experience. Mr..
Pinero now lives at Hamilton terrace, in the
northwest of London. He is genial and soci-
able, and his acquaintance with celebrated
people is wide. He is a member OF the Gar
rick and Beefsteak clubs of London, golf
enthusiast, plays cricket, and rides the bicycle.
The difference between English and Ameri-
can newspaper methods is remarked upon by
Richard Harding Davis in the course of an in
terview printed in the Sketch of London:
american papers are too fond of adyertis-
ing what they're are going to do and don't
make the paper advertise itself One journal
on the other side. which was sending myself
and an artist to Cuba, dwelt for weeks on the
fact that they'd chartered a steamer for US.
enlarged on our efforts to cross the gulf, nearly
drowned us and made us ridiculous. All this
nonsense was run 10 the exclusion of real
Cuban news and pictures. What the London
Times wants from me is story to the point
directly about the special subject; a story
which will be read and which will create in
terest without artificial and irrelevant sensa-
ton, That's as it should be-"
The handwriting of Mrs Oliphant seems to
have been even worse than that of the late
Dean Stanley In the Scottish Typograp ical
Circular Just issued, reference is made TO the
deceased novelist, and it is said that the re-
grets of the printers who mad to deal with her
"copy" will be of "a mixed description:
'tThey are not likely TO echo the longing Of
Tennyson for the touch of q vanished hand.
We recall many a sad picture of groups OF
weary comps, stratning eye and brain IN the
almost impossible task of catching word
whereby to bring sense and order out OF the
array of almost straight lines which the good
lady was in thc habit of using in lieu OF
words. Naturally guesswork figured largely
in the process But it took time, and time to