The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-09

u day, or whether you read the on
tribution Of Mi. Gillian or no, and
agree with h high estimate or no he
places upon the poems Of our gifted
North Carolinian, you must have been
struck, IL you did read the critical
study, with the piquancy and point,
the sarcasm and severity, the fullness
and felicity Of literary expression, the
boldness and breadth Of opinion Of the
caustic writer. 1t was Indeed well
wrought from the opening word to the
closing sentence.
Canon Farrar in his new book OF per-
sonal "reminiscences, writes af~fectionate-
ly, a~dmiringly Of Lord Lytton, better
known as Sir Edward Bulwer, and
takes a view differing from some of the
judgments Of contemporaries Of the
gifted author. He says:
"A1l that I saw of him. made me re-
gard him as kind, high-minded. n
sincere, unprejudiced in his sympa-
thies and anxious to make those about
him happy"
king Noanett," a decidedly clever
American novel, is now in it's twenti-
eth thousand. We read many years
ago by the same author, Mr.. F. j.
Simpson, whose pen name is ). S. OF
Dale" a really good story called THE
Residuary Legatee." There was a Sc
quel to it we never saw.
The author Of "Quo Vadis" is writ
ing a volume of stories. He has writ
ten two or three novels as long or
longer than the one just named and Of
equal power and originality.
Anthony Hope Hawkins will soon
publish a novel. 1.-The Christian is
selling like hot cakes and is fearfully
died the more it is read. We confess
we have no desire whatever to read
such a book after such thorough crit
ical analysis n exposure. DR.. George
Macdonald's last novel will be extern
sively read. He has a large clientage
who love his books. He is Scotch
and Of living novelists of his country
he wisely puts Barrie first. He is very
fond Of Ian Maclaren's books, and
recognizes his great power of humor
and also Of pathos, "for these two are
ear akin; the springs of laughter and
tears lie close together" He and Wat
son are both genuine "Highlanders,"
and pure on both sides.
Here is news. The New York Book
man says that the common place saw,
ALAS! times are not what they once
were," has been found on a brick
taken from an excavation in the old
est city in Asia. We doubt it.
An appreciative student of Millions
prose, almost as memorable as his
great poetry, excellently writes in The
Bookman hat Millions periods live
and breathe with ~heaven-sent inspira-
ton, immortal as that soul was whose
progeny they are But why add
more? The words 1 quote recall to ev-
cry reader that famous passage on
books which is without a rival in all
literature, both for the nobility of its
thought and for the majestic splendOr
Of it's language. There is no need to
print it, for it has stamped itself on the
memory Of every man who loves either
liberty or literature" There is no such
writing in all the world as Millions
grand prose with such heaven-sen
harmonies. If we had to name au-
thors in English who had come nearest
to him in prose when at their highest
we would name Thomas De Quincy
and John Ruskin.
Harding Davis's Soldiers of For
tune is now in it's fiftieth thousand
a great success in selling. Mrs. Bur-
nett, the English novelist, will soon
publish a new novel.
Lieutenant H. H. Sargent's book on
THE Campaign of Marengo" is re-
garded by good critics as a notable
piece of war criticism. He is of the
United States army, Second cavalry. 1t
is said to be interesting as we'll as crit
ical. He describes we'll and shows he
is a capable and cultured military
critic as one writer says. 1t was very
we'll received on both sides of the At
lantic.
The Letters Of Elizabeth Barrett
Browning are out and in the critics
hands. Crawford's last Chow vastly
prolific he is and what an art), novel,
"COrlcOne," is Italian-in his old field
and is ponounced decidedly good, one
Of the best since "Saracinesca," and
almost as good as hat very popular
n effective story that ranks high
among many critics.