The herald., 1897-03-28

books, and so they do nos reach editorial
ia bles Fancy what must be the depres-
sion of reviewers at the slight
Nathan Haskell Dole writes to the
Boston Transcript: MANY people hav-
ing tried to explain the meaning and
origin of the title of Mr. Kipiing's last
volume of poems, some even reckoning
on their fingers the various seas that the
author might be supposed to have cross
ed in the course of his wanderings. l
think it is more likely that the title is
derived from the last line of the forty
seventh -quatrain in the 1872 edition of
Fitzgerald's 'Rubaiyat of Omar Khay-
YAM
When you and l behind the Veil are past,
oh. but the long, long while the world shall
which of our coming and departure heeds
As the Seven Seas should heed pebble
cast.
The term Seven Seas dn Persian Heft
Kuzum) is used as the title of the Great
Dictionary and Grammar of the Persian
language. containing many Persian
poems, published in 1922 at Lucknow"
Japan is a literary country, with his
tory of writing and literature since at
least A. D. ~. Last year the number
of books published was 26,965, of which
q, o,00o We're TRANSACTIONS or compilations.
Law led with 1880, religion followed with
1888. painting and sculpture had 5000.
ttluSit IO--. JOpdH6St UOIkIy IN-, anu
works in belles-lettres, novels, stories.
criticisms, etc, 1112 titles.
a new edition of Mr.. Harold Frederic's
novels is to be published by the Messrs.
Scribner uniform with The Damnation
of Theron Ware" The name of this
edition is In the Sixties" and it includes
THE Copperhead" and "Marsera and
Other Stories" "Seth's Brothers Wife,"
I'm the Valley" and The Lawton Girl"
In Mr ri fe11 rs q
these stories were written in England,
though theirssubjects are American.
A story of western life by octave Tha-
net, a Drumtochty story by Ian Mac
laren, q group of true railroad stories by
Cy Warman, a romantic sea story, and
installments of Robert Louis Stevenson's
last novel, st. Ives" and of Kipling's
fine tale of the Grand Banks. are prom
ised in Mcclure sMagazine for April
Of Olive Schreiner's new novel The
Athenaeum remarks: Though her
scornful resentment of the policy and
methods of the Chartered company in
South Africa finds, free vent here, and
though in condemning them she makes
bolder use of Scriptural associations
than many may like, she has achieved
literary success Trooper
Peter Halket' does not compete with
The Story of an African Farm either as
a narrative or as a study of characters,
but it is. in our opinion, superior in work
BY far the most interesting literary
announcement of the week is that with
regard to the Present Lord Tennyson's
life of his father. 1t seems that at last,
after many conflicting rumors, this most
important work has left its authors
hands and is now in the possession of
Messrs. Macmillan, who intend to pub
lish it on October g. the fifth anniversary
of the late laureate's death. In all prob
ability this will prove to be the Dook OF
the year Lord Tennyson has been as
sisted from time to time by Frederick
Coventry Patmore.
Mr.. Theodore Watts and other Intimate
friends of his father. and there Will pc
found in this biography vast amount
of information new even 10 the most
erudite Tennysonian.
Here is another sharp saying ABOUT US,
by the latest French critic on our man
ners. AS an epigram 1t would be hard 10
beat. "The best society of Europe is
success enjoying an idle hour or so; the
best society here is idleness enjoying lts
success. One may go into society in Eu-
rope with a fair expectation OF pelhs
stimulated, no matter what your own
particular interests are; you go into So
ciety mere, and you are fortunate II, Tor
any length of time, you are so mucn as
diverted In Europe they nave hau
money so long that they are no longer
amused by what mere money can do'
here. apparently, society Is sun con-
tent with the juggling and transtorma-
tions with the luxury and the surprises
that gold can produce: SooieIs
n be permanently interesting, must be
made up of idle professionals, not OF pro-
fessional idlers."
Nearly $1,000 books were published
Ia ST wear in Japan. about 20,Oo OF them
being either translations or complia-
tions. raor
Miss Eckenstein's Women Ohoer
Monasticism" (Macmillan) is gooo
cor ortribution to culture WITHIN
1inoits which are not expressed in the
t;tle The subject has to deal almost
entirely with convent life in England IN
the middle ages The author brings TO
hear upon her work sympathy. training
and industry.
"Pioneers of Evolution, from Thales
to Huxley" by Edward Clodd, is the
title of a remarkable work which Will
be published shortly by d. Appleton ~
90 This book attempts to tell the story
of the origin of the evolution idea in
the works of the ancient philosophers
and it's elaboration by Lucretius; its
eclipse during the middle ages under the
supremacy of ecclesiastical dogmas,
and it's renascence about A. d. 1910,
under the influence of discovery and
Lord Bacon's philosophy.
The London Bookman says: The
Clarendon press has undertaken work
of important magnitude and scope in
the complete edition of the classics or
Great Britain. The form of the vol
umes. it is said will be the best that
modern presswork can give. 1t Will be
interesting to follow the discussion of
the works which may properly be placed
among the classics of the language, es-
pecially when It comes to the considera-
tion of prose. The edition will be brought
out under the auspices of the most COM
petent literary authorities of the time,
from whose judgment there Will be no
appeal"
The Atlantic Monthly is making some
strides into public notice
and favor under its later management.
While it abates nothing from its lite
rary excellence. II has latterly taken
hold of some topics of surprising public
interest. The March number ran into
three editions before Il could supply the
demand Below Isl the table of con-
tents of the April number: Dominant
Forces in Western Life" by Frederick
j. Turner; Mark Twain as an Inter
prefer of American Character" by
Charles Miner Thompson; Our Nom
mating System" by e. l. Godkin, ed
itor of The Nation; "An Archer in the
Cherokee Hills" by Maurice Thompson;
1.-The Song o Steam" by Arlo Bates;
Cheerful Yesterdays" by Thomas
Wentworth Higginson; "The Verge of
Tears by Edith NJ. Thomas; "Mercu-
ry In the Light Of Recent Discoveries