New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-16
LITERARY NOTES.

OF Letters. rOTy NV
nembership names based upon consensus vi
on,on gathered from the staff of the journal pro-
costing tho institution. Correspondence is ihViteo
nnon the subject Of tho list, and IN the mean uie
.or-he Academy" announces that In connection Win
,.s pIan "a book Of signal merit shall De 'crow"eu
ZACH YEAR" the author receiving an award Oh ono
hundred g1iineas Each year pooh W a.
author Of younger reputation VIII a's"
acrovned" and he will receive fifty guineas' Dol"
-. ho,,c Maid nv the journal aforesaid. inc
r.eert list IL only tentative. When the hnai 's'
g. reodv further particulars will be offered rehu.
to the ap,earance of those particulars eoin'e
we're perhaps futile. Just the same ina. ~
observed that IAN Academy OF Letters ,.,rg
this fashion, by q newspaper, IL harui' p.., ,,o
,dea Unless such an institution springs
genius OF a people 1t Is oouno " 70
Even under tho most favorapie Oh =. -, an nm
az the Academy of France proves, 10 nv "a
- ,,o.s,,, However II will be a'husiHs "
n 1h., "Tbe Academy" has to say ABOUT i.D n."
,,,ra We append the names OF its 'ues -
,.,or,als.. John Ruskn. w. E. Glaos'oiO, -
ber, snencer Duke OF Argyll q. ~ ia,
George Meredith John Morley thora"1 cars,nar
lanes Bryce W. z. H. Lecky' ~ A,don
Rishop Creighton. Bishop stuoDs' Wv vul,o,,
oosnret W r. Henley. Andrew Lang N,,.
go II n Trail. Sir @. o. Trevelyah' Lesn'
e,.n,ar ceoree Macdonald. r. D. Biachnoie. 49, sa,
-. "a y,,l,ns Aubrey de We're, r. Z. 1eoo' ~, '%,
,,or w W. skeat DR.. j. A. n. Murray V"
- rdmuna Gosse Mrs Meynen, MRS iun,pn-y
ward, Francis Thompson W. D. .e%.S' p,n.-o
James. Austin Dobson. J. M. ea,,.' 49,
~ a. Gilbert and Lewis CARROLL
,. s.-,,ror. sand us the first volume IN the he"
u,,a,.s.,..d Edition" Of the works OF MT 'ainoe
xryr,,oouh Riley There are to be Ten Vouh.e' -
IN. act the form being neat octave oou,o 80.
S,,,v IN brown silk. The manufacture oi '"o
,..ernb,e, that given to the wen-kno"h oo'mp
editions OF K,pling, Stevenson ana oafiN p..,.
by tho same firm. This nrs' voiuN'o 10, .oo..d-
.,,.o. rortrajt Of Mr.. Riley. Presumably su'oeeu-
,,,,.. utll be adorned with similar prih's
tn. good Judgment of reprintins this author IN '..
,..r,,f,, form will not oe questioned. Inc "oi'u
rms, continue TO regard Mr.. Riley as minor p0e'
and as a prose writer OF more humoF anu p'
esoueness than art. but he Is conspicuous a.o"e
n,s,ect writer's for lucidty ana ireshhes' "n'."
,,u, maintain his vogue. no matter now i''nV'
q. ,ons,dered to BE- He has sprlghtilhess' no "~
melody he has an original accent. aN", ,,,no n,s
h. has an inexhaushble store OF run. maAis ~
-. raohahle no matter how unimportah' '"'
.S.s NAV be The themes Of childhood ana boy
hood too may very Justly Do lesaiue~ - =,
ching but unimportant; they certainty aio IN
tn. sweetness and vigor OF human ha'uie "0
nroperIy understood, and MI Riley mas Iho p'vps.
,,rdsr,tand.ns He lends vitality to the merr'eS'
Nrap DOViSN
=. wall az that larger public which is not supposed
- no So fast,dious will be grateful to tho pub
W.,.r. for putting these waits and strays OF
happy go-lucky inspiration into artistic form.
m. nsw edition Of Walt Whitman projected BY
Messrs Small g. Maynard OF Boston. IS per
ran. less sure of q popular success. Nevertheless
:. 3. an en,ernrise upon which oven those who are
not wh,,manites must look with admiration.
Tber. NAV easily be differences OF opinion as 10
thu value OF the poets works. Ihere may 20
differences of opinion as to his right 10 Inc u',o
of noet at all But writer VINO mas Whuo H''
mark in American literature. whose WORKS nav.
been read by thousands and are sure 20 10 .,,.h
,ome wears to come IS entitled to be printed WIN
oa-. and with all due respect TO the previous pup
rsbers Of Whitman It may still be said that nothing
comparable to the present edition mas ever pceI
.ttempted The first volume lies BEFORE US HdIlu-
some octave devoted 10 Leaves OF Grass ine
naper IL thin but on the whole opaque ana IL
n,easant to the touch. The type Is clear ana Oh
siz. we'll adapted to whitmans long lines Title
page and frontspisce Uhe latter portraio have
been artisticaly made, and the sober green pinu
tng Is decorated with refinement Altogether, IL II
lust and generous tribute TO a writer VINO mas oe
served moro than he has received at the hands o.
the book-makers. To many library this VIII
come as a precious addition, and the publishers
are 10 be warmly congratulated on the effort the!
have made to repair q long-standng Sin OF omls
sion.
Madame James Darmesteters Life OF Ernes
Roman" has not vet been published in this country
Int early copies have seen the light in England
md one Of these has enabled Mr.. James fltz
maurice Kelley to write an admirable review II
"The New Review" His concluding paragraph u
worth quoting:
felicity Of !. hs own he s' woa
have taken II as trial 10 De called man nan "
to te'' pass on MERGE pauvre teune homme-thaI
70 brand his as literary perversion mis o
him him Edmond de Goncourt was man without III
sentiment Of abstract things one VINO mao Gs' a.
i mGsh Art fn Of expression hi
Of taste and. with Msupas:ant ne haS IN "a
1 mnG fe GRiRlEa n De chic
patrie d'Homere,f-outdid in force all the muddy
sspTed Mosfs and PASCAL 1sce
he looked forward 10 hearinS It In tho valley OF Je
aCminion. tashonns purposes familiar
soSm Joyous and sSy dh' du se
De Deu 90 tn regoses ds ce' n epFh TO TN
T Gssar Of French pfoss N hands
master Renan lowered with multitude o
gs and saGs Sn
haustible curiosity. q luminous intsIlgenee ana
hsna5es Sihf renasrs With dey
and the right touch OF sympathy, ns. Wnsn ~,
70 the glory which he held to be the least YAH
Of vanities he, who esteemed character ap0v
talent would not have wished II recorded OF MIN
but IL has to be said at the risk OF oiferlng MN
ebou NJ violence He was as a man OF letters
very great The foremost OF his age and country
one OF the greatest of any age ana any country
Two books that will interest the amateur ma
etcisn are issued by Laird Lee. OF chicago
They ere Hours with the Ghosts. or Nineteeh'
Century Witchcraft," by Henry Ridgey Evans
and Hermann the Magician; His Life; HIS Sc
crets." by II. ]. Burlingame. For many years
practically all thought in respect to tho aNege
phenomena Of spirtuasm was OF two extrem
sorts blind faith and utter. incorporating. SEQ,
6ne disbelief. Patient. systematic and scfentih
investigation OF Spirituasm. as well as OK othe
alleged phenomena beyond the possibility OF e,
planation by the ascertained laws OF nature.
eomparatively new. The first steps In this proc
ess are the clearing Of the ground and the e.