New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-30

work. and for a while IL was beIieved that hs
mao ! gone 10 the seat OF war as correspondent
| or The London Times But that turned out to
be false report, and unless of the eye
witnesses OF the battles in the East sit down
ard produce with meditation and care the kind
OF articles for which have been waiting 4,
seems likely that the great war of 1897 will go
down TO posterity without any contemporaneous
records worthy Of being called literature
The late Archbishop OF Canterbury's Life" OF
by the AppIetons-
Aubrey de vere's Memoirs" which have been
IN course or publication in the Ave Maria arc
mold ~
correspondent Of The Author makes some
pointed and sagaciOus observations on the
proper length to which a short story should
run The tradition of Maupassant TourgeneY
and other writer's Of that stamp has imposed
itself upon hundreds OF authors In America
especially. where the short story has been cuti-
waited almost more than any other form OF art
we have rivaled the French in making our sto-
RES really short Bret Harte provides one illus
ration and among Englismen Rudyard Kipling
/ provides another. But the writer in The Au-
thor protests that it is desperately hard TO write
/ genuine snort story in less than i've thousand
words, and he hints that extreme brevi;y Is not
absolutely essential artistic perfection In
sGpport or his argument he cites Of Rud-
YARD kiplinSs best works Kipling has made
more than one masterpiece in something like
TWO or three pages, but it is also true that
eraI OF his tales. which certainly to be called
snort stories. are much longer. For example
l ne Man VINO Would Be King il composed OF
at least thirteen thousand words The Drums Of
me Fore and Aft" runs to twelve thousand and
without Benefit OF Clergy to eight thousand
AS Mr. PICKERING says. IAN these are strictly
snort stories, not condensed novels" 1t is a
po'ht worth making and one which ought 20
encourage those writer's who. in their anxiety
to be concise and symmetrical are stranglinc
t'teli narratives II is. no doubt great thing to
be able TO write a masterpiece in three thousand
words; but after ali. length has nothing 10 do
win H. ana since no one ever heard Of there be-
ing strictly formalized scheme for the writing
OF Il snort story 1t is plain that the budding gem
is genius
new Life of Sir Francis Drake" is one Of
the books OF biography promised for the winter
season: Mr.: Julian Corbett has been engaged
upon IT FOR five or six years. He has unearthad
many new English. Italian and Spanish docu-
Hnehts bearing upon his theme. and among them
complied by a Florentine from data supplied by
Drake himself.
II was a good idea OF the Scribners to make
dainty little book out OF the paper 'Thack-
eray's Haunts and Homes which Mr. Eyre
Grove wrote for the Magazine some time ago
Mr. Grove was an intimate OF the novelist from
the latters youth up, and seems have been
acquainted with all OF his numerous stamping
grounds He has written of them with a very
happy descriptive touch, and the many Illus
trations are OF exactly the sort needed TO re-
yive the appearance of those houses in which
Thackeray from time to time sojourn "a On both
sides Of the Channel. Mr.. Grove also has sew
eral good anecdotes. one OF them deals with a
serio- comic episode between Thackeray and one
OF those curious people who take il in,o their
heads every now and then to suspect that a
novelist has had them their relatives in mind
when writing some satirical passage In this
case an irate gentleman who had suSpected
Thackeray OF maligning relative sent ord TO
the writer TO meet him in n house opposite the
novelsts and settle the business, else he ,!ouId
castgate him publicly The picture AIR. Grove
draws is very funny. Thackeray summoned him
and a certain boon companion with good Ulcers
TO Wit, Alexander Christie, head master OF the
Edinburgh School Of Design ThaCkeray armed
himself with a stick and marched across the
street. Christie Invested himself OF his cat
tucked up his sleeves over brawny arms and
squared his elbows and clenched his fists ready
for the signal to come to Thackeray'S assistance.
Grove stood in the same attitude. but presently
ThaCkeray returned unframed. He had found
the gentleman in state OF suppressed FURY bur
had had no difficulty in smoothing over the
matter.
Mr. Grove describes Thackeray on the day
when the printers boy waiting in the hall
for comic paragraphs to so into the columns OF
Punch" "Thackeray pacing the room in which
the brain cudSelling was taking place. ex-
claimed: Well. must be funny in five minutes
With pluck he sat down at his desk. and shortly
after the printers devil was off with the rceded
copy" 1t is curious to learn that a man has
book by Thackeray dedicated 10 him. This was
cray had known at Weimar and Munich Thack-
cray wanted to dedicate the Book Of Snobs'.
to Lettsom. but the latter declined ;he honor
and the work appeared therefore. without any
dedication At all Mr.. Grove tells of the origin
OF the famous introduction to Vanity Fair
In June. 1913. Thackeray happened 10 meet
Torrens McCullagh at the house If Groves
father. McCullagh said across the table to
ell | see