New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-26
LITERARY NOTES.


ster UP the hypothesis that the cosmopolitan
ism in contemporary fiction is but the prefgure-
rnent OF a new and imposing era in letters, ne
nnds Mr. Harland so much more promising
than we fancy he would appear to be II cohs'd-
cred without reference 10 a theory. III Is ho'
surprising that Mr.. James should ADMIRE Inc
cosmopolitanism OF Mr. Harand He IS cos
mopolite himself and one who is intensely con-
scious OF IT, intensely preoccupied with MS ca
pacity to be "all things TO all men. But IL
seems strange that Mr.. James should DC I'M
aware Of one cause underlying much curle"'
cosmoportanism Has ne not discerned the fact
that there Is no expedient for a noveilst OF ie"
ideas like the expedient Of talking about people
ond scenes strange 10 the reader? Given an
American novelist will say. or an Engnsh
writer Of fiction without the smallest knowledge
n, human nature and he will riot In the doings
Of people in Siam or at Monte Carlo. BY plhng
on the local color he persuades his puphc 10
overlook the fact that the characters IN MS
hook are the merest puppets. we VIII not say
that Mr. TIarand gives us nothing more thah
puppets and local color nor that his 1ancies are
always morbid and trivial. but we certainty 90
not feel that his cosmopotanism has the vital
,,v IN II which would excuse Mr. Jamess bhthe
nrophecies THE ancient local concentration
that was so Involuntary in Dickens and Baizac'
and the period lie calculably near when success
<ulIv 10 emulate It will figure to the critical eye
an a rare and possibly beautiful tour de FORCE
Perhaps we may retort. but before we are pre-
pared to admit IL. we think MI James ought 10
advance some evidence more convincing 'hah
,he ahrinkage Of the globe under the mlnlstra-
,ions OF the railroad contractor. or the readiness
of writer's like Mr.. Harland to take advantage
81 the new facilities for travel and 10 "ri'e
new story for every piece OF unramiiiar local
color they meet The position Of the genius who
expre.ses the spirit Of his time and race Is SUI
secure.
Mr. Charles NJ Snyder begins his Comic His
tory Of Greece" q. B. Lippincott Company
with the following brilliant observation: Inc
real history Of Europe began IN Greece anu
from that lubrcating standpoint event sho aller
event with bewildering feetness down the
grooves of time as though that memorable IN
cline had indeed been Greeced for each occa-
.,or" IN Justice TO the author. we have vent
,,red bevond this first dazzling product OF MS
,vtt hut we have found nothing funnier, state
,,ent which should sufficiently characterize the
hook The pictures are about as pleasing as the
text. Both. in short are abysmally wearisome'
We have received from the Century Company
a handpress proof Of the wood-engravlng mace
nv Timothy
magazine. from Rom ey's picture OF THE Par
cons Daughter" The publishers express some
pride in this print. and with Justice MI Cole
seenos 10 he raising his work ever to higher and
higher planes Of subtlety and charm Aside from
the beauty Of Romney's picture, this reproouc-
tion offers to the amateur an exquisite moment
for It has the color. the tenderness inc lnasi-
native feeling Of an original Work OF ART we
trust that the Century" will go on win una
hated enthusiasm in the publication or THESE en-
cravings They extraordinarily peau''iui III
themselves they are mastery interpretations ol
the PAINTERS they reproduce, and they are en-
blematic Of an enterprise which has oeeh iel'
solely TO this country to originate and foster
Mr. Lang confesses in his introduction to the
"cadshiu Edition" OF Little Dorrit'' that the
hook cannot. as a whole. be read with unmingled
endowment" To master the plot he continues. re-
oy,r,es IA much effort "un beau page dAl-
gAhre" But Mr. Lang is faithful to his hero He
started his work upon this edition with his
heart engaged in It. and II any inducement were
needed beyond the handsome presswork 10 make
this new edition attractive to the reader II
would be found in the introductions Ihey are
charming as ever, in the three works no" pup
Nshed each in two volumes. BLEAK House,
Little Dorrit" and "Barnaby Rudge," and once
ton"
The Scr1bners also send a new popular edi.
ton in one stout octave volume. Of Villarfs
Life and Times Of Niccolo MacchiavellL" The
paper is necessarily thin, since the object was
70 bring between the same covers two volumes
OF over five hundred pages each. but the type
is legible and the illustrations are excellent 1t
IS a useful edition Of a work that has become
something like a classic since its first appear
ance. just twenty years ago.
From the Putnams We have edition OF
"a Handbook Of Musical History and Bibog-
raphy" by Mr. James E. Matthew. good
STRAIGHTFORWARD piece OF work. which commends
itself TO students desiring a brief and handy
survey of their subject. The text has been
brought up to date. and the pages are adorned
with many opposite and exccllenty printed IL
Illustrations.
"Notes and Queries" has a particularly In
teresting article the respective values Of the
English and German systems Of writing gram
mars for the study of foreign languages The
author is heartily in favor Of the German
method Of writing all grammars with the home
student In view. There are two things want
ing in a good grammar" he says-"knowledge
of the language taught and the capability for
teaching"
OF the two the latter Is the more important
but with a few briian: exceptions, our books
display only the former In Aliens series or
manuals, extensively got up as they are. ana
under the wing, as il were. of our Government,
this is particularly conspicuous. They are writ
ten by men OF the deepest learning-so much is
almost painfully visible on every page-but l
have failed to discern in a single one OF them
that magical presCience OF the requirements Of
the learner withou. which no book which as
p,res TO teach is complete. With the best will
in the wcrld the English people seem incapable
Of realizing this.
The excellence OF the Germans Is not that they