The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-27
Literary Notes.

Ellery Sedgwick says of NJ Rostand and
Cyrano de Bergerac in the December At
lantic:
Upon Paris, crammed to .repletion with
plays OF outworn and degenerate type,
"Cyrano de Bergerac" came with a quicken
ing spirit The school Of the classics
had long been neglected. The reign Of
Dumas fills had scarcely been challenged.
After all this, the noble touch Of
idealism that makes "Cyrano de Bergerac'
the play it is was hailed with intense relief.
1t was the same relief that in petty scale
comes to the reader of some sparkling rO-
nance after he has toiled through shelves of
bald and arid realism. People love ex-
tremes, and NJ. Rostand came in the nick
of time
yet all this detracts not one whit from
the merits Of the play NJ Rostand's ven
ture comma nded- success, but 1t deserved it.
At the moment, Parisians thought the play
a creation of a new type. In reality it is
the lineaI descendant of the best traditions
of French literature. The author has schoo ed
himself in his Moliere. his Cornelle, his
Hugo, and he knows them as well as ever
Stevenson did his Scott or Keats his
Shakespeare. Read "Cyrano de Bergerac"
carefully. and you will find reverence for the
masters at every turn. The note of high ro-
nance which Corneille caught from Ronsard
and from the literature of Spain, is struck
again by NJ. Rostand. In Cyrano's disdain
for the world there is something that re-
minds US of LIE Misanthrope himself. Per-
heps ii Is not fanciful to imagine that in
part al least, our hero inherlts his adven-
turous spirit and merry humor straight from
lie Sage's Knight of Santillane Certain it is
that the blood OF Ruy Bias flows in his veins
I and who would deny his klnship to the
Three MuSketeers and D'Artagnan 10
boot? But NJ. Rostand has been the master
not the servant, of tradition. In the best
sense his play is original. for 1t is instinct
with his own genius.
The keynote of the plot Is the hero's self
sacrifice. His unselfshness is complete, but
| IL Is not without compensation. In the In
tensity Of his pain he Is conscious of a subtle
delight in knowing that he himself is loved
in the person of Christian. This is far from
pure altruism. II is more sensuous more
complex more human; more interesting.
The Christmas number of ST Nicholas is
full of the holiday spirit. The frontispi5ce
is striking drawing by Maxfeld Parri h
Illustrating tale by Eyaleen Stein. entitled
The Page of the Count Reynaurd." This
is a scry OF the song eortesss Of the ,tr1Ebs 3
dours, in the days of good King Renn.4af
Provence. Clara Morris, the eminent acres
contributes a sketch. full Of humor ard
bright character portrayal, My. Little :. Jim
Crow. 1t is the story OF little eolored
boy hat was once g member of her hoe-ss
held, and of his pr3nks, his joys, and his
SORROWS Thomas G. Alien Jr;. who made
tour around the world awheel. sevesaI
] years ago, ard who is one OF the authors Of,
| Across Asia on Bieyc.e." tells about TIE
Boys Of Siberia He gives a diffefe1~ I'M
preston of this land and its inhabitants frsff6
the one usually entertained. KIyda Richard
son Steege describes Football of Long Agu,
pnehlnos, as played In ancient Athens: haT-
pas uln. as 1t was known among the Romans
ana CALICO, as the game was called In Flor
ence. The article is illustrated from o'd
prints and from photographs Oliver HEREFORD
mas written clever drama in verse ''Fox
and Geese, and furnishes the illustrations
for 1t. Mark "" in Clarence Maiko's story.
was an erratic torpedo that caused great nm
eaSiness to a number Of American naval
oHeers during the recent war story that
has good, wholesome moral, most appropri-
ately enforced at this time. is IAN Amateur
krts-kringie." by Warren McVeigh. Seasons
pc verses ana jirgles are THE Christmas
Tree Lights by Annie Willis McCulIoireb.
The Dream Of the Toy by Katherine PYLE
and 'Ge Christmas Puddinge'' by Malcolm
Douglas. Birch, Varia, Potthast, and Bianche
McNanus are among the artists represented
in the number.
In the first instaNment of his story Of Tho
Merrimac, in the December Century. which
Lieut.. Hobson lays no claim to having
originated the idea OF blocking the channel #
Santiago. The sinking OF the collier had
been ordered bv Admiral Sampson but the
commanding officer off Santiago had not ex-
ecuted the maneuver when the flagship ar
rived, and the working out OF the rEau as
well as its execution. was intrusted 70 Iie1r
Hobson. The preliminary steps are detailed
in THIS number of The magazine and In Later
issues the story of the sinking of the shin
and the capture and Imprisonment OF her
crew will be given at first hand This is
the only account Of his exploit tn Il Mr.. Hob
son has written for publication.
Much interest has been excited in America
by the Geographic accounts of Hooley's an
parently wholesale purchase of British noble
men for use as decoy ducks to his various
stock schemes; and his connection with the