New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-26
LITERARY NOTES.

One of the cleverest Of the Christmas Juveniles
IS Captain Charles Kings book. From School
to Battlefield" The young hero is very fine
fellow. whose sufrerings at school discipline him
into excellent material for soldier In the civil
War Many an "old boy" will take comfortable
chances at the pages which wildly recall
certain famous school and famous teacher dear
TO their hearts In days gone far away
An acquaintance Of Gladstone says In THE
Speaker" that he once asked the statesman why
he did not write a monograph on Disraeh. Mr..
Gladstone had been talking Of Froude's Dis
raeli" which he thought highly Of but felt to
be not altogether satisfactory. II write life OF
Disraen" he cried; II! Why. am the very last
man in the world who could write his life, or
who ought to be allowed to write IT," And then
with that air Of detached impartiaty which he
could so readily assume he proceeded TO explain
that the strength Of his own feelings with re-
gard to his old rival made It impossible despite
his admiration for his extraordinary abilities,
that he should deal with his career in such
manner as to do 1t justice. He delighted IN the
story Of Dsraelis wonderful struggle against
adverse fate: but there be no doubt that he
always looked upon him as-politically-an un-
principled adventurer
Mr. Gladstone II Is said, did not exactly de-
clare that Shakespeare the greatest man
who ever lived; what he said was this II
| inclined TO think that his reputation will In
crease. and that In another century he may be
universally acknowledged to be the greatest
man who ever lived"
THE Good Queen Charlotte" Is the title Of Mr..
Percy Fitzgerald's forthcoming book. 1t would
seem toilsome task to write entire volume
about one of the most tart plain, narrow
minded and unduly proud Of all the unimpor-
tant little German princesses who have been
| transpanted to England
A brother novelist commenting upon an anus
Ing parody Of Mr. Henry James said: But there
is one thing which was wrong in It; there was a
| split iEflnitive. Now. Henry James would never
do that" Answered the author Of the parody:
| Il suppose not. AT the same time. the part Of
| the sentence containing the split nhntive was
| copied word for word from In the Cage"
| Sir John Cowan is Of the people who re-
member seeing Walter Scott. AS a schoolboy
| In Edinburgh he was introduced by his father to
| the novelist. "a man not TALL but very lame
| leaning heavily on his stick and very shabby
| dressed" The great man talked kindly to the
| little boy and gave him good advice about
| making the most Of his opportunities. Four
| years later while student at Bonn, Sir John
| saw Scott again. He waiting for of the
| Rhine steamers, and when the boat came along
| side the pier he saw. sitting in a chair on the
deck. old gentleman evidently nearing the
close of his life. lovingly watched by his daugh-
ter. This was Sir Walter Scott on his way
home TO Abbotsford to die. Sad although the
| sight was OF the great man dying. there was.
| says Sir John, a certain pleasure in knowing
that he so tenderly cared for during the
last journey OF his life.
| How did Cavour look when at the summit Of
his power and usefulness? One who knew him
then gives this description Of him in the BIZ
ography which has just appeared "He was
fresh -colored and his blue eyes had not yet lost
their brightness. but they were changeful In
expression that 1t difficult TO fix their dis
tnctive quality Though rather stout he was
not ungainly. he tended to become later.
He stopped little. and two narrow lines were
visible on either side of mouth cold and In
ELUSIVE. but these lines. by their trembling or
contraction. showed the play Of inward emotion
which the rest Of the face concealed. 1t was
his large and solid forehead which chiefly gave
the idea Of power. which every who saw him
carried away despite the want Of dignity In
his person and Of strongly marked features in
1 his face"
new novel by Mr.. Henry James Is also an
nounced by the Harpers. Its title Is THE
Awkward Age" the awkward age being that
Of its young heroine.
1t Is said In a notice of the late Lord Sell
borne's memoirs that in his simplicity he was
as little child. One day at Aldworth Tenny-
son reading the ode to the Duke OF Wei.
lington and stopped at the lines:
And the greatest only are
In his simplicity, sublime.
Lowering his voice he pointed to Lord Sell
borne his guest. and said to one beside him
ITO that man only in the present time do these
lines apply"
The Frank Bulen who has written in THE
Cruise Of the Cachalot." very striking book
e WAS. not many years ago. a cabin-boy ant
. learned to write In spite OF hard circumstance
Sir Edwin Arnold has written story called
2 THE Queens Justice" II Is founded Tn.
fact Of the supposed murder OF Indian cir
= which occurred sixteen years ago in Bengal. ant
e is said to give excellent picture OF IndiaI
D village life.