The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-26
LITERARY NOTES.

Mrs. Julia Ward Howe is engaged in pre-
pairing her autobiography
new book by Maxwell Gray, who is
nothlng If not industrious, is called THE
House of Hidden Treasure
Quo Vadis" brought the translator, Jere-
miah Curtin, $25,0 600, which is the largest
sum on record ever paid a translator of fc-
ton. -
Mr.. w. E. Henleys pension from the Brit
lsh government is one of $1,000 a year This
is the sum also received by Tennyson. and
ne drew 1T forty-seven times.
MISS Olive Birrell the novelist, is the sis
Ter OF that brilliant essayist, Mr.. Angus tine
IBirreH new novel by this lady, THE Am
oilion OF judith, is coming from the press.
MT Hall Game, writing in McClure's Mag
azine. claims that he knows his Bible as
few literary men know it, and that the in
splIatlon Tor all his stories was found in
that one book.
The Black Douglas" is the title of Mr.
>. X. Crockett's new novel; It's author is
taking walking tour in Spain just now
an exercise which few people will be dis
posed to envy.
1t is now denied that John Morley is to be
the official biographer of Gladstone Mr..
Morley may be prevailed upon to write an
account OF the home-rule movement a work
Gladstone was DESTROYS that he should I'M
dertake.
The book reviewer Of the London Mail
says: THE author of Lorna Doone' at
tanned yesterday the ripe age of seventy
three, and is, am glad to say, in sufficient
~ vigorous health to take earnest interest
IN MS promising crop of strawberries. A
new nalI-croWn edition of his Tales from
the Telling House. which includes the in
spring trout story of Choppers Hole is
published this week"
There is story that at the end of meal
at Haydon's house Keats proposed toast
In these terms: "Dishonor to the memory of
Newton. The guests stared at him in ques-
tlonlng surprise, and Wordsworth asked for
an an explanation. 1t is, answered Keats,
rainbow by reducing it to PRISM And the
artists all drank, with one consent, confu-
sion to the saVant.
A. T, Quiller-Couch the Cornish novelist
and essayist has great difficulty in per-
suading people that his name is pronounced
Cooch,' and says that though he never
invented the pronunciation, he can only pre-
vail on few friends (outside of CornWalD
TO believe in it. The poet CoWper who
called called himself Cooper, had similar diff
Guilty. couch" (Cooch), by the way has
nothing to do with repose. 1t is a Celtic
name, and signifies red
Despite the approach of his sixtieth year.
Thomas Hardy works as hard as ever, and
is about to publish two new bookstore of
short stories, which have never before been
brought together, the other a novel written
during the winter and spring. Although he
mas long list of fictionS to his credit this
will be but the third important work since
Tess introduced him to the bigger public
that had ignored the finer charms of Far
from the Madding Crowd" and 1.-THE Return
of the Native"
That Rudyard Kiplng takes his work
hard is the statement of a South African
interviewer" This observer adds that Kip
ling is tremendously in earnest about it
anxious to give of his best; often dissatis-
lied with his best. He is quite comically
dissatisfied with success; quite PRACTICALLY
haunted by the fear that this or that piece
or work, felt intensely by himself in writ
ing, and applauded even by high and mighty
critics, is, in reality, cheap and Shoddy in
execution and will be cast in damages be-
fore the higher court of posterity."
Mr.. w. L. Alden, in his weekly letter in
Literature. makes this clever distinction be-
tween books that we read but once and
those that we reread There are people
who can read the very best books that were
ever written over and over again, but as a
rule they are not the most appreciative of
readers. When book makes an exception
ally powerful impression upon you it may
perhaps, be given a second reading at once
but after that you will not care to reread
1t. whereas, q less powerful book can be
reread at frequent intervals with perennial
pleasure This is part of the secret of the
popularity of moderately good novels. The
impression that they make upon the reader
is not strong enough to endure for any
length of time, and they are therefore re-
read with almost as much pleasure as if
they were new On the other hand single
reading of one of Kipling's best stories fas-
tens 1t in the memory SO firmly that there
does not seem to be any reason for reread-
ing Ii.