The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-21
LITERARY NOTES.

Ether Voynich, the author of the novel
1.-THE Gadfy," is thirty-three years old and
is Irish by birth and English in ancestry,
being the daughter of the logician Boole.
Her husband was Pole of quiet tastes who
has long lived in London.
Mrs. Margaret Deland, the author of
John Ward, Preacher" and many other
successful books, is at present reading the
proofs for collection in book form of the
sketches entitled "Old Chester Tales" now
being published serially in Harper's Maya
zine
Mr.. w. L. Alden, speaking in his London
letter of a certain novel objected to by the
British matron, says: I'VE are an eminent
ly moral nation, and we loathe everything
approaching to improperly in print, but
when we are told that book is improper
we feel it to be duty to read it and see If
the accusation is true.
Any tired editor, uncertain as to the po-
litest method of returning contribution,
might take a lesson from a Chinese brother.
This gentleman is mentioned as suavely
sending back an article on the ground that
If he printed it the Emperor of China would
insist on everything in the paper being
m main lined at the same high STANDARD
present low state of literary ability"
The real name of the author who signs
himself Benjamin Swift" is w. Romano
Patterson, and he is the son of a Glasgow
physician. He wrote Nancy Noon, 1.-The
Tormentor' and THE Destroyer" three
strong but eccentric novels. The real name
of Henry Seton Merriman is Scott. The GUS
tom of using a pen name seems to be grow
ing, and with so many new celebrities bios
soming forth every day it is not easy to keep
track of them all. ~
A writer in the New York Times says:
How utterly the novel that fails goes out
of sight! Years ago Mrs. Linton wrote
Lizzie Lorton, by far the best book of all
the many that her tireless pen gave us.
But the book did not make a hit, and to-
day, when the newspapers are dwelling upon
mentioned Lizzie Lorton.' That very dreary
allegory, Joshua Davidson is invariably
mentioned as her most notable achievement
an opinion of which Mrs. Linton certainly
did not share"
A writer in the Boston Transcript says:
How good Mrs. ELEPHANTS stories, strong
and substantial and fine, better work,
though of the second rank, than most of
the modern stuff which bazes up like rock
cts! 1t is pleasant to see that no los
writer than Barrie is free to confess u.
too. I wonder if there is among the
younger Scottish novelists of to-day any one
so foolish as to believe that he has right
to stool near this woman any one VINO
has not experienced a sense of shame land
some rage at his heart if he found that IL r
the moment his little efforts were being
taken more seriously than hers l should
like to lead the simple man by the ears
down the long procession of her books
George w. Gable, who has done such adj
mirable work in dialect, had very sane
and discerning word in regard to it to say
to an English interviewer, who asked him
whether he attached great Importance to
its use by novelists. Mr.. Cable replied:
We'll, no, / don't. 1t is incidentally USE
full, but it is not the main business of
novelist to preserve dialect. 1t is after all.
but small contribution to the history of
ones own land, and it would be absolutely
foolish to do 1t purely for its own sake. AS
a matter of fact, it didn't occur to me that
/ was offering it as a separate tribute to
literature; / regarded it simply a part of
my portrayal of type and character. Indeed,
the whole thing is OVerdOne, to my idea. 1t
stress on it. Fancy Scott so much approved
OF, or Burns, on account of their dialect.
Fiction is a study of life and not of tongue"
A writer in Literature, speaking of col
lections of aphorisms or choice sentences
selected from an authors works, says:
I'VE have, in fact, outgrown the age of
verbal quotation. The modern reader does
not peruse book for the purpose of treas
uring in his mind the isolated bits of wis
dom it contains in the language of the
author. There is too much to learn-too
much to read-for the ordinary man or
woman of to-day to burden memory with
the particular form of words employed to
state a fact or enforce "A principle. He
studies best who assimilates the contents
of book in way which enables him to
reformulate the essence of it's teaching in
his own words. To learn wisdom by rote,
to adopt a ready made code of ethics from
the cut-and-dried aphorisms out of copy
book appertains either to infancy of culture
or immaturity of age, and may we'll be left
to the latter at the end of this century of
mental emancipation and untrammeled in
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