The record-union., 1898-12-25
OF BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
"RECORD-UNION'S'' NOTES AND
GLEANINGs IN LITERATURE.
Leading Books-Literary Curiosi-
ties-Concerning Famous Writ
ers-The Publishing World.

The Sir Walter Scott Memorial AS
sociation desires to give to the Boston
public library a replica of the bust Of
Scott recently placed in Westminster
Abbey.
I had been warned that Darwin
could not carry on a serious discussion
for more than about ten minutes or a
quarter of an hour, as it always brought
on his lifelong complaint of sick
ness. 1 therefore put before him in the
shortest way possible the difficulties
which prevented me from accepting the
theory of animals forming a language
out Of interjections and sounds of ma
ture. / laid stress on the fact that no
animal, except the human animal, had
ever made step toward generaliza-
| tion of percepts, and toward roots, the
real elements of all languages, as signs
of such generalized percepts, and / gave
him a few illustrations of how our
words for one to ten, for father. mother,
sun and moon had really and historic
| ally been evolved. That man thus
formed real anomaly in the growth
of the animal kingdom as conceived
| by him, fully admitted; but it was i'm
possible for me to ignore facts, and Ian
guage in its true meaning has always
been to my mind a fact that could not
| be wiped away with a silk handkerchief
even in millions Of years. He listened
most attentively without making any
| objections, but before he shook hands
and left me, he said in the kindeset
way, You are a dangerous man
ventured to reply, There can be no dan
ger in our search for truth and he left
/ the room. From Professor Max
Muller's AUD Lang Syne."
Sidney Luska," otherwise Henry
Harland, is about to bring out a new
book under the title of Comedies and
Errors
A correspondent of Literature who
is living in Germany mentions as exist
| ing in that country a curious and wide
spread belief that the Germans were the
first to discover Shakespeare and to in
troduce him to the notice of his com
/ patriots ''At first" says the writer,
81 treated the assertion as a jest, but
I find it is firmly believed by educated
Germans, and ! am told that it is actu-
ally taught in the literature classes in
some Of their schools"
Macaulay's chambers are comfort
ably furnished and overflow with books
The hall, the two sitting rooms, and the
bedroom are all walled with volumes.
On this January morning Macaulay sits
breakfasting among his books. The
room has few ornaments beyond some
fine Italian engravings, bronze statu-
cites of Voltaire and Rousseau, and on
1.-The mantelpiece q handsome Ginning
French clock given to the essayest by
his publisher Thomas Longman. Ma
cauley is seldomawithout a book, either
| in his hand or in his pocket; and this
morning, as he breakfasts, he turns
over the pages of volume of Addison
& Steele's Spectator" reading a SEN
tence or two here, glancing over old
/ favorite passages with smile OF
friendly recognition, and more rarely
reading rapidly whole essay.
| Presently he rises from the table and
goes to his desk. AS he crosses the
floor the shortness Of his figure sudden
lily becomes apparent. There is little,
indeed, In Macaulay's whole appearance
to indicate the genius and learning
which are enshrined within his brain.
He is a short, robust and plain looking.
His head is massive and his features are
rugged and honely. When in repose
his face has little animation; but when
he talks it is lit the emotions of the
moment, and the deep-blue eyes sparkle
with vivacity. "A solid, robust indi-
viduality, of untiring energy and un-
wearying kindness and courtesy-such
is Thomas Darlington Macaulay.-
Chambers Journal
| For many years there has been a
| dispute as to whether No. 81 or No.
| 40 Rue de Richelieu, in Paris, was the
house in which Moliere died. Sould No.
| 81 or No 40 bear the bronze tablet?
In the Rue de Richelieu there were
many partisans for the respective
houses, and family quarrels arose. AT
| last, after long and arduous research,
| it has been decided that it was in No.
! 30 that Poquelin, known as Moliere,
died. his last breath having been drawn