New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-22
LITERARY NOTES.

Charles Scribners Sons, Sir george Dous'as mas
recently added discerning and entertaining series
=, hr,sf es.avs nm what he terms the "Backwood
Group" OF the minor novests and essayists VINO
form that group. Miss Ferries and john wilson
are by general consent supposed to be reaoaoie'
John Gait can be read only In homeopathic doses
and Moir, Michael Scott and Hamilton are IRE
deemably obsolete. But what their own books can
no longer do Sir George Douglas does for them; he
endows them anew with something OF the life ana
the human interest which they possessed for their
contemporaries.
Another recent volume IN the Famous Scots
Series is devoted to the great sDr. Macleod HIS
bioerapher Mr.. John Wildwood, Is certainly frank
Beyond question" he tells u.s. Norman Macleod
was one of the most sympathetic men that ever
lived; nay, in his generation df you Wild the SUI
prone sentimentalist Of Chrisendom. He has tears
for cats and dogs" II to these powers OF sincere
but ELUSIVE sentiment adds effervescent animal
spirits incorrgible good-nature and an abundant
confidence. finds. perhaps. the chief elements
in the fervent minister's success. Whether 1t come
from a melodrama or something else. hosts or
women and men love the excitement Of overwrought
emotions The pleasure of such a strain and tur-
MOL OF the passions is vastly enhanced when 1t Is
under the provident dominance of such strong and
seif-suficient intellect as DR.. Macleod's. To COM
memorate the preacher Mr.. Wildwood has writ
ten, appropriately enough somewhat incoherent
but animated succession Of anecdotes and annals
In details the author may at times be found OBJ
scure, but 1t would be folly to deny that he re-
veas very Justly and clearly the ardors and hu-
mors of his hero
whose comments on books and bookmen always
pungent and instructive. has devised this specimen
page for THE New Childs Guide 10 Literature:
Q.-What are Bacchy-lides?
you may well ask me. What are Keats?
81
A.-Bacchyiides was Greek poet.
o..Then why is there all this talk about him
A.-Because his works have recently been dis
covered and published
Q-Are the poems good reading?
A-Not unless you know Greek.
a- -what t aTs t ars n sSo Snf''ns
A-Among other things, the Isthmian Games.
e, OWL you repeat one? (He repeats one)
aThank YOU ssnb prefer PsT, Rsrnums Olympia
A-Another poet
Q.-Is he Greek, too?
A.-No. he's English. but ne has the Greek spirit.
Q.-What rot How old is he'
Ale is not yet thirty:
Q--Where does be live!
Q.-Bu, thought the Poet Laureate lived there.
A.-There are two Ashfords.
Oil am glad Of that; / was afraid he might be
conservative journalist Has he always been in the
A.-No. he was once an actor. He was considered
to be Of the b best asoss b IL the
rA.-one e Christ in Hades." another 'The
Q.-How rippngl Is he a good poet7
At is not known; but he writes good poetry.
OILS IL as good as THE Bah Bailads"Y
! The seventh annual number Of THE Minerva"
Trubners invaluable catalogue Of the universities
and learned institutions OF the world. has just APP
peared Its steady growth in volume still continues
and the present number contains l130 pages (apart
from advertsements). against 0s2 in the last II Is
encouraging TO motto that the pages Of advertise
ments have been reduced from seventy six to fifty
six The book contains full lists of professors ana
instructors and brief statements of PAN calender
expenses. courses and income for l64 universities
and le colleges and special schools besides libraries
and learned Institutes. etc It's index con-
sains about $500 names, as against non
in the previous number. The most important adj
ditions TO the material represented In this number
are the universities and semnaries of India con-
ributed by Professor Fdhrer. of Lucknow; the
archaeological museums Of Italy. by Professor Maui
Of Rome; the learned societies. libraries etc. OF
Athens Constantlnople and Mount Athos by Pro-
fessor Thumb. OF Freiburg and a large number OF
French Institutes. by DR.. Marie. librarian of the
Sorbonne
The statistics Of the universities present as
usual. interesting material. The eight largest uni
versties in the world. Paris. Berlin, Vienna, Ma
drid. Naples Moscow. Budapest and Munich are In
the Old World. Harvard. the largest American uni
versity, ranking in the ninth place Comparison Of
the relative position OF American universities in this
years list with that OF last year shows that Har-
ward has risen from the tenth 10 the ninth place
the University OF Michigan from the eighteenth 10
the seventeenth. the University Of Pennsylvania
from the twenty-frst 10 the twentieth Minnesota
from the twenty-second to the twenty-nrst. Yale
from the twenty nth to the twenty third. Cali