The record-union., 1899-12-24

lIlCtQluIO uItu
Library Workers.
The appeatafsz Of MI. swinburne's
new drama reminds one OF his critics
of the drastic remark Of. Green. the
historian, when Poems and Ballads"
were first given to the world. This Is
the greatest master Of poetical Ian
guage since Shelley" he said. sbut he
can't think
Sir M E. Grant Duff, insa recent
address on Walter Bagehot, observed
that the books which Bagehot wrote
formed an immense output for a man
who died at 81, but he was not sure
that the impression of power which
was produced by his conversation was
not even greater. Perhaps It's most
remarkable feature was its unexpect-
edness However well they knew him
they could not foresee how he would
express himself on any subject, but
when they knew 1t, they had in the I'M
mense majority Of cases to admit that
what he said was admirably said" IN
mentioning Bagehot's writings con-
corning Gladstone the speaker quoted
Bagehot's own remark to him-that
what is most remarkable in Mr.. Glad
stone is his quantity" So it was,
Grant Duff adds. It was after the
exciting Midlothian campaign Of 1880
that the latter said to Gladstone, you
must have gone through a tremendous
strain ''Oh, no." the statesman re-
piled, sit was chiefly driving about in
open carriages, and that is very
healthy"
OF the best American magazine 1.-THE
London Globe frankly says that they
are superior to those of England. and
adds: ut is not our fault, but the re-
suit of entirely different conditions"
| There is to be a new collated test Of
"Gulliver's Travels" which will ap-
pear in the new edition of Swift's
works now in preparation by Messrs
| Bell of London. All the early editions
of "Gulliver" have been used by Raw
enscroft Dennis in collating the text,
| and it is limited that special attention
has been given to the verbal changes
on the original text made by both
| Hawkesworth and Scott.
| Olive Schreiner's forthcoming book IS
to be a general survey OF the South
African question.
The late Grant Allen Is remembered
as saying with characteristic audacity
| hot 1,a do h
| individuality, variety, eecentricity and
lawlessness.
There was a strange tendency in
him to take the othec. side in every
thing says Sir Walter Besant Of Allen.
1T was not kicking against conven-
ton; it was an Unborn spirit. Of revolt
against everything established In re-
| ligion, in politics, in social ma ters, he
was kind Of REBEL Besant says
| also that Aliens early struggles which
were severe, embittered him against
| the profession of letters. He advised
] a young man rather to sweepsa cross
| ing than to live by literature. He re-
sented the small returns OF his scien-
! tific books. In fact, he made the COM
mon mistake Of confusing commercial
with literary worth. and because he
knew that he had written we'll he was
angry because people did not buy his
books. Yet these early books made
the calling Of letters possible for him
and introduced him to the men whom
above all, he most desired to know"
Owen Wister is writing brief biog-
raphy of General Grant. 1t Is not un-
reasonable to consider this in some
sort a waste of time, Mr.. Wister hav-
ing unusual gifts as a creator of good
| fiction. Why does he so rarely use
that particular gift Of quaint and play
full humor exhibited in his Dragon Of
| Wantley?"
| Leslie Stephen said in a speech adj
dressed to the London Authors Club
| the other evening that sometimes he
was even inclined to think that the
career of letters was the only one quite
suitable for the honest man, because
at least he could say what he thought
and had to depend upon his own quail
tiles. They had to rely upon their
brains, and they had the satisfaction
| of thinking that in literature a man
succeeded by virtue of his own qualities
whatever they might be, and not by
| any adventurous or exceptional assist
ance. 1t was a hard game, but on the
whole it was one Of fair play. That
was to say they deserved everything
that they got, but he could not invert
the proposition, and say they got every
thing they deserved. He hoped, with
the help of Sir Walter Besant, better
days might be dawning for the author,
though he was afraid he was rather
skeptical. When they looked at the
rank and file of their profession he be-
ieved they saw a great improvement
as compared with those who preceded
them. At the present day there was
far more courtesy and more willing
ness to recognize that even their oppo-
nent was generally in the right and
there was throughout more friendly
feeling between all members of the
community.
Olive Schreiners Story of an African
Farm" seems to hold the reading pub
lie, pessimistic as 1t is. There have
been many editions at varying prices
in the last sixteen years. and a new
one is now announced.
Prince Krapotkin is now living quiet
ly in Bromley, g. Kentish town. He
seldom appears in public, but he can
be seen every afternoon waiting for his
daughter outside the Bromley High
School He is described as q typical
Russian, subdued in manner. rather
weather beaten and shriveled, with a