The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-26

ers' side of the case before the. reader,
and he will be compelled to admit that
it is a pretty strong side. 1t will re-
quire a good many wise and dignified
editorial articles to wipe out h i'm
preston made by this clearly and
swiftly told story, written, as it is,
with a perfect insight into the southern
character and with a full knowledge
of he conditions of life in the southern
states"
Mr.. vacheI has a novel out entitled
THE Procession of Life" He has a
| poor opinion OF Christian Science, and
says:
"A Christian Scientist was one who
neither Christians nor scientists would
a " any dealings with"
Henry S. Scott has two novels out
since "Roden's Corner appeared. He
is prolific and clever. but writes far too
much for his reputation.
Blackmore, author of that great novel
Lorna Doone." praises Phillpott's
Children of the West" in exalted
terms. He is ~astonished "at the power
and the beauty of the novel" and says
that Literature has been enriched with
a wholesome, genial, and noble tale.
the reading Of which is a pleasure in
store for many"
Up North they are now writing UP
Poe's "fatalism." They have expend-
ed much labor in writing up his drunk
enness. But in spite of drawbacks n
all d%epravity he is a greater poet thar
any of the New England immortals
and is so held in England and in
France among the best equipped crit
les and most cultured readers. When
Shakespeare is severely handled by
certain writer's Poe nor any eouthron
may hope to escape.
1.-The Life and Letters of Mrs. M. o.
w. O~liphant" is out and will attract
the attention of people who admire
her novels and love entertaining biog-
raphy. She was lot Of the first rank
as a female novelist and author in
other departments, but she ranks with
the best of her sex of the second grade
Charlotte Bronte and Mary Ann Evans
belong to the first rank. Mrs. Oliphant
was a brave, hopeful, gifted, severely
toll1ng woman, whose life was full OF
suffering and with no little success
Her autobiography is interesting, judg-
ing from copious extracts we have
met with in reviews. 1t is mentioned
that she had peculiar fondness for Bull
wer's novels, but did not take to Dick
ems. Of the two the latter was the
create genius, but Bulwer left a half
dozen novels of exceeding delight and
that should have a long lease on life.
-, Writing of h greatest French woman
novelist, George Sand" as she called
herself and George Eliot" as Miss
Evans, the English novelist, called her
self, this noble and finely seeted Scotch
m wrote in modesty 1Gs:
These two bigger women did things
which L have V felt the least temp
tation to debut how very much more
enjoyment they ceem 10 have got out
OF their life, how much more praise
and homage and honor! l would not
buy their feme with these disadvan-
tages, but 1 do feel very small, very
obscure, beside them, rather a failure
al round, never securing any strong
a1tection, and throughout my life,
though L have he'd all the usual expe-
riences of woman, never impressing
anybCdy-what a droll little complaint!
why should 1? 1 acknowledge frank
ly that there is nothing in me-a fat,
little, commonplace woman, rattle
tongue-tied-to impress any one; and
yet there is a sort of whimsical injury
IN 1t which makes me sorry for my
self"