The record-union., 1899-04-02
RECENT LITERARY NEWS.
"RECORD-UNION" NOTES OF
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
Historic Matters-New Works
Bookmen Of the World
Critical Comment.


| Some odd and agreeable Illustrations
were lately given during the course of
"a lecture on Jane Austen by E. de Selin-
court of Oxford University. These il
Illustrations took the form of duologues
larranged from the novels, conduced by
persons dressed in the costumes of the
period.
Hamlin Garland has lately completed
a novel. No part of his later work has
yet rivalled his Main Travelled Roads,
and this new book will be looked for
with some curiosity.
"Hermione and Other Poems is the
title of little volume of newly gath
cred and heretofore forgotten verses by
Edward Rowland Sill.
A memorial to Rousseau, in the shape
of museum and library, is to be es-
tablished in the town of Montmorency,
where he lived. 1t is regretted that
his hermitage could not have served
the purpose, but that was rendered i'm
possible by the present owner of the
property, Turkish gentleman, who
lately pulled down the building because
it obstructed the view from the Win
dows of his house. Many interesting
relics have been collected for the muse
um- Perhaps the letters of Rousseau
which the Rothschilds own and which
have never been published may be
among the contributions.
j
OF Rudyard Kipling as a child an old
friend is quoted by the Boston Trans
cript' as saying: 'Ruddie was a great
pet, and as he matured in years he soon
showed that he had unusual ability and
aptitude for learning, and scorned ali
Iplaythings that were commonplace toys;
but any sort of instructive puzzle or
Igame that required thought and intel
llgence appealed to him at once, and
with these he found endless pleasure
and plstime. His mother was his early
instructor. Ruddie proved an apt pu-
Pill and in very short space of time
accomplished reading and writing. and
When this time came to pass the diff
Guilty was to persuade him to play and
do as other boys. Books We're his one
pleasure. No matter how erudite thu
work might be, Master Ruddie attacked
1t and absorbed its contents-in fact, he
was quite beyond his years in intellect
at times asserted it in spite of the re-
monstranees of his parents When he
was about or years of age he was
taken over to England, and left in
charge of certain elderly relative.
Here he passed some of the most mis-
cradle and uninteresting years of his
youth"
Sir Benjamin Stone M. P. was al.
lowed last year to photograph in the
vatican a number of MSS. relating TO
Great Britain and going back hundreds
OF years Some of them have never
peen IN print One we are told. which
excited deep interest. was a letter Of
Henry VIII to his dear Anne Bolevn ;,
1t was quite in the style of lover
signing like furnace" The anxious
monarch writes.n
Inc approach of the time, which 7
nave SO long expected, rejoices me 50 |
inucn that it seems almost already i
come However, the entire accomplish-
hent cannot be until the two persons
meet, which is more desired by me than
ahvtnlng else in the world. For what
Joy can De greater upon earth than to |
nave the company of her who is nv
oearest TREND, knowing likewise that |
ohe uoes the same on her part?-the |
thinking of which gives me nlea as,,ra
You may judge what effect the nras-
ence OF that person must have on mo
whose absence has made a oreotar
wound in my heart than either words
or writing can express and which |
nothlng can cure but her return"
AT the foot of this scroll is the foura
OF heart, inserted amid the words |
IL cares for no other, Rex
| EoWard Cooper, in his preface to his |
ne" volume of stories, Children. Race |
horses and Ghosts" tells this anecdo4e
VI the late Eliza Lynn Linton: ''One of |
THESE stor1es, he SayS-,that entitled |
IN Thls World or the Next'-was the
nrst which l wrote, and was submitted
| by me to my dear friend the late Mrs.
Lynn Linton, for criticism. She dis
approved warmly. You have made an
EIglishman afraid of Two common
footpads' she said Indignantly. No
body could possibly admire such a
story. Make your hero afraid of his
supernatural companion if you like, but
not OF the others. If you take my ad- |
vice you will never in your stories make
an Englishman afraid of anything 1
think that Mrs. Lynn Linton's own per-
ACN] icdileSSHeSS Ol eVtfyl ylHlnS, from !,
the devil and public opinion down to
the measles, was about her strongest
characteristic. 1t could so infect her
companions that l have seen a man
who had crawled on the ground for
twenty-five years of his life rise up
after two or three afternoons at her
fiat, and go away and criticise the
manners of Duchess, or the menu of
Savoy chef, or the last poem of a
Laureate, like a Saturday Reviewer
of the seventies. -
There is an amusing anecdote con-
cerning Browning in 1884 among Grant
Duff's recollections: Browning, wish
ing to build house. took steps to find |
the price of a piece of land at Ken
sington. On learning that it was
10000 he told the agent that that was
more than he could afford. The agent |
reported this to the owner, a London |
tailor, who replied: What, Mr.. Brown
ing, the poet of whose works 1 am so |
fond. He shall have the land for |
$4,000"
Henry James, it appears, does his |
writing at night, 3 o'clock in the morn |
ing often finding him still at work. |
This habit possibly saved his life, and |
certainly saved his property recently. |
The London Academy" says: Lamb |
House. at Rye, in which George III. |
stayed. and which has been made still |