The times., 1899-07-23
LITERARY NOTES.


the Saturday Evening Post" tells little
story which originated in Washington.
Miss Elizabeth Curtis, one of the recent
translators of the Persian classic, visited
| this city, and reception was given in her
honor by her uncle, Attorney General
Griggs. 1t happened that some o! the
guests at this function were more rich
than learned and Miss Curtis, in the
course of the evening, heard this dia-
logue:
"who is Omar Khgyaml never heard Of
him."
oh came the answer. "he is a new cOlored
poet, like Paul Dunbar
The poem entitled Trooper Jackson"
by Thomas Edward Grafton printed in
The Times of June %, was taken from
"Harpers Magazine" and should have
been credited TO that periodical.
An addition to the literature of the
Spanish war is '"The History of the Negro
Soldier in the Spanish-American War" by
Edward A. johnson, of Raleigh, n. c. In
it are contributions from an officer of the
| Twenty fifth Infantry, from Cleveland
Moffett, from Jacob A. Riis, and from 9TH
er people who ought to know something
about the negro as a soldier. While the
book does not by any means include all
that could be written on the subject, it
contains some interesting material for the
historian.
Mr.. Tom Halls new book, THE Fun and
Fighting of the Rough Riders is nearly
completed. Mr.. Hall served as adjutant in
this regiment.
According to a recent interview Emile
| Zola is reported to have said: when the
Dreyfus case is ended l intend to write a
| novel on the historic affair, summing it all
up and drawing from it additional conclu-
sions which cannot be clearly and convinc-
ingly stated yet This is my duty. l do
not intend to seek any financial advantage
in performing it
@. P. Putnam's Sons announce for fu-
ture publication a volume OF new poems
by Madison j. Cawein, entitled Myth and
Romance" Mr.. Cawein's previous efforts
in verse have met with approval. and W.
d. Howells has written: Il should like to
praise the poetry OF Madison Cawein, OF
Kentucky, which is as remote as Greece
from the actual everyday life of his region,
as remote from II as the poetry of Keats
was from the England of his day. and
which is yet so richly. so passionately true
to the presence and the essence of nature
as she can be known only in the Southern
West"
Bonpell Silver G Co. will issue about
August l, "A Pocket History OF the Amer
lean Navy and Naval Commanders" COM
piled and arranged by Cromwell Childe
The contents of the work, which is intend
ed for popular reference, include a view of
an interior of a modern battleship, por-
traits and biographies OF the navy chief
tains of the century and reproductions of
naval insignia, the devices on shoulder
straps, etc, by which the rank of an officer
can be appreciated at once The biogra-
| phies extend from John Paul Jones to Ad-
miral Dewey and among other things there
is shown the relative strength of the
American and foreign navies, past and
present.
Charles Renauld. the first to translate
| "Cyrano de Bergerac" into English, and
| the latest TO publish the result, is an
American by birth, but was educated in
France. He served In the French army al
the time of the Franco-Pru6siau war, and
became adjutant major and capitaine COM
mandant. Mr. Rensuld, among other deco
rations. has received that of Chevalier of
the Legion of Honor. He is the founder
of the Hospital of the French Benevolent
Society, of which he was the president for
| eight years.
William Beckford, who Is best known as
| the author of the Arabian tale 'Vathek"
| written in one sitting Of three days and
| two nights, claimed descent from the Sax
on kings. He inherited vast wealth and
expended il in the most lavish fashion,
| building a wonderful house at Fonthill, in
Wiltshire, which cost over a million. Pres