The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-29
LITERARY NOTES.

iiERAh1 NVlES.
The following anecdote OF Henry Drum I
mond will hardly do to circulate among |
the divinity students who are reading his |
books, but it shows that the young man |
had as much human nature about him as |
other Sauths OF his day and generation:
''As early as 1870, he, being then di- |
vinity student, writes to a friend: j. W. |
and I passed the Presbytery exam. yes |
terday with much eclat. We took the |
precaution beforehand to hide the Pres |
bytery's Hebrew Bible in the coal scuttle; |
so we got no examination in Hebrew "
new book, by Charles Egbert Grad |
dock is about to appear. 1t will be called
THE Story of Old Fort Loudon," and it
deals with the pioneer life of Tennessee.
The history of Japanese literature, by
W. G. Aston, soon to be published by the
Appletons, is said to be made up of two
parts translation to one part criticism. One
of the facts which will surprise most peo-
pie is that since very ancient times wo-
men have had prominent place among
japanese writers. The classical authors
of the eleventh century were nearly all
women. This is the first book on the sub
ject to be published in English, or in
any European language, for that matter,
and it will form worthy companion to
the Japanese books OF Lafcadio Hearn.
new book by Louis ]. Block published
by G. p. Putnam's Sons, is called 'Capric-
Clos and is composed of five short dramas
in prose. They are said to be full of
high and noble thought, and to be less
dramas than poems in disguise.
One of Thackeray's letters to Edward
Fitzgerald of Omar Khayyam" fame.
contains this passage:
| should like my daughters to remember that
you are the best and oldest friend their father
ever had, and that You would act as such, as my
literary executor, and 81 forth.
One of Charles Lambs especial friends
was Bernard Barton, a Quaker banker and
poet, whose daughter was the wife of Fitz-
gerald. At one time Mr.. Barton, encour-
aged by the success of volume of POEMS
thought OF giving up business entirely. and
wrote to Lamb on the subject. Lamb, one
of whose chief occupations seems to have
been the giving of kindly and wise advice
to his friends, replied after this fashion:
Throw yourself, rather, my dear sir. from the
steep Tarpeian rock. slap-tlash, headlong, upon
iron spikes. II YOU lad but five consoatOry min
utes between the desk and the bed, make much OF
them, and live century in them. rather than
turn slave to the booksellers. They are Turks
and TartaTs when they have poor authors at their
beck Hitherto YOU have been at arm -leneth
with them. Come not within their grasp On,
YOU know not-mly you never knOw-the mis-
cries OF subssting by authorship.
Keep to your bank and your bank book will
keep to you. Trust not the public; you may
hang, starve, drown yourself for anything that
worthy parsonage cares. SIT down.
good b. b., in the banking Office. What! is
there not from to II y. NJ. six days in the
week; and is there not all sunday!
William Black is said to have been
connosseur in wines and cigars, and al
ways had a large stock of both for the
use of guests. His dinners at the Reform
Club were apt TO be cosmopolitan in char
acter, for men of brilliant wit and genial
| nature were drawn there by the knowl-
| edge that they would be sure to have a
| good time. To his friends, as well as to
the book-loying world, the death of Black
| was a calamity.
| Mrs. Hugh Frasers Letters From ia
pan" will be published shortly in two VOL
umes, with several hundred illustrations
that alone would make the book a work OF
much value to all who are interested in ia
pan and her people. AS the wife of the
British Minister to Japan, the author had
| exceptional opportunities to observe the
people and their customs, and had access
| to sources of information which she has
been able to use in a fascinating way.
William Canton, whose charming child
stories, wv. V, Her Book" The Invisi-
| BILE Playmate" and wv. VS. Golden Lee
! gend,' have attracted much attention, Is an
| English journalist, manager for a London
| firm, and one of the editors of Good Words
| and the Contemporary Review. The fas
| cination of his books is probably due to
his early life rather than to his present
| surroundings. Mr.. Canton was born in the
! island of Chusan, off the coast of China, in
l IL
| Northumbrian mother. When he was
| still child the family removed to Jamaica,
and he spent his youth being educated for
| the priesthood at the College of DOuay,
| France. After leaving the college he be-
| came journalist, and in 1876 was editor
of the Glasgow Weekly Herald" w. V. is
a real person, her full name being Wini-
| fred Vida, and she is now eight and one
half years old. In letter to friend Mr..
| Canton says that he doesn't think anyone
who had to pay for her boots would doubt
her reality. The little brother. over whom
| w. V. assumed such winsOme, motherly
| airs, is now two years old.
| work of considerable interest TO stu
dents of history is "Bygone Church Life in
Scotland" by William Andrews. which is
soon to appear. 1t deals with witchcraft,
bell lore. saints and holy wells. the cross
| in Scotland, public worship in olden times,
and other subjects about which the aver
age reader is not particularly well inform
ed
An English woman and an American
have this season happened to use the same
title for their novels. Miss Constance
Smith. like Miss Mary Johnston, has hit
upon prisoners of Hope"
There is n new edition of Emily Bronte S
"Wuthering Heights the story which was
altered in small points 10y Charlotte Bronte
when she republished it after her sisters
death. Clement Shorter. in the London
Bookman, illustrates what this revision
meant by taking one sentence of Joseph $
dialect-which Charlotte Bronte feared
would be uninteligible outside of York
shire-and giving the two versions thus:
Emily's Version: ''What are We ior2'' he shout
ed ''T' masters dahn j. Z fowld. Goa rahni
by tn end ut laith, if yah want tub spake tut
him"
Charlotte's Version: 'what are We tor?' h,
shouted ''r' masters down i t. fowld. &c
round by tn end O. L laith, ii we want to spak'
to him.
After ALL Hoosier English and Creole
French are not the only perplexing tongue:
in the world.
NJ. lola, while in England, has been s,
completely recluse that a messenger from
Gpi