The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-09
LITERARY GOSSIP.

Rev. John Watson, clan Maclaren,"C
made s12,0 600 by his lecturing tour in the
north. The foreign lecturers confine
their operations to the rich section
where gold abounds.
A very interesting work is Frederick
CT. Jackson's "a Thousand Days in the
Arctic" His vessel, The Windward,"
and all on board, were three winters in
the white North" as Tennyson
calls Il.
Pages Red Rock" sells like straw
berries. 1t has passed its fiftieth thou
sand and is still among the six greatest
selling novels of this particular time in
this country. But that is no evidence
that it is superior. Some of the mean
est of novels have the largest sale. The
las book of Page is well praised up
north. We have had no desire or curl
osity to read it. We know that several
educated and intelligent ladies in Will
mington think it dull and
place."
A sensational book of a supposed re-
ligious turn called I'm His Steps, by
Charles M. Sheldon, has met with a
phenomenal sale. Thus far, it is re-
ported over 3,000,0 900 copies have been
sold and in three months. The author
is a Yankee and a Congregationalist.
We know very little of the book, but
have seen it referred to slightingly.
ChurchilPs Richard Carvel' sells
rapidly. 1t is praised by some critics
and all admit 1T shows ability. Great
efforts were made to distribute it in
the world for a big sale.
That excellent literary weekly, The
New York Saturday Review, foremost
of American literary publications, slips
up as to the nom de plume of a
clever writer. 1t calls Fiona Mcleod"
Flora"
The late eminent George Bancroft,
the historian of his country in colon
ial times, when he had passed his SOth
year, wrote this in a letter to General
James c.. Wilson, as given in an article
by him in The New York Saturday Re-
view:
Il was trained to look upon life here
as a season for labor. Being more than
fourscore years old I know the time for
my release will soon come. Conscious
of being near the shore of eternity, I
await without Impotence and without
dread the reckoning of the hand which
will soon summon me to rest"
Gray hairs and physical decay in
such a man would be reverenced by
every man and woman built right
with the convictions n principles of
an enlightened age. But Mr.. Bancroft
lived for a decade or so, and when
nearly 80 willingly took a three miles
stroll. He was a strong democrat, was
in Folks cabinet, and was minister to
Great Britain and to Germany. The
great German historian, Won Ranke,
who was undoubtedly the greatest his
torian of his time, beginning at IS, his
last immense work A Universal His
tory" five volumes of which were com
pleted when he died at 90-this great
German referred to Mr.. Bancroft as
'one of the masters of our SCIENCE
historic study and production. We get
this from General Wilson.
1t is said Cuba is to have a literary
magazine, the editor to be A. c.. Vim
geras.
Edmund Gosse, the gifted English
critic, has just completed a life of the
poet, Rev. John Dome, who was a
contemporary of Shakespeare.
Extracts from Walter Savage Lam
doris Imaginary Conversations are
to be published in a volume. To one
who loves good literature and appreci-
ates the best writing, this production
is one of the most engaging in English
literature. There are passages of Won
drous beauty and eloquence. He was
a writer of much verse that possesses
a perennian charm. He loved Charles
Dickens works and delighted to praise
him. Writing to his great favorite,
Rose Aylmar, who died in India n
whose fame he sang in such sweet
produced. "Pickwick' and David
Copperfield" and "A Tale of Two
Cities and other most famous and
absorbing works:
You fill me with delight by your
generous and just remarks On Dickens.
No mortal nan ever eXerted so bene-
fetal an influence over the human
heart. From the midst of adventures,
shutters, and imposters of all parties,
just Posterity will place high apart the
names of Dickens and Lord Ashley"
KEFLEClIONS In HONORING
GREAT MEN.