The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-07-26
LITERARY NOTES.

only balloon az the Paris Exposition.
LITERARY NOTES.
Rider Haggard has recently written a
book called "A Farmers Year which Is
an account of the authors own Observa-
lions on his farm in Surrey. where Mr..
Haegard has lived the life of am English
SQUIRE and son OF a squire since long
before he was heard Of as a. novelist. a
recent writer says Of the book:
You read of corn, of beots. potatoes.
of horses. COWS sheep, Of rabbits, foxes.
Of crows. swallows. and then there are
absurd comments on landlords. publcans,
and farm laborers. You get an insight
into English rural polite Then Mr.
Rider Haggard tells you AZ Old churches
parsons. clerks. chOirs Many are his eX-
per.encos lie has reared "a pony, and
the beast shows temper, and when har-
messed filings himself on the ground. and
cuts his knees. thus taking. I'm an proDa
biity eight or ten pounds of his value
Now comes in good advice; NO young
horse should be driven without knee
caps Nentilate your haystacks, Mr. RI
der Haggard tells you. School matters.
religious service. charities. AN occupy the
writer's attention. There IS "a certain
tempered conservatism which pervades
A Farmers Year with his broad and
extensive reading, many are the refer
onces 10 English country ways Of two
and three hundred years ago. and h.
draws on his African experiences. NJ.
Rider Hageard's She may be read for
some time to come. but his experiences as
a farmer will certainly be a lasting con
tribution 10 English agricultural life at
the close Of the nineteenth century. II
Mr. Hardy is Theoretical! IN regard 20 the
English rustic. Mr.. Rider Haggard's ac-
uuaintance with him is practical and eX-
act."-Literary Digest.
In Excursions in Criticism William
Watson writes style is the great an
tiscptic I'm literaturo-the most powerful
presoryatvc against decay. Not one soil
tarv instance of n writer. who. endowed
with style I'm n really eminent measure
who has been consigned to that great ill.,
crary catacomb where thousands of heads
that once tcemed with thought and emo
ton are ranged in monotouous rows. and
are become mere indistinguishable skulls.
Lothe has its million victims, but though
YOU should go down 10 its margin with
deliberate suicidal intent 81 YOU have
style. with that life-helt YOU cannot
drown" Milton is our highest summit
in style. Browning has no style. Pro5a-
hly passion plus restraint IS the moral
basis OF the finest style.
London literary circles arc somewhat
stirred up over "A singular coincidence dis
covered in Hail Gaines novel "Thn
Christian" where Lord Robert Ire Ge-
scrihes the efforts OF John storms dra-
matte prediction Of the destruction 90
London. no one has been so bold as %
accuse Mr.. Game OF plagiarism. yet h's
idea in almost the Identical words is 10
Doe found I'm Sw.fts True and Fathfu!
Narrative Of What Passed I'm London
During the General CONSERVATION" As
Will be recalled, Mr. Caine makes Lord
Robert Ire say: IT counted seventeen
people on their knees in the streets
pom my soul did, Eleven old women OF
s0 two or three Of 90. and one or tw"
that might be as young as 90.
Several of our millionaires gave sixpence
apiece 20 beggars-wcre seen 10 do H.
don't you know" etc. Swift wrote: Il
- counted nj least seventeen who
were up0n their knees and seemed IN
actual devotion: eleven Of them. indeed
appeared 10 be old women Of about four
score. and six others were men in adj
vanccd age. but as I could guess). two
OF them might be under seventy.
II was remarkable that several OF our
common charity gave away shillings and
sixpence 10 the begears.' etc. Mr. Caine
has been asked 20 explain. As .et he
has made no reply.
The Literary Digest Is responsible for
the following anecdote OF Stevenson:
An American who visited the Stevensons
al Samoa relates that the Samoans have
a practice Of begging. They boldly ask
nh L.
may be found. The novelist became tire0
of this practice. and therefore said one
day 10 a Samoan friend who had acquir-
ed from him a necktie handkerchief and
some other trinket, Is there anything
else you want?'
The Samoan made hasty survey Of
the room.
There is the plano suggested Mr.
stevenson Ironically.
Yes" replied the native, II know
but" he added apologetically, Il don't
know how TO play it,
Apropos Of the announcement that
McGm University. Montreal has con-
ferred the degree OF Doctor OF Laws
upon Mr.. Rudyari Kipling the London
Academy drops into poetry TO the fol-
lowing effect:
why have you been so long. McGm?
Where were YOU when our friend was III?
It's surely wrong 10 wait until
He's well before you doctor him"
As a matter Of fact. remarks The Acad-
envy. Mr. Kiping Is particularly pleased
that this honor. the first degree he has
received but probably by no means the
last. should come % him, as he puts II in
his letter OF acceptance, from the elder
sister Of the new nations within the en-
pire"
Mr.. Jerome X. Jerome Is in Germany.
where he proposes 10 live for the ne-t
two years. His next book will relate the
Incidents OF a tour in the Black Forest
and the probable title will be Three
Men on a Bicycle
F. Austey. the author OF Vice Versa
has written a new book called Love
Among the Lions" Perhaps II is a Sc
quel TO "The Lady or the Tlger?'
Bret Harte. says an exchange, is liv-
ing comfortably In bachelor quarters I'm
the West End OF London, and is IAN IN
du.trlous and extremely painstaking writ
ar He never writes story unless ~
has AN order FOR Il. lie does not sub-rit
his manuscripts for inspection. Mr.
Usrte formed the habit several years ago
~ debating his stories tn a typewriter
hut he always employs one special opera
'or' l-4------