The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-08


story. which is laid in Rome, begins when
Julius Caesar IL Just rising into power
and ends with his great victory and the
establishment OF his empire.
g g g
Our new colonists seem TO be wasting
no tire in learning the English language.
Witness the following letter. reprinted
here verbatim. from a gentleman of Ha-
vana TO a New York publisher:
"Sir X. x and Co-My respectable
Sir: I have one manuscript over Cuban
Prehistory,' he have 100 fourth OF paper
writing made for my; IL you please made
OF the book print stamp l for those ne
soon the dominion property of the book
IL YOU by she in the question give me one
price, l don't you forget that the business
is IL very good, l would some 100 book
print made in his house
direction streat in Havana
City. IS 5
We are led to believe that this writer
acquired his command over the language
by means of some such book as the IA
nous Portuguese grammar. The pub
Usher who received this gem might wen
have replied in the words OF that famous
ext-book, Don't you are ashamed TO give
me a" letter las like? = never l was
seen a so much bad piece of English.
-Lounger. in the April Critic.
% % %
w. T.. Alden, in his readable London let
ter to the New York Times Saturday Re-
view, writes with enthusiasm of THE
Treasure Seekers" as undoubtedly among
the best" OF the books of the latest Christ
mas season. He Gays OF its author Il.
Nesbit: Hitherto she has been known
chiefly as a poet, and she has written
good deal of verse that has true poetical
merit Some OF the stories In the present
volume have appeared in the Pail Mall
Magazine during the past year. and very
possibly have spoken of them. They are
charact erized By a delicious vein of deli
cate humor. Now and then the incidents
of some OF the stories verge a little too
closely on the incredible. but as a whole
the book Is one which ought to have
wide popularity"
The April number of The Critic has for
its frontispiece a portrait OF Nine Emma
Fames reproduced from n photograph by
E. w. Hsted. This is an accompaniment
TO an article on the opera season by Rich
ard Aldrich, which Is illustrated with por-
traits of Mines. Calve, Sembreh and
Nordica, and NJ. Alvarez. Mr.. Histeds
photograph are very much out of the
common. They are unquestionably works
OF art and they lend themselves to the
engraver's craft better than do most pho
tographs.
g q g
An article by Brander Matthews printed
in the April The International Monthly,
Il entitled The French Drama at the End
of the Century" but, in reality. the story
OF the drama in France Is given from the
first performance OF Hernandez for the
last three-quarters OF century. Doubt
less the traditions Of the French stage and
the rules observed by the French play
wright are not always understood by the
Anglo-S Saxon theater-goer. However In
acceptable their ethical code may seem
sometimes to us Anglo-Saxons. the French
are moralLsts to the marrow: and what
they seek on the stage Is a picture of
life-which is also a judgment" The in
PRODUCTION of Ibsen's plays to French the
alters has made deep impression. OF
"Cyrano de Bergerac" the author writes
1T was the last play of the nineteenth
century to achieve n triumph at once i'm
mediate and widespread. Yet there is no
dispute about the fact that IL stands
frankly outside the line along which the
French drama has been developing In the
past fifty years
In view OF the phenomenal vogue Of the
popular novel 1t is amusing TO be remind
ed by Prof. Francis 1T. Stoddard In his
book on THE Evolution of the English
Novel, (Macmillan) that the novel as q
literary form has fought its way against
prejudice and that It is hut a few years
since apologies for putting this or that
study of life into the form of a novel
have disappeared from the prefaces.
. 3. 3:
Prof James Hyslop, whose investiga-
lions of the phenomena OF spirit life have
recently aroused such general interest. con-
tributes to the April number OF Harpers
Magazine a most valuable paper on the
Results of Psychical Research" Prof.
Hyslop quotes Lord Brousham, DR.. Ro-
names and John Arlington Symonds in
support of his theories concerning the re-
turn OF the spirits OF the dead, and gives
many interesting details OF the expert
ments made by the society for psychical
research In which the celebrated Mrs.
Piper was the medium. In closing his
paper Prof Hyslop suggests that there
are more persons who IN reality have "a
complete belief in spiritlsiic appearances
that will willingly admit their beliefs in
the face OF public opinion why" he
asks '"s 81 so noble and respectable to
ask and ascertain whence man came and
50 suspicious and dIshonoralSe TO ask and
ascertain whittier he goes7' The question
is a difficult one to answer.
:. :. :.
The April number OF tho Impressionist
contains one Of L. Galllennes daintiest
essays bit or .deallstic speculation
called The Beautiful Nation" when
this author condescen3s to 10 al hs best
ne Is stlll az charming NJ he WAS In the
beginning 81 things In spite Of all the
morbid absurdities n which he INDUCES
himself between times.
Dodd Mead g. CO. announce for puhllcA-
ton during The year, Dlcas Malet's new
novel, The GateleSs Barrier" Lucas
Ma1es aa d yyslI knougu f. the non, a,