The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-03-25

BOOKS AND WRITER'S.
\ new book hy James Lane Allen is
soon to be published by the Macmillan
| Company. 1t is To be entitled The
| Reign of Law: \ Story OF the Kentucky
! Hemp Fields
In London the forthcoming biography
Of the duchess of Teck is being awaited
with some interest. Ii is thought that
| portions Of it will afford rare glimpses
| of English history and it is also said
| thar the list OF celebrities mentioned is
endless and the pictures of court life
! exhaustive.
/ Ouidas new novel The Waters of
| Edera," deals with agrarian troubles in
! modern Italy. DIR. William Barry
| forthcoming romance. Arden Massiter."
! has also relations with Italy. rs it tells
| the story of a great Italian house in its
! last days.
| Justin Mccarthy has not been well this
| past winter, but i'll spite of this fact
| he has been working steadily ON the
| completion OF his History of the -Four
Georges" The first two volumes APP
peared many vars ago and the last two
are promised by Mr.. Mccarthy some
! time during TINS year.
During the year 1890 the sale of old
books was satisfactory, more than $780,
COO having changed hands in the London
salesrooms alone. and the average sum
! obtained per entry being about SO IL
book greater than it has ever been be-
fore. Book collecting, it is said. is get
ting down into three wcll-deflined cham
nels: (DNWorks Of the poets and dram
| atists of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries; 90 examples of early printing,
and go first editions of modern
authors. The Kelmscott books are hard
~ keeping up. but Chaucer is still rising
The first edition of ''Waverley" has been
sold at $3.50, and the edition of the
Bronte poems. with the imprint of Aylott
and Jones. has gone to $40.
Robert Barr. the tale writer. is a
Canadian by birth, but he nevertheless
thinks nothing much of Canada as an
| encourager Of literature. He has been
examining statistical year book and is
! moved by this exercise to say: II find
that in those years Canada transformed
something like 100.00O.O00 bushels of
good wheat into spirituous liquor, but her
production of books during the same time
seems to have been so intinitesimal that
mention the output. 1t will he seen by
these statements that it is not the lack
of money that makes Canada about the
poorest book market in the world outside
Of Senegambia The bald truth is that
Canada has the money but would rather
spend it on anything else than OH books"
THE STATES BEST CRITIC.
a hox " in, Il,
published extracts from the literary de-
edited by DR. T. r. Kingsbuly. the
Gamalicl of North Carolina journalism.
In late number Of the MorgantOn
Herald, the gifted editor OF that paper
PAID DR.. Kingsbury the highest tribute
in these words
If he lived in Boston instead %
North Carolina his name would be in the
school books used by North Carolina
children.
AS it is, they do not know the States
best critic, reviewer. and all round man
of letters.
He loves the old things better than
the new. as is natural to his years. but
we think. as based on second reason.
too. To him the politics of Macon and
Badger SURPRISES in purity our present
alignment as the Vicar of Wakefield
overtopS the work Of Oulda
He is devoted to Shakespeare and
Scott. Before his vision ever fits the
wonderful Kaleidoscope panorama of
the great pan-Anglcan king. while in
his ears the burgG later 6. g. 6. 6
his ears the EUgles Of the Glen Allan
yeomanry sound as thrillingIy as in
those of the old earl himself
He loves Dickens. and the beach Of
fers to him Stearforth Lying with his
head upon his arm as he used to lie at
school, while Defarge knits beneath the
gallows, which SjdGey mounts to take
the place OF No. %.
He loves to the uttermost our own IA |
yorite Thackeray. loveable to all South
ern men. and upon his sanctum floor he
can conjure mp the broken fragments of
ESm0ndS blade after he has denied the |
perjured pretender.
He has vindic3ted the great claim of |
Poe to first place among is-Atlantie |
poets. as he has vindicated Pettigrew's |
right to first place at Gettysburg, and |
with the SANE enthusiasm and accuracy |
of proof
john Rllskin was fearless critic |
and made many enemies by his radical |
views, says the Indianapolis News |
He never considered the man or the |
friend in his criticisms. 1t was the work |
itself that concerned him. He once |
criticised. in his fearless way. the work |
of well-known painter, who was much |
grieved at the effect On hearing Of the |
sorrow he had caused he wrote to the
artist that he regretted he could not
speak more tavorably of the picture,
but hoped II would make mo difference
IN their friendship. 1t Is said the artist
wrote in reply: Dear Ruskin-Next
time | meet you | shall knock you down.
but / hope it will make no difference in
our friendship
\ POST GRADUATE SCHOOL or WRITING
tNew York SUM
At a meeting Of school superintendent in chi.
cagO Mr.. Walter II. Page, Of this town, formerly
editor Of the Atlantic Monthly. spoke of The