The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-07-10
Literary Notes..
GOSSIP .NBOUT AUTHORS.

lock 10 good purpose during his re-
cent trip TO South Africa and has
recorded his Impressions OF the coun
try i'm 4 series OF articles. Above "A.
things ne is an on-t he-Spot journal
ist, ~ well a. poet and story writer
Some ,rme ago he kindly suggested
to me 10 do series OF articles OF
the natN. thinking that il WAS 4 sub
ject which would interest every one.
" all my knowledge Of the navy WAS
limited 10 ship dances, | felt thai
had better let the nay. alone. 80
kiplng did the articles himself. With
the result that the world was the
richer by The Fleet in Being.
Another favorite subject Of Kip
longs was the possibilities OF what
might happen TO 4 man in Lon
don fog The idea also struck Robert
Barr forcibly. and when | was lunch
in" with him one day he got 50 car
ried away by it rs to plan story
J in which a highly respectable man
who hated another highly respecta-
bile man was to walk up behind No.
i'm the fog and percolate him with
a bowie knife. Then the ghost Of the
murdered man Was to dog the other
! in the fog and make him unkind to
! hisself | don't know whether the
! story was ever written. Barr proba-
/ bly, forgot all about it.
| Il had the privilege of intimate fel-
i lowship with Robert Barr at one
/ time. e.. he was the stately editor
! and | was the meek and lOWly sub.
When he was feeling just right he
would tell me dozens OF plots for sto-
ries and promptly forget all about
them. | always jotted them down
4. tI,I, To 1 n
as original If YOU don't mind |
think ! could make something out Of
that he would say. You're & Won
derful chap for plots. Then, Of
course. | owned up and gave him his
property. There was one story about
a man who peTsonated an African eN-
plOrer and got on swmfnlnglN until
he met the real Simon Pure'S sweet
heart. That seemed to Us both full OF
dramatic possibilities. but fancy
that it is still unWritten.
x--Andrew Lang is ust as fertile il
the subject Of plots as Robert Barr
He once wrote paper for the ldler
presenting young authors with a
least dizen plots for stories. There
is nothing 50 delightful as the idea
: for new story Where the drudgery
comes in is the elaboration Of detail
and careful balancing Of sentences
the knowing what to insert and what
to leave the cabinet making ant
ioinery. in short Inspiration is al
ver,- Well. but sometimes It lsn
strictly grammatical.
..The mistakes Of the American Whc
sent an invitation TO the Spanish am
bassador to dinner III honor OF 1hf
taking of Manila was paralieled few
.,,.l ont 70 ~
Pam. the English humorist. to remin'
him to come to a dinner given by HIM
: self. He wrote back to say that hs
: would have great pleasure in attend
; ing the dinner. as he knew Of no au
thor whose literary career he had FOL
| lowed with more real interest.
TION OF DAVID COhS0N,
Before a mountain. beside the sea
beneath the stars. and in the pres
ence Of Il virtuousr woman, emotions
OF wonder and reverence possess IL
! souls of men,
"Thev laughed awhile over th'
price. struck Il bargain and shool
> hands. the same symbol being uSet
! among men to seal Il compact OF lOV
or hate. virtue or wee.
TO every man language is kint
of fossil poetry, until eNperchc
makes those dry bones live. Word
:. are mere faded metaphors. presse'
like dry flowers in old and musty vol
umes. until blow upon our hears.
pang in cur hearts. Il strain on on
nerves. the whisper OF L maid, IL
voice Of n little child. turns them int
living blossoms Of odorou1 beauty
He is a poor seNtOn-th!s cid man
the Past | have watched him IT n
work. and he is powerless TO dig -
4 own grave. however many others I
mag have eNcaVated
u The remembrance Of feastS one
e eaten is not only no solace 70 phys
n cal hunger. but adds unmitigated tor
q ment to it. 1t is different With III
i hunger Of the heart. which finds
: melancholy alienation in feeding
upon those shadows which realit
/ has left"
: ...After all. experience is the onl
E exhaustive dictionary. and the denim
T tiOnS it contains are the only one
: which really burn themselves into T.
6 mind or fully interpret he signlfl
q canoe of life.
e The June Century will have som
Ct political bearings. including III es~a,
II on Reformers by Governor Roosevelt
Hamiltons 5 estimate Of Burr, as show
in unpublished documents. ana &c
companied by new portraits ot n
J. two antagonists: The Business Ma
and the Consular Service. by iarf-
A. Garfield and the Organ OF n
. Lincoln Rail" as told to j. NcCan l)a
: Wis by Governor Oglesby. Three shor
, stories deal variOuSly with phases Q
j. political life: The Mouse. by neN
writer. the scene being in NashlnGto
: official life: "Conlon. novel chal
r acter sketch Of neeier's devotion !
his boss. and The Stalned~Glass Pt
ltical PLATFORM. a Satirical sketch 7
a which current events are likely 10 Al
t. trac special attention.