New-York tribune., 1900-05-28
LITERARY NOTES.

Mr. George Bernard Shaw. the author of
Arms and the Man. is said to be writing "a
very daring" play the subject Of don Juan"
Mr.. Shaw declares that the critics do not in the
least understand what he is driving at They
look at from quite different point of view
to what do. They go the old conventions of
right and wrong, crime and punishment,
geance for the offender, reward for the good.
They ask for what they call clearly marked
characters. They want an innocent heroine. not
realizing that when they put such a character
the stage she has to be wholly uninteresting,
saying little, and acting like a stock figure.
They want wholly bad villain. 1 ignore all
their conventions 1 regard a specimen
be studied, the would study any
other member of the animal kingdom. He inter
ests and l study him. My plays repre-
sent my studies. But reward and punish
mentr-
Mark Twain proposes to return to this coun-
try next month. He IS revising his recent
essays, sketches and stories and will publish
them in one volume. not in two volumes. he
had at first arranged
The list of novels forthcoming in the autumn
includes Miss Mary E. Wilkins's romance Of the
seventeenth century. THE Hearts Highway
and Mr.. Eden Phillpott's book Sons of the
Morning.
Material not previously published will be
found in the biographical notes which are to
accompany the new edition of the scnnets OF
Sir Philip Sidney. These notes in course of
preparation by Mr.. Philip Sidney representa-
tive of the family.
The story knights in Fustian," which has
just been published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co.
is the work of a young Indianian whose name is
not Caroline Brown" though that cognomen
appears the title page of her novel. She is
one of a family of literary and scientific tastes,
and has been a teacher.
Among the many parts" says the new Lon
don paper, The Daily Express which Mr..
Rudyard Kipling has played during his eventful
1t is not generally known that once at
least he successfully figured preacher 1t
happened thuswise: On board the Empress
liner on which he chanced to be crossing the
Pacific a quartermaster died. leaving a widow
and large family. The following evening there
appeared the notice board, half way down
the entertainment programme. this brief in
timaton 9 p. m.-Sermon by Layman.' The
saloon was crowded with curious folk at the ap-
pointed time, and Mr. Kiping from the front of
improvised platform. proceeded to preach
begging sermon. of some fifteen minutes length.
The appeal addressed to his hearers sense of
justice rather than to their charitable impulses.
a foreshadowing of the later homily whose re-
frain is Pass the hat for your credits sake
The result gratifying. From congregation
numbering fewer than two hundred the sum of
so odd raised-a practical proof of elo-
quence that many professional pulpit orators
might sigh for in vain"
Mrs. St Leger Observation-Disclosures Lucas
Malet-is finishing a long and important novel.
upon which she has been working at intervals
for the last ten years. Her other (and shorter)
new novel The Gateless Barrier" will soon
appear in print.
The novel which Mr.. Frederick Wedmore has
fust published contains a sentence personal in
character which lapse in taste. The
heroine's husband speaks: Il have read" says
Mr. Vasey Freddy Wedmores little Life of
Balzac'" Why in a work of art. II is asked,
this obtrusive personal note?
One of the social diversions recently organized
at Bloemfontein to offset the military preoccu-
pations of everybody within the limits OF the
town was variety entertainment arranged by
the war correspondents with Lord Roberts.
Two Of the war artists, Mr.. Melton Prior and
Mr.. Wool, drew lightning cartoons OF conspicu
TheSe inn late