New-York tribune., 1900-04-22

Good literature and uncommony good illus |
tratiOns have not sutiiced to make me IdIl |
Mall Magazine" pay in England and 1t is now
in the market. The end of 1t Will propapIy pe
the lowering at once of its literary stanoarps
and its price under new management ne
American edition was discontinued Some lline
ago
Nine. Sarah Grand has nearly finished her new
novel 1t bears the title of "Babs the Imposs1-
BILE" This is the book which it was at hrst
intended should be called "Petticoats."
RepIyins to the charge that literature is de-
graded by attention to the business slue Or
Walter Resant says: so what does not degrade
the clergyman, the painter, the sculptor the
architect, the physician, the lawyer the ac1Or'
does degrade the author. In the words OF Ut:
Johnson What skimble skamble stutt IS thls!
II rests upon a confusion of ideas between COM
merca value and literary value Inc Two are
distinCt-they are separate they are incom-
measurable. We cannot estimate the literary
value of a work by any standard OF money; we
cannot estimate the commercial value OF a work
by any literary standard. We ought TO be aple
to do both; perfected humanity VIII be aDle
to do both-at present we cannot. Some worth
less books circulate largely; some eXGeleHt
books hardly circulate at all" The trouble Is
that authors too often expect thef c0inieIclaIls
successful books to be rated as hlgh literature
Are we to call author great, says Sir
Walter elsewhere, because his works circulate
by the hundred thousand? In that case, not 10
sneak of English writers, Mr. Charles Sheldon
is the greatest of living authors Also for three
fourths of his life Robert Browning was the
smallest of his contemporaries.
The late ST George Mivart's forthcoming
novel Castle and Manor is not entirely new
to English readers, at least 1t appeared
anonymously some years ago uhuer the tlie ol
Henry Standon.'
A very rare set of the United Service Chron-
jcler was sold at auction in London the other
day for $143 This set comprises forty-tWe
numbers and contains every number to which
Mr. Kipng contributed, both while at the school
,,.JotiNv in adj M
bers containing interesting matter relating TO
him. There in all about forty contributions
in prose and verse by Mr.. Kiplng, very few of
which have been reprinted The value of this
Kipling item would seem to be on the decline,
for in July last a collection or only nineteen
numbers realized $500.
New editions of Mr.. George Bernard Shaw's
earlier works are to be brousht out in this coGn,
try by II. s. Stone & Co, VINO will begin with
Love Among the Artists.
Thorneycroft Fowler's new novel is said to be
found in these lines prefxed TO the story:
THE world is weary of new tracts of thought
That lead to nought-
Sick of QuaCk remedies prescribed in vain
For mortal pain;
Yet still above them all one Figure stands
With Outstretched hands"
In referring to the Methodist life in the Eng
Hsh BLACK Country" which she treats of in this
book. the author says 7 admit it is difficult
to appreciate at its real worth the religion of a
woman | knew. who, when asked whether she
had been successful in making her pork pies.
replied, I've done my best with them, and II
only the Lord be with them in the oven they
be the best batch of pies this side of Jordan. y
The CoWper centenary has ELECTED many arti-
cles on the poet, and also a statement that Mr.
Wright. of Olney, has hundreds of Cowper's
original letters which show how grieVOuSy his
editors cut them before printing.
The Partisan correspondent of The Author"
says that for some months he was mystifed by
hearing the phrase "le cher Roodyard' repeated
with parrOtike p6rSiStency in various literary
salons At last it daWned upon him that lie
cher Rocdyard" meant Rudyard Kipling, trans
lations of whose books are being eagerly read in
France.
1t is stated by the way, that for his forthcom-
ing novel Of life in India Mr.. Kipling is receiving