The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-03

romantic age His is a freer and warmer
spirit than Wordsworth's. nor does he lack
that deep. philosophical conception Of the
holding influences OF natural environment
on the unreasonable souls Of the young
which distinguished the English poet The
ideal Christopher may. indeed, be taken as
the type Of ideal Wordsworthian boyhood.
Here we have him ere those ''coarser pleas
ures" referred 10 in Tintern Abbey have
fairly run their course but not before the
soul OF the awakening man, with all it's
"intimations Of immortality" has begun 10
trouble itself with the deeper significance
OF its own senses and perceptions. Upon
the hunting enthusiasm of Christopher OBJ
truded those rarer movements of spiritual
excitement glimpses of which we get in
those passages where 1.-The Young Kit" was
lost upon the moors, where alone in the
night ne took his first wild swan above all
in the noble passage constituting COM
plete episode by itself. in which is given a
record Of the boyhood friendship with
Emilius Godfrey.
SAINTSBURY'S GREAT WORK.
Professor Saintsbury has undertaken a
most colossal task in 1.-The History of
Criticism" now being brought out in both
England and America, the first volume
having already appeared. Perhaps
should not say that he has undertaken
this task. for doubtless his work has al
ready been completed, moreover he be-
gan his labor Of writing on this great
critical work almost thirty years ago. It
is unfortunate that such an authority as
Professor Saintsbury should not be able
TO present his message TO the world in a
style more easily read. Those who are
naturally inclined towards matters scholar
ly will doubtless persist in reading this
work fast as the volumes appear and
such persistence will be amply rewarded,
for no one will doubt that this is the great
est complete history OF criticism which has
ever been published. The first volume COW
ers Greek, Latin and Medieval criticism.
The second continues up to the end OF
eighteenth Classicism, and the third will
cover the general subject of Modern criti-
cism. The learned professor takes occa-
sion in his first preface TO call attention 10
his classical fitness for his self-imposed
task. He informs US that he learned Latin
and Greek for twelve or fifteen years.
taught them for eight more and read them
for nearly another five and twenty, a suffi-
Client excuse, as he explains, for his max
ing his own translations instead OF using
cribs
The tearing down the other day Of the
old-fashioned residence of a Brooklyn man
who recently died revealed curious fact
Among his friends and acquaintance this
man was regarded as a gentleman of con-
siderable culture and a great lover of
books. He was very wealthy, and had, so
his friends thought, gathered together a
very fine library. Conspicuous among his
books were many complete editions, re-
splendent in leather and morocco bindings
ranged in long rows behind glass covers
along the walls of the library. Imagine the
surprise which followed the dismantling of
the place when whole rows and cases of
these complete editions were found to be
made UP of wooden dummies so skillfully
painted and labeled that the deception could
not be detected behind the glass OF course,
the owner had always been very careful of
his books and kept these dummies tightly
locked In their cases.
VIII n. Harden has not succeeded in
producing convincing story in THE
Woman Who Trusted though he has
written a book which carries the reader
along easily and which gives him a GER
tain melodramatic pleasure in reading
There is something out of the ordinary
about the book. 1t concerns itself chiefly
with New York publishers and the strug-
gle for successful authorship in the me-
tropolis. 1t is just this large part of the
story however, that fails to convince those
who are at all familiar with New York pub
fishing or writing interests. Mr.. Harden is
more at home in his Georgia sketches than
he is in his presentation of the semi
literary-artistic Bohemia of New York,
which he has attempted to weave into an
otherwise fairly attractive love story.
An Englishman is responsible for the fol-
lowing sentiment:
ITO write a book is an easy task; it re-
quires only pen and ink and some patient
paper. To print a book is slightly more
difficult, because genius often expresses
itself in illegible manuscript. To read a
book is still more difficult, as one must
struggle against sleep. But the most diff
ficult task that any one may attempt is to
sell book
HERBERT BREWSTER