The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-01-18
LITERARY TOPICS.
Improvement at the Library Books
Worth Reading.

an etAi uAo L1ot wy VI OOko &c SUN W
ne poet"
He amt writ nothin', has he?" asked
the old lady, in alarm.
mo, he amt writ nothin' yet, but 1
notice he is dom less an less work every
lay, and doiu' it carelesser. Indiana
polls Press.
New gas fixtures have been put in the
reading room of the library, making it
very much pleasanter and more comfort
able 1t is really a pity that more of our
citizens do not avail themselves of the
rlvileges of the reference and reading
rooms. Remember they are open to all
and the latest periodicals and pictorials
are always at hand. The Critics Janu-
airy number celebrating its twentieth
anniversary is very attractive.
Falaise one of the recent books receiv-
ID at our library, by Anna Bourmon
DJdd, is kindly spoken of by the critics.
One says: The story opens quiety and
naturally with the authors drive i'll d
e'har-a bancs to Falais and the annual
air of which the account is most inter-
raining tul of amusing situations French
tricks. and graphic pen pictures The
tale of the town goes back to the birth.
ancestry aud rise of William the Con
queror The story is one that lies well
off the beaten road and takes the reader
'nt) a country whose charm is the
greater for being largely unknown.
"A new use for literature! 'cul-
tured' grocer gives away novels to pur-
thasers of his tea, and varies the gift ac-
co ding to the quantity requested" says
The Tribune.
One of the many backward looking
books, appro priately put forth at the
nd of the century, and summing up
what has been done in this and that di-
rection, is The Story of Nineteenth
| Century Science, mad-ssup of a series of
xellwritten and fully illustrated ar
ticles. Nothing better could be put into
h hands of the young. so far as fascipa-
! ing interest ann edu alive influence are
con c-rned. The final chapter, on Some
Un-olved Scientific Problems" is full of
ug 5est on.
Literary Friends and Acquaintance.
A personal Retrospect of American Au
thorship by w. D. Howells. These
memoirs have the literary attraction
and gracious touch of all Mr.. Howell s
autobiographic, though they tell the
story of the authors literary life.
The recollections collected in this vol
ume begin with his visit to Boston
and New York in 1860. The story of
these visits is too exquisite as it
stands in its natural simplicity to be
reproduced In any fragments or par
tial attempts at descrip ton. The en-
tire memoirs are frankly open to
american literary celebrities who are
made most delightfully."- at home in
them and shown up in portraits which
may speak flatteringly to some of
them of the days of youth and beau
ty, F" but at an age when it is difficult
for many of us to recall them.
A good story is told by a librarian
not so very far from Morristown. A
subscriber was recently looking over
some books and picked up one marked
Anonymous. In all seriousness he
turned to the librarian and asked if
that authors works were good and
said he didn't recall having read any
thing by him.
The library of Drew Theological
Seminary at Madison, now contains
VI, OH' NOAuiICS, anu CS3 ITO pain pLI6lS
Of these, 6,044 volumes and 4, 563
pamphlets have been added since June
l. The latest gift received is the Ii
brary of Bishop Foster the second
president of Drew.
Our librarians having been WORKING
on the card catalogues for some time
and the fiction list will be ready for
use as soon as the cases are purchased.
The work on the juvenile books is
well under way
Daughter Of Peter the Great" and
"Pupils of Peter the Great both by
r. N. Balm are two recent additions
on the library shelves.
Hanover is being benefited by
Madison's library for on Monday a
package of fifty books was received
at Mrs. George Cooks and are for
the use of citizens of Hanover who
wish TO avail themselves of the privi-
lege When these have been read
they Will be returned to Madison and
be replaced by fifty others.
A gentlemanly stranger once asked
the delivery clerk for "a genealogy. :"
What one?" she asked. Oh ! any, 5"
he said Well-Savage's?" No !;
Wnll6 u6u.
Poor Omar! Miss Carolyn Wells in
her frankly funny poems Idle Idyls
treats Khayyam very frivolously. The
lines ITO Omar Will hardly meet
with the approval of certain societies
which exist for the purpose of pro-
noting the worship of the Persian
poet. The great man is not taken
quite seriously here. but perhaps in
the right spirit. The first verse is as
Omar Khayyam, you're jolly old
Aryan,
Half sybaritic and semi barbarian,
Not bit mystic, but unitarian,
Fond of posy and fond of dream.
Symbollst, poet, and clear eyed philo-
sopher,
Had you wife l am sure you were
boss of her,
Yet you'd be ruled by the coquettish
toss of her
Garland crowned head at you,
Omar Khayyan.
For there is vanity
In your humanity,
Else your urbanity
We're but fam;
And the severity
or your auterity
Proves yo1r sincerity,
Omar Khayyam.
Among the many recent books deal
ing with Chinese matters are "The
Siege in Pekin, by DR.. W. A. p.
Martini The Chinaman as We See
Him, by Ira M. Condit, D. d. :;