New-York tribune., 1901-10-27
Gbc Nem'llork gribm,1s.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER -, 1901.
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.

W MltH new mover lining from tlle press every
twenty four hours-to put Il moderate estimate
upon the production of this form of literature
it is 10 wonder that authors and publishers
alike are in despair the difficulty of NAM
ing their books. Their predcamcnt excites
sympathy. but the solutions they offer often
excite discomfort. They can, after all, the
name of either the hero or the heroine. This
may he hopelesSly conventional, but at least it
is better than giving a book some high sound
ing title the appoSitcness Of which no human
creature of ordinary intelligence could possibly
hope To divine. Still. the practice of inventin9
these Irrelevant legends goes on at Il merry pace.
We observe, however. that the good novels are
usually well named; in other words that the
author with brains contrives somehow or other
10 chriSten his book in legitimate fashion.
There ideas in his book; therefore the title
of it almost invents itself The trouble with
the little author is not that he often
plaintvely remarks ''the good titles are all
exhausted" 1t is rather that he fills his pages
with stuff for which, perhaps, no plausible and
agreeable title could be devised.
In calling attention TO the manner in which
the barriers of language between nations are
being surmounted in the world of literature. 4
contributor to The Dial" incidentally provokes
reflection on the ambiguous fruits of that new
diSpenSlion TO which he refers. 1t is true that
every author has n wider audience today than
every author enjoyed a century ago. 1t would
be foolish TO regret the change. Yet ii is i'm
possible not TO regret some of the developments
which have accompanied il. zone has only to
mention the names Of Bjornscn Ibsen, TOlstoy,
Sienkiewicz IIauptmann, Sudcrmann, Maeter
Iinck and lola says the contributor aforesaid,
ito make it clear that contemporary literature
in its higher ranges and when occupied with
large ideas, knows no barriers of race and
speech. and has the whole world for its read
ers' Yes. and has only 10 mention some
of these very names. adding those of Maupas
SAINT, Nerlaine. NietZche, D'Annunzio and divers
others, to make it clear that contemporary lit
erature. in It's lower ranges and when occupied
with small and even ignoble ideas. knows un-
fortunately. no barriers of and speech, and
can corrupt Il whole world of readers. No one
in his senses could advocate the rehabilitation
of old insuarities. We must rejoice in the lit
crary reciprocity which is one of the phenomena
of our time, and look forward, as The DIAL
does. to an increase during the present century
in the number of world WRITER'S as that jour
nal rather infelicitously dubs them. But we
pray also for the growth of a more rational
attitude the part OF English and American
readers toward the European authors whose
appearance upon their horizon often seems TO
be due more TO commercial enterprise than to
critical diScernment.
The new life Of Tennyson which Mr. Lang
has written for popular series is introduced
with some remarks that should bring joy to the
lover of the poet. "The works of the 'localZers'
l have not read he declares. The professed
commentators l have not consulted l
have not dwet on parallels to be found in the
works of earlier poets. After all. what
we must live by is. Lot his opinions, but his
poetry. The poetry of Milton survives his ideas;
whatever may be the fate of the ideas of Ten
nyson his poetry must endure" How obvious
it all is, But how hard it is to get this very
simple scheme of pOetica study accepted. The
'profesScd commentator is one of the most
familiar figures in modern book making, so
familiar that his aniithesiS, the editor who does
his best to edit his classic as little possible
is heralded with flourish of trumpets by those
publishers who have the foresight TO employ
him, as though he were natural marvel. In
fact glad to perceive Il reaction against
the craze for notes ad ninium Mr. Lang
is one of group that is slowly but steadily
increasing in magnitude. Even that sturdy
annotator. Mr.. w. f. Henley, has realized that
the poem is the thing not the gloss upon it, and
ing out under his auspices is to bear compara