Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-27

| Mr.. HOwellS tells US TN The North
American Review'O that the late Frank
Norris believed himself to be pecu-
Iliarly qualified for writing his Wheat
Trilogy by the accidents Of his life.
For he was born in Chicago, and had
lived there till ne was fifteen years old;
then he had gone to California, and
| had grown up into the knowledge of
the scene and action which he has por-
trayed so powerfully. Later he had ac-
auainted himself with Europe by long
soiourn. And so he argued, with an
enthusiasm tempered by a fine sense of
his moral and artistic responsibility,
that he had within himself the means
of realizing the whole fact to the read
er's imagination. He was aware that
such a plan could be carried out only
| by years of ardent and patient study,
and he expected to dedicate the best
part of his strong young life to it."
Mentioning Mr.. Norris's earlier book,
| "McTeague," Mr.. Howells says that the
author thought at first of calling it
1.-The Golden TOoth'-whiche would
have been, no doubt, better name
| than the one finally selected.
Harper & Brothers have sold over
IS, 200 copies of that famous manual of
physical training, How to Get Strong.
The book was written in the early FO's
by a Harvard graduate, William
Blake, who in 1868 walked from Bos-
ton to New York, a distance of 225
miles, in four days and a half. For
ten years this remained the amateur
walking record for a long-distance,
out Of doors tour. Mr.. Blake wrote
his book from the results of his Har-
ward training, backed up by his own
observation and experience, and for
years it has been revised to date and
kept in the foremost rank as an au-
thority on exercise. Mr.. Blake is a
lawyer residing in New York City. In
1899 President Roosevelt wrote Mr.
Blaikie, Il owe. a great deal to your
writings. for they have been among
the causes that made me realize the
Importance of proper bodily develop
ment."
A particularly fine edition of Mr..
Kruger's memoirs has been prepared
| in London at the price of $50 a copy.
The edition is one of only fifty copies,
te.SI OClilS1 HuIlDCTCu, pIIiItCu VII ia
pan paper and bound in vellum.
Mrs. Pearl Mary Teresa Craigie, 9TH
erwise John Oliver Hobbes," has in
hand new novel, which is promised
for the autumn of next year. She is
also engaged upon dramatic work; and
it is possible that she may write about
the great durbar at Delhi, which she
is on her way to attend. She returns
to England about the middle Of Febru-
airy. ta-- a. -..
Bangor News: Here in Eastern
Maine most of US have already blocked
out course of winter reading, and are
now following up the thoughts of the
best minds the world has ever pro-
duced. While it may seem smart to
be able to say that we, have read ali
the latest books as fast as they have
been printed, it is still safer to hang to
| many of our old favorites. There is
no history of England like Humes,
none of later Rome that can begin to
compare with Gibbon, none of the
United States better than Bancroft,
and there never will be of the coun-
tries with which they deal any shis-
| tories that can touch Prescott's. OF
novels. Walter SCOTS, and the elder
Dumas's stall lead the. world. Among
| poetry there never was and never will
| be but one Shakespeare. For style the
| prose of Addison and Steel, as it came
out in the Spectator, is still the very
acme of excellence, and when one
wishes FOR change, he cannot go far
away from right by reading Ruskin,
| Macaulay and Washington Irving. In
spite of many brilliant writer's in mod
| ern times. the standards of real litera-
ture must still be found among the
men who lived and wrote a half CEN
fury ago. Best of all for crisp and
expressive English. among the best for
poetic imagery and good in every way,
is the very excellent version of the
Bible. which was translated by author
ity of King James 1. Outside of it's
inspiration, beyond its moral teachings
lies the undisputed fact that the best
English of any time, the sweetest and
juciest and most meaty words in our
beloved language are found in the
King James version of the family BIZ
BILE. -l--+.
The Macmillan Company announces
that 10000 copies of ''The Virginian'
have been sold within the past three