The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-24
gRa LITERARY oUTLooK
Omar Khayyam's schoolmate Famous
in Contemporary Fiction.
by HERBERT BREWsTER.1

Inc p0ylOoQ IllenQ OF omar hndyYsil1
Hassan- ben-Sabah, seems to be such an
the day are going to perpetuate his name
In Richard. Yea and Nay Maurice HeW-
lett introduced Hassan IS the Old Man of
Musse. mead OF the Order ot Hashashln
and Mr.. Meakin, in a more recent novel
The Assassns takes up the actions Of
characters. Hassan-ben-Sabah was the
founder of the Order of Hashish eaters
who terrorized western Asia in the 18th
/ century and at the time King Richard
made his crusade. Hassan was feared over
all Asia. His followers Won Paradise by
/ carrying out his death warrants and when
they returned from killing in accordance
with his demands they themselves were
put to death.
Hassan's earlier. record is to be found
in a testament left by Nizam al AIulk.
friends who entered into a compact that to
whomsoeVer fortune came he should share
passed and Nizam became a vizier. Both
his old friends found him out and the
place in the government, Omar, however,
would not accept title or office as his
corner under the shadow of your fortune,
to spread wide the advantages of science
ana 10 pray LOT your long me ana pros
perity.7 The Vizier relates that Omar was
really sincere IN rel using honQrS- tle most
ne would accept was a snaaIi yearly pen
sion Thus IT came amout that Omar lived
at Nalshapur' spuSieu IN winning knoWl-
edge of every kind, especially IN astron-
omy, wherein he attained to a very high
prominence. He obtained great proficiency
in science and the sultan shoWered faYorS
upon him"
Hassan, however. fell from grace. at
tempted to supplant his beenfactor and
was accordingly banished. He finally be-
came the head of the sIsmalians. who
seemed bound together for the purpose of
murder. Hassan seized the castle of Ala
NUT in the mountainous country south of
the Caspian sea and here it was that he
lived when Richard made his crusade. He
was known as the Old Man of the Noun
tains and it is stin a matter of dispute
derived
from hashish or from Hassan's name
A book of unusual timeliness is can
American at Oxford by John Corbin, for,
since the Rhodes requests of scholarships
country q new interest in this English
university Mr.. Corbin gives very good
tiles of Oxford and expresses the opinion
that only graduates of our own universe
ties should take advantage of the Rhodes
ScllJietfSi4lps- II seems That 14I 1SnoS1es
will was published on the day that the last
proofs Of Mr.. Corbins book went to the
printers. 50 Mr. Corbin was able TO make
some additional remarks in which he ex
presses his opposition to sending under
graduate students to oxford from TINS
country for the reason that they would
thus lose the opportunity OF forming lie
long friendships among thelf own country
men and would not be able to assimliate
our national spirit. Mr. Corbin has given
GOOD picture Of student lie Whicn IS as
different from that of the university OF
college in this country as one may mag
inc. The American who goes there is first
confronted with the fact that the univer-
sity is nothing more than a vague gen
eral unity of several scattered colleges.
The university is supposed to examine
the men who are trained in the separate
colleges The student will be able TO see
little of the American style of study. the
me most iTnnorfance The oxford man
goes TO chapel first thing in the morning,
then he goes to breakfast with some other
student. After breakfast he smokes and
talks until perhaps. at ten, he has to 60
to lecture. Luncheon, in the middle OF
the day. is followed by out of door eX-
ercises and sports, and at o'clock. the
student IS BACK at ms room ready Tor al
ternOon tea. Two hours of reading are
likely to follow this refreshment. At
the men dine together in the hall. after
which some go to their rooms to read,
while the most OF them play cards ana
smoke until it is time to 50 to bed OK
ford requires a man to reside within its
gates q certain length of time before ne
can graduate, but, as to when, now ana
where he studies it leaves to his own
choice As matter Of fact. most Oxford
men do their hardest studying and reading
during their vacations.
and Mr.. Paul. scarce ceased its serial
appearance before the book was on sale
valuation can be placed upon the fur
ther adventures of Chimmie. He is the
same Chames, even though five years
ance and he has the same dialect which
is easy to read and quickly understood.
be seen throughout the course of the
love story which runs through the en-
tire book. The following are samples of
his way of looking at things;
Listen: De best ting about living out
of New York is dat YOU have New York
to come to. If it wasn't for dat I'd give
up me job wit Whiskers and go to woik
for lying-se1 evening pOlpers to
Brooklyn gents to put EN- to- sleep in de
chimmie quotes Mr.. Paul on house
~ Man SAYS Mr. Paul. not to men
specific gravity. builds comfortable
homes where he can live in quiet and
seclusion, and den shuts en- up. or else
fills en- wit odder fools 70 destroy ms
quiet. and put him in training for de
hereafter-if de noise comes to de woist;
We boast Chimmle, OF our mental
sauces but all de same he says, dere
are but few of US able to entertain our
selves if run upon our own sauces OF
de banjo. or do any of de odder highly
inteilecftal stunts dat Distinguishes us
from fiat or cave dWellers we preLends
It is an for our own Improvement Nay.
nayi' saws he. Not a bit like IT, we
gets our dividends on such Investments
only when our friends praise our table.
let as gadder at de house party; not to
be entertained by our friend accom-
to Justify him IN his own eyes Tor &c
Doodle he has cleaned buying tlngs he en-
joys only when he shows en- on
Before going abroad this spring Kate
Douglas Wiggin completed her worn
on the proofs Of her Diary. Of Goose
Of collaboration with her sister on q
kindergarten work. The Goose Girl
relates the adventures of pretty
American girl who ran away from her
friends and a too ardent sutton She ex-
plains her action by saving that she is
very tired Of people and wants to rest her
self by living q while with things. She
becomes a paying guest at a goose farm
and becomes interested in helping take
care of the geese
Last Thoughts from Herbert Spencer
is the title of a book from the pen of the
distinguished scientist which. it IS an
nCuneed viii be his last During tls5
wears spent in writing various systematic
works he says in the preface, there have
from time to time arisen ideas not fitted