The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-09
LITERARY NOTES.

Here Is one of the asides in Augustine
Birrelrs new book, Essays and Ad-
dresses" whose like gave origin to the verb
ito birrell:' 'Historiansi their name Is
Perfidy! unless they have good styles they
are so hard to read, and If they have good
styles they are so apt to he.'
The New York Tribune notes that the de-
mand for Fenimore Cooper's novels appears
to be continuous in England. New editions
of some or of all the books appear at snort
intervals, and it is not impropaple' II
thinks, that Cooper is more keenly anu
Justly appreciated in the mother country
than in his own not too grateful land.
According to London Truth, Dickens did
not begin to save money until he was near
ly forty, and throughout life he suffered
acutely and necessarily from ~pecuniary
worries and anxieties. He was never snort
of ready money after his great crisis OF IS44'
but he was never easy ABOUT the future
until after his enormously profitable sec
ond American trip in the winter or lS6f-6S.
Mr.. Zangwin, in answer to the question
whether he considered the inclusion OF
imaginative literature in the scope Of the
British Academy would serve any useful
purpose, writes: "Your question seems TO
assume that some useful purpose Will be
served by the Academy without magma,
ton TO which you draw my attention., ana
is, therefore, unanswerable.'
Sir Walter Besant's autobiography,
shortly to be published, will. it is said, con-
tain no extracts from diaries, no private
letters and few personal references. On
the other hand, the novelist gives a 1ull
account of his childhood and youth, and de-
scribes the influences that made bin a nov
elist and antiquarian. He also refers TO his
religious convictions, and sketches what he
regarded as a necessary equipment Tor a
literary career.
This, concerning the proper handling of a
book, has often been published, but will
do to repeat: Hold the book with it's back
on a smooth or covered table; let the front
board down, then the other, holding the
leaves in one hand while you open a few
leaves at the back, then a few at the front,
and so on, alternately opening back and
front, gently pressing upon the sections
till you reach the center of the volume.
Do this two or three times and you viii
obtain the best results. Open the volume
violently or careleSsly in any one place and
you will likely break the back and cause
a start in the leaves. Never force the back
of the book"
If no man is a hero to his valet, he may
at least be appreciated at his true worth
by his housemaid. Cornhin Magazine has
been talking with Mrs. Broadfoot, who once
acted in the capacity of maid in the house
hold of Thomas Carlyle, and asked that
parsonage about her masters temper. She
ell d OllltICll - AAOAh " NAC- 80
Guiding Jane, who have testified on the sub
ject, being thus quoted: Il could have lived
with him all my days, and IL always makes
me angry when l read, as l sometimes do,
that he was bad tempered and 'gey i'll 10
get on with He was the very reverse, in
my opinion. / never would have left him
when 1 did had 1 not been going to get mar
ried."
Taine's correspondence is soon to be pub
lished, in Paris, In three volumes, under
the supervision of the historians widow.
1t deals rather with views and ideas than
with the facts concerning Taine's life. Taine
is principally remembered by the general
English reader on account of his Historic
de la Literature Anglaise," which, first
appearing in 1864 and later in an English
version, aroused such a clerical storm in
France that IL cost the author the Acad-
envy prize@,OOO francs. This work is hardly
justified by its title, although 1t is, possibly
the best done by a foreigner on the subject
His volumes of correspondence have not
vet secured an English publisher.