The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-15

without much exertion, Ii has apparently
been difficult to secure a fitting tribute
to Richard Blackmore. And yet beside
Blackmore's best work, Lorna Doone"
and THE Maid of Sker," there is not
novel of Blacks worth mention!
The other day somebody asked Mr.. H. G.
Wells. author of THE War of the Worlds"
which of all his books he considered the
best. After some hesitation he replied 81
really do not know which is my best book
My biggest thing. my most intimate thing
my first ne-of-battleship is 'Anticipa-
tons. He added that he liked THE War
of the Worlds" because of the destruction
there was in it, and said that he considered
his novel, THE Invisible Mana signifi-
cant piece Of story-writing.
Mr.. Francis w. Halsey, whose retire
ment from the editorship of the New York
Times Saturday Book Review is an
nounced has been for twenty-five years a
member of the staff Of the Times, a writer
of reviews Of books from 1880 to 1891, and
from that time in charge OF the book de-
partment until the establishment. in Oc-
tober, 1896, OF the Saturday Review of
Books, OF which he became the editor.
His qualification for literary criticism and
the supervision thereof Is attested by his
work, with which the readers of the Times
are familiar.
According to Joaquin Miller, Bret Harte
was always disguised with his Heather
Chinee" glory. and frequently begged his
friends never to mention it. Once Miller
and Harte went 10 breakfast with Lord
Houghton in London, and on the way Harte
asked if the guests would be likely to quote
from that awful poem. This prompted MIL
Ter to tip Lord Houghton wink, and the
jolly old nobleman gave the tip TO a lot of
good fellows at his table, and they all
talked nothing else. However, Harte soon
GO w 10
trayed his impotence on the subject.
Out of 1,O4 manuscripts submitted to
the Good Words in competition for the
cash prizes of 1915, offered by it for the
three best coronation odes, the American
continent contributes 156. of which Can
ada's quota is ninety-one. The remaining
sixty-fve are divided between the United
States and the British West Indies. Some
idea of the extent to which the English
speaking people are scattered about the
globe may be gathered from the distribu-
ton by continents of the competing poets
Europe furnishes $50 of them, Australia
1S2, Asia 40 and Africa IL. From the Lee
ward isles come quite two dozen manu-
scripts.
A London paper says: with the excep-
ton of a short story or two. Mr. Israel
Zangwil has published nothing for some
considerable time, and there is little pros
pect OF a new novel from his pen for some
while anyhow. The fact is that Mr.. Gang
will has been engrossed in the new gospel of
Zionism, which has also, by the way.
strongly interested two non-Jewish book
men-Mr. Hall Game and Mr.. G.. r. Sims
and has, moreover, put so much physical and
mental work into its propagation that he
has been threatened with a serious break
down of health. Mr.. Zangwill states that
in consequence of this his doctor has or
dered him TO retire Ito lonely hut on a
deserted common" Possibly during this Sc
clusion a new novel will terminate in his
mind"