The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-28

writing with considerable success. She
expects to bring out THE Story of
the Trapper" in a few weeks, a. work
which gives an account of the various
early fighters of the wilderness
throughout the North and West.
1t is said that a London publisher
has agreed to pay Mr.. Kruger $685.
900 for his memoirs. This price is for
the English rights alone, and Mr.. Kru-
gers agent has asked a considerably
larger sum. So far arrangements have
not been completed for the rights OF
publication in America, but, when they
are made, no such sum will be paid.
An agreement has been made whereby
.Kruger's book will appear before those
of the Boer generals who were recent
ly trying to make contracts for book
publication in London. Gen. De Vets
book is to come second, but as he has
not completed the work of writing 1t,
probably it will not be issued before
next spring.
The German critics, for years jealous
of Tolstoi and now of Gorky, are giving
free expression of their opinions of
these writer's. They claim that these
two particularly and the lesser novel;
lists of the same school, are exercising
ON Western thought IAN enervating
Oriental influence" In view of the
fact that DR.. e. J. Dillon has just writ
ten a book on the Life and Works of
Gorky, which is to be published here
this fall, it is interesting to learn what
some of the Germans have to say about
the Russian writers. Hans Fisher calls
a halt in the following manner:
"Tolstoi and Gorky are probably the
most read of the modern Russian writ
ers on the continent, although the in
iluence of Dostoyevski, the greatest
. and most Russian of these three, is the
most powerful on the thinking portion
of the younger class of readers. 1t is
high time to protest against the con-
dition of affairs. Just think who and
what these men are and were. Dos
toyevski is subject to epilepsy, Tolstoi
is old and decrepit, and Gorky comes
from the lowest ranks of the proletar-
list. All three are thorough represent
tatives of a barbarian type of thought.
All three come from a church that has
as little connection with true culture as
has Persian mosque. All three try to
force the yoke of Slavic morality and
ethics on western civilization. 1t is to
be lanvented that the Germans have
not been able to resist the immortal in
f1uence of this literature. How much
havoc has Tolstoi alone created in this
respect! In Christian circles we hear
many warnings against the poison of
NietZsche's teachings, but this poison
is not half as dangerous as the insid-
ious fiattering, weakening poison of the
Russian, Notwithstanding IT'S Christian
scent"
When Arthur Morrison's ''Tales of
Mean Street" were published in Eng
land, the publishers did not consider it
worth while to copyright the book in
America In short time, however,
they were selling edition after edition
in England, and no less than thirteen
different firms In this country were
pirating the stories. Now Mr.. Morri
son has written a novel, 1.-THE Hole In
the Wall" which will be brought out
simultaneously in London and New
York,and the author is likely to receive
more profit from his American admir-
ers than from his first book. For years
Mr.. Morrison made his home among
the poor people of London. He worked
in the interests of a charity organiza-
ton and. in order to get acquainted
with the people, he started a little
match box factory, working at the
trade himself. 1t took him long time,
but he was finally successful in gain
ing admission to the quarters of the
thieves, their societies and clubs. The
Hole in the Wall" takes its name from
a resort of thieves on the bank of the
river. The place is kept by the grand
father of the boy who tells most of the
story. The book rings true; one feels
that the author must have lived among
it all for he writes with wonderful
clearness and strength.