The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-10-19

and The Blazed Trail" by Stewart Ed
| ward White. The latter book is not ex-
actly fall book, having appeared in
the spring, but it's growth in popular
esteem has been so continuous that it
ranks now with the better class of fall
books.
AT the present time four English nov
els are running serially In Paris newspa-
pers st. Ives" in the Temps; THE Last
Days OF Pompeii," in the Soleid, doubt
less because of Frances interest in Mt
| Pelee; Dr. Nichola,' in the Vie Hustle
ana Ihe Mystery of a Hanson Cab"
| In the Matin. In addition to these, an
other leading paper there is anxious to
| increase the list by publishing trans
| lation of THE Hound of the Basker-
! villes'
Those Black Diamond Men," a COM
bination of short stories and a novel;
was fortunate in having made it's ap-
| pearance just at time when almost
everyone was beginning to discuss cCal,
| operators. The book has enjoyed a good
sale and probably will continue to be
called FOR all winter.
OF similar timeliness is a volume Just
published, called THE Anthracite Coal
Industry" which purports to be study
| of the economic conditions which prevail
| and of the existing relations between
capital and labor in the Pennsylvania
coal fields.
Another book just published, which is
to be recommended for the relief its
| title gives the reader, as "A Country
Without Strikes" Such a country ac-
tually exists but it is our antipodes-
New Zealand
As an echo of the Dumas centenary
celebration comes new volume, Alex
| ander Dumas (pere)," by Arthur David
son. which gives an interesting account
of the novelists life and relate many
stories of him. According to one of these
tales, Dumas hit upon the name of his
most famous romance in the following
manner:
He was out ON a shooting expedition
with young Prince Napoleon, son of
Jerome Bonaparte, in 1912. and after
violent storm reached Elba. While ex-
ploring they discerned a lake. sugar
loaf shaped standing out of the sea.
you would have got good sport. Yonder
island is full of wild goats"
Indeed! What may it's name be?"
They call it the Island of Monte
Cristo."
Dumas later persuaded his companion
to row around the island in order to
| know more about its possessions.
whats the use of that?" said the
Prince.
Because" was the reply. II intend in
memory of this trip with you to give the
| name of Monte Cristo to some novel
which / shall write later on
When Dumas made arrangements for
his book, called Impressions de Voy-
age dams Paris" his publishers urged
! that his novel should be a sensational
| romance, and Dumas contrived an in
trigue involving rich aristocrat known
! as lie Conte de Monte Cristo. f..
| There is always nominal interest
attached to the dissection of authors by
the critics. but when writer calmly
dissects himself, more than ordinary in
terest is aroused. Frederick NJ Bird
seems to write not of full and bitter
experience in a current magazine when
! sion.
Apart from egoistic imaginings, the
| truth is that the literary life is as poor
| as any other vocation and probably
poorer than most, in literary material"
| Its details are not picturesque; they are
not romance: they are not even interest
| ing, except to the literary fellow" HIM
self, and not always especially so to
i IL, ic 70 in
| to attract the curious whose work and
| play are on different lines; and other
| literary fellows do not care to hear
| about them, for they know just how it
| is Brown wrestles with sonnet; all
| that can be said about the process, the
| frowns and heavings and gurglings, has
| been said a thousand times, chiefly in
comic papers and paragraphs. If he ac7
eomplishes his task. possibly he gets So
or $40 for the result; in one case out
of million or two, it may be remem-
bered for decade. Smith sits down to
cudgel a novel out of his inner ecu
seriousness; who wants to watch his
| throes and share the joys or sorrows that
precede or attend creations? people
sometimes do in the stories, l notice,
| but these are high flights.) His wife
may have to see that he knocks off
for dinner, and gets to bed before a.
m She may share his anxiety as to
the concrete result, His intimates, if
he is imprudent. may say, smith is
trying to write a novel," and go their
| way.
But suppose Smith scores, or Brown
| is acclaimed as new Tennyson? Why,
then, if notoriety or fame be won. there
will be hard facts, statistics biographies
and photographic data, articles or
| items in books of reference. We shall
| want to know what the great man eats
| for breakfast and where he buys his
| trousers But as for fiction, no. The
professional life of the man of letters,
/ .-a.Aaae,.l cnn rule fur