New-York tribune., 1903-04-18
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
Current Talk of Things Present and
to Come.

| to Come.
! The hook of Charles Dana Gibson's drawings
| which has made its annual appearance under
| the imprint of r. n. Russell will hereafter be
issued by Charles Scribner's Sons. The current
volume will as usual be published in the
autumn
The seventh volume Of the Dowden snake
speare is now published by the Bobbs- Merrill
Company: it contains "C"mbeline
A new weekly magazine is to be started this
month in Chicago. which will be called CHRIS
tendom.' and Will be modelled on the Ines OF
THE independent" and 1.-The Outlook" William
r. Harrer president of the University OF Chi
cago is understood to be the moving spirit IN
the ENTERPRISE and Professor Shailer Mathews
of the same institution. will be editor. He will
be assisted by DR.. Gunsaulus, of Armour In
stitute Dr. Mackenzie, of Chicago Theological
Seminary; DR.. Char'es NJ. Stuart, of Garrett
Biblical Institute; Professor Herbert L. Willett,
J. r. Slater and J. NJ. Campbell. The business
end will be directed by Francis W. Parker and
Albert C. Beaunisne. The magazine will dis
cuss. week by week. in the spirit Of enlightened
Christianity, all matters of immediate interest
in politics. religion, education and sociology. 1t
will stand explicitly for Christian ideals in all
departments of Christian civilization"
The following letter received by Richard
Wagner upon sending the President an ad-
vance copy of the translation Of his book.
'L'Amf," called The Better Way" about to
be issued by Mcclure, Phillips & CO.
White House Washington. January % 1908.
My Dear Mr.. Wagner Permit me 20 thank you
most cordially for sending me "L'AmL am
glad to take this chance of telling you person
ally how much l appreciate and value your
work. preach your books to my countrymen.
With high regard sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Thursday of next week, st. Georges Day. has
been selected by Doubleday Page & Co. for the
publication of the first volume of Professor
Mark H Liddelrs edition Of Shakespeare's
plays. May originally set for the books
appearance. but April % substituted as a
fitting commemoraton of the poets birthday.
AS matter of fact just when Shakespeare was
born nobody knows. The record of his christen-
ing in Stratford Church is dated April 26. 1864,
and 1t was customary to baptize children shortly
after birth. Then. too. the poet lived just about
an even ffty-two years. dying at Stratford after
a three days fever on April %, 1916. Common
tradition has fastened upon April % the GER
tain day Of his BIRTH but unless he be canonlzed
and the matter looked at from the ecclesiastic
point of view it Is not exact date.
An addition is made to the discussion OF the
negro problem to-day in a book by an educated
man of the negro race. ". E. Burghardt Du
Bois. who is professor of economics and history
at Atlanta University. Professor Du Bois has
been graduated from Fiske University, from
Harvard and from the University Of Berlin. He
calls his collection OF essays. which is being
issued by A. c. McClurg & Co, '"The Souls Of
Black Folk"
Mr.. Kenyon West in his novel "Cliveden' has
hiatt nfC IN
lution-or. to be more precise, the struggle that
took place during that fight inside the Chew
house-as the central scene for his story.
Washington Irving wrote of the battle. and !
more recently it has been brought to popular at
tention by the work of John Fiske The Amer |
icans by bitches and misunderstanding in their
attacking movements were well beaten after a |
vigorous onslaught. though the fight. coming |
soon after the reverse of Brandywine did much !
to improve their morale and the respect in |
which they we're held by showing them still ag-
gressive. Mr.. West has. by directing his atten- |
tion to part of the fight given himself an
interesting opportunity, and 1t is intimated that
the book has been so dramatically constructed |
that with scarcely any change" 1t could be |!
made into an exciting play. Military romance |
and staircase battle drama have much of COM |
mon ground. but this riding of two horses is |
perhaps becoming too general a fashion among |
novests Of the hour. For the sake of the story |
we venture to trust that little change will be
Necessary. The Lothrop Publishing Company |
issue the book.
Another instance comes to hand of the direct |
effect upor novelists of the general dramatiza- |
ton of novels. That it has not the best of effects
upon the stage is not by any means an uncom- |
mon opinion. But the reaction upon fiction |
itself is growing substantial with every !
publication day. You cannot write good, un- |
affected personal letters If your is a
future collection of your correspondence. No |
more can novel be afforded the best narrative |
effort if the billboard announcing the opening |
night of its theatrical appearance hovers be- |
fore the novelist's Imagination. It appears that |
Mrs. Mary Holland Kinkaid's novel "Walda' I
reversed these conditions somewhat. Mrs Kin |
kaid had outlined to an actress friend the plot |
for a play in which she wished the actress to |
star" The actress her part, urged Mrs. |
Kinkald to make novel Of it, SO that later it |
could be drama tized But one OF the male char
acters, Gerson Brandt, developed that alarming |
strength which, constantly hearing, |
laughs at nove1ists. If the book to be |
staged Gerson Brandt proposed to have the |
centre of the stage. And he did. Therefore the |
actress friend will not star in the dramatiza- |
ton
w n ISou1L civil Service Cornu1issoner Of |