The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-27

ment," "denotement" and ''startlement."
OF Linguistic curios,'' he gives, "propel-
lation, 'saffermance,' "chentage,'' 'rem-
iniscential,' 'moveless,' ''traditionary,'
'leisuristic,' "unsympathy'' and 'bish-
oply." These, he holds, are ''mischievous
tendencies There are too many new
idioms. terms, tendencies and explolta-
tions in matchmaking for health now-a-
DAYS.
James Abbott Whistler Che added Mac
Neil later) was born at Lowell, Mass, on
10th July, 1884. He was unquestionably
etcher of very marked qualities. His
admirers and friends think he could have
reached distinction as a writer if he had
so resolved. He died recently in England,
where he had long resided. He was some
what of an oddity.
A Southern woman in the New York
Critic has q poor opinion rather of South
ern writers, including, 1 suppose all,
Edgar A. Poe, James Lane Allen, Mary
Johnston, Miss Murfree, Will Harden,
Thomas Dixon. Jr., Fox, Joel Chandler
Harris, Miss Fisher, Virginius Dabney,
author of that clever novel, Don Milf,
(Yates & Company of this city, sold about
Northern writers understand literature
as an art better, and 'have a mental
discipline of which Southern writers
know little The Northern writer's
all l suprose-"have better
sense of literary proportion with
out illiterate exaggeration.'' This is a
sample of much more of the same kind.
She possibly has been associating with
half dozen or more Southern writers who
have become we'll Yankeeized in taste
and sympathy and prefers the people Cup
there" to the poor white trash down
here. Well, there is no accounting for
taste and sympathies. There is probably,
however, a real basis of truth in what she
says. But then there are Northern au-
thors who do not exhibit the qualities in
superiority which she claims for them.
Henry James once wrote fine admirable
English. He is often criticized now for
obscurities, etc. Howells writes very en-
jgagingly, but he is a poor hand to tell
a story, and is often very dull. These
are the most famous among the living
writers in the NORTH. Mr. Allen writes
as elegantly, as artistically, as charming
" as do James, Howells and the others
of the best rank. Miss Murfree has writ
ten novels that have been well praised b,
Her last book, just out, called "A Spectre
of Power is written of in the same
number of the Critic that contains The
article referred to above. I make a quo
tation from what is said of this recent
Southern book: cit may be doubted
whether any such faithful and dependable
picture of Indian character in its un-
modified state has as yet been incorporat-
ed in felton, Again it says in decided aI'-
probation: Miss Murfree rises to her
climaxes with superb ease and one does
not for an instant distrust her knowledge
or her power The study of Laroche, the
French soldier and diplomat would alone
make the book worth reading. Behind
the scenes of the story tower Miss Muir
frees Great Smoky Mountains. which she
describes with her accustomed brilliancy
and fervor. The beauty and the high in
tellectual quality of her style make one
regret the occurrence, now and then, of
sentences unmusically cumbrous.'
l have more than once insisted that
Miss Murfree had produced two or three
of the best novels from Southern writer's
l lately mentioned that one of the lead
ing living authors of New England, Col
onel Higginson, had given it as his opinion
that I'm The Clouds was one of the very
best novels that had appeared in the ten
previous years when he wrote. The
North praised excessively, perhaps Miss
Johnston's three novels. Never having
read a line of them, | am personally ig-
norant of their merits but / have seen
some caustic opinions as to her first two
novels The writer somewhat adverse to
the South goes so far in her denials OF
merit as to say that 1.-THE impossible is
one of 1.-THE elements which predominant
in Southern fiction. OF course this ''ele-
ment' does not appear in the five hun
dred over-praised novels produced in the
North. She doubts even eff the real hui
man nature of the South ever is portray
ed in her fiction l wonder if she ever
read Miss Murfree and Joel Chandler
Harris, or 1.-The Leopards Spots? She
goes for the last charging it with
containing NEARLY all the fallacies pecu,
liar to Southern literature" She con-
cedes to it ''vindctive power Her feel
ings and sympathies are evidently hurt
by Dixons attack on the North. She
thinks ''the relations between the two
sections do not warrant such prostitu.
tior &C literary art" 1t is all serene,
gracious, sweet, most lovely now She
should read the religious and secular
newspapers, the resolutions of meetings
held. and study the foolish escapades OF
Roosevelt, and the crushing antagonism
of the marplots and moneykings. The
talk of love and joyousness of peace and
good will, of admiration and confidence is
all poppycock the merest veneerlng, the
hugest sham. The North deserves rich
ly every word written in tine Leopard's
Spots How was the Stowe SANDER and
stirrer up of strife needed when it appear
ed. Her own State chartered the first
slave-ship ever sent out from these
American shores. and I can prove it. Mr.
Dixon did good effective, much needed
work when he produced his able, stirring,
brave book.
/ am in hearty sympathy with an
opinion of ''The Critic as to the value OF
William Watson's poetry and his rank
among living English poets l have afore-
time in these columns given expression to
the precise view of The Critic 1t says:
Putting Mr. Swinburne aside, there is
no poet now living in Great Britain SC