New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-03
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.

spring at least In so lar as the publishers are
concerned, is Enthusiastically here The first few
patches of new books have already reached u.s.
and there is no doubt at all about their bulk
OF course they contain in the first place, novels
When that famous NeB-Zealander sits contem-
plauve amid the ruins of London, he will find
ihat the last BritOn who disappeared from the
scene was publisher, and that all he left be-
!lind him was novel But we have found
some good fiction in the mass suddenly brought
80 the front Also we have found, what we
quite rs certainly expected, n quantity of adj
1nrable reprints. After these come the books
which, IL not relating closely to the present
crisis in the East, are at all events Apostle
enough to that crisis We refer to the books
on Japan. China and Russia, some of them well
tried works in new editions, and more OF them
fresh publications which the long drawn out
negotiations preceding the war gave travellers
and students ample time to prepare. We may
look for much more material In this field Let
us hope that the experience Of the publishers
in books on the Spanish American and South
African wars VIII have taught them the advis-
ability OF thinking twice before accepting every
timely" manuscript offered To them
The Editor OF "The Saturday Review Is do
votedy moving Heaven and earth and the
Horse Guards to reform the literary manners of
the modern EnSliShman. For one thing he
wants that fond creature Of habit to stop using
the tags which have not simply been worn
threadbare, but have become positively often
slye through incesSant repetition Americans as
We'll as EnSlishmcn, might do worse than listen
TO THE Saturday" on this point Here as well
as in England, there are speakers and writer's
who are constantly talking about 1.-THE e1cep-
ton that proves the rule" or it's all always
being the unexpected that happens" These
lovers or old tags are naturally nothing If not
critical" and they can no more help calling the
English Channel "the silver streak" than they
can help observing that lit goes without say
ing" or that somebody has got within a meas
urable distance" OF his goal. And SO on. ad
nausedn1 Another reform advocated by 'sThe
Saturday Review is the abolition of what II
calls 1.-The Vice OF Taking Notes" Professor
e. b. Wilson, of the State University Of Iowa,
writing TO the London journal about "this per-
nlcious practice" remarks that his student life
In Europe convinced him that 1t IS and has
been for long time, particularly common In
German universities MANY German pro-
fessors," he says. encourage it by adopting
the style Of delivery that makes note-taking
easy" Not German professors alone are guilty
of thus contributing to the development Of the
mechanical habit amongst students, a habit
which works havoc with the habit Of thinking
We see the fruits OF IT in many places but
especially among the makers Of books. Young
men studying for a degree, and preparing
thesis on some high erected subject, live labo-
rious days Of minute note-taking; their theses
emerge into print without a spark Of vitality,
and they continue ever after to work in the
same wooden way never suspecting that it is
their reliance upon notebook and pencil that
has paralyzed their thinking apparatus.
The silly season Is still several months OF
cd
sober individuals from taking 1t into their
heads that IT is time to erect some sort of
memorial to Shakespeare In the middle Of Lon
Onn rnnnrnnc hnn 90