New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-20
LITERARY NOTES.

An enterprising French journalist. the Editor
Of "L'Europeen." has taken il into his head 10
ask certain persons Of importance whether or
not they think France IS in her decadence- MI
F2rvce's rerly is brief enough. NO. a thousand
times no." he declares. Mr.. Thomas HARDY IS
equally aniable. and observes that France has
unique faculty for assimfating new IDEAS ana
for enlancipating herself from those which are
found to be unfruitfUl
ar. Hardy's mother has just died at the age
~ ,inetv-one. She died IN the matched cottage
IN the heath AZ Bockhauptou. near Dorchester,
-vbere she had always lived. the cottage IN
which the novelist was born. Not even AFTER ne
had become famous could she be persuaoeo 70
leave her modest home. It is said that MS
Hardy came on the maternal side. Of old yeo-
man stock. small land owners i'm Dorset. she
was woman Of strong and original character
with natural love for literature
The Rev. Thomas Rain has written in his
browning for Beginners" CThe Macmillan
Company a compact little volume. faithful
throughout 10 the principle # simplicity sus-
gested by the title. He does not take himself.
or for ;lrt matter. his poet, too seriously; IN
fact he has the courage to say some Things
which many Browringites would deny, as. Tor
examrle. that there is more brain than heart in
the poets WOTk ne hNOh II Aii i'iG'1iAN4~e'~'
and IN browning classes" ought to prove use
ful
Another testimony TO the vitality Of Browning
e+udv al the present time reaches US in the
shane OF a daintily printed leahet. issued by the
San Francisco Browning Society. a souvenir Of
one OF its mornings spent in consideration OF
Bishop Bloughara's Apology" The leafiet
shows the thoroughness Of group OF enthusi-
astio students II contains brief account OF
the poems, including an interesting reference TO
its real hero. Cardinal Wiseman. and eight or
ten pages Of notes, some OF which are admiralty
suggestive. The fragment OF a letter Of Brown
ing's which IS included is worth quoting;
The most curious notice I ever had was from
Cardinal Wisernan on Blougham-i e.. himself Il
in The Rambler Catholc journal o. NOS nos
days. and certified 10 be his by Father trout MO
said nobody else would have dared Put u IN ,,
1910 serd re,,ciGv OF argument and says thar.
''thouEh utterly mistaken I'm the very CroGhcN oLk
notions OF the work Of Catholic bishop. and de-
Tending sef-induleence. every noest ma. nus ~
feel TO be eisgTaccfUL In is yet IN us way "'-
Umphsnt-'
The Appletons have published three more VOL
umes in their series Of reprinted illustrated
books OF an earlier time. the series which is as
often interesting for picture for text In
deed one OF these new volumes Pierce Egan's
Life Of an Actor is almost exclusively TO be
valued for its humorous plates. The text OF this
old tale is OF fustian ali compact Mr.. Sponge's
Sporting Tour" is more welcome. for there is a
kin5 OF rough fun in the book which is genuine
enough to keep it alive. This edition reproduces
the drawings by Leach. Much more valuable
than either OF these reprints is the new edition
OF The Compleat Angler" reproducing the Ma
sor edition OF 1924 This is on better paper, and
is altogether a capital piece OF book making
Dr.. Theodore T. Mungers Essays for the
Day. OToughton, Nf1in & co.. IS a collection
OF six papers, in which ethical ideas gre blended
with thoughts on literary topics. The author
writes as a lover Of books who reads them no
less for their bearing upon life than FOR their
purely literary qualities The most interesting
Of the essays is the one on Hawthorne. Notes
on The Scarlet Letter" In It he points out
that the novelist's chief theme was the play OF
conscience under a sense Of sin and guilt and.
asking why Hawthorne hardly put pen 10 paper
except 10 Zeal with the subject. he continues in
this vein
He vas no. what is usually termed religious
though what depths Of spiritual feeling were hid
den IN THAI never revealed heart let no man at
the theological debates that clustered about sin.
rInoooH ao eIlal We one o. x WI
and old humanity. He took no interest in
ce-9 ,.ie1 fo-0e5 70 - nv .ta -ecessi+T:: ~ a
S,LS,,5 80 ,.r.t, - IS for-7-e5v b1 80
-ury his lot. WHY. then. did he choose sin
as his theme? For the same reason that the
great masters in literature always gravitste 70
81. The Hebrews put d into the first pages
pace often followed but not yet overtaken- The
Greeks built their drama upon II. Shakespeare
as over and over again thew dealt with IL. Dante
put il under heaven and he'll and all between. NIL
hut mans first disobedIence shan we say then
that great genius makes sin his theme because II
b he taxes # because Il is he re ties theme
and also because Il falls either with his n
permanent. as IN the case OF Hawthorne. And why
Of he world. and Is the defeat Of humanity. II
throws human nature wide open 10 our gaze;
misery. and uncover pity. which becomes a re
deeming force Thus it OPENS the whole wide play
Nothing 50 interests men as their sins and defeats.
Tragedy is born OF them. and tragedy fixes ever
more the steady gaze OF mankind
no book is more inviting in the spring than is
8 guide book The scribners import the four
teenth revised edition OF Baedeker's Central
ITALY" and send US also Baedekers Northern
Germany" which has passed through as many
editions The two books. brought up 10 date
and with the usual fine maps are as beguiling
as any novel. The same publishers bring to this
country new and enlarged edition Of Phfipss
''E9andy-Volume Atlas Of the World" 4 capital
book for the pocket OF the traveller. The maps
are clear. and the index is surprisingly fun for
g work small IN scale.
The FIRST volume in the new series Of Cam
bridge English Classics" printed at the Uni
Versity Press and circulated in the United
States by the MacmiIlans is given to Hobbess
'I.eviathan." edited by A. r, Waller. The re-
print is from the first edition OF 1901, the en-
graved title page OF which is reproduced. The
Typography has been rnodernizec, but the old