The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-21

LITERARY NOTES.


It is said that some of our novel
lists write their stories on a typewriter
at a speed of 1000 words an hour, the
Philadelphia Ledger says. There is in
ternal evidence that the assertion is
true.
No little curiosity has been expressed
over the volume by the new Mayor
of New York. Some have taken the
title, ''The Oligarchy of Venice" to be
double entendre meant to conceal a
treatment of an oligarchy much near
er home. 1t may be said, however,
on the authority of the publishers,
that Mr.. McClellan's book is simply
what it purports to be, study of the
great Venetian machine of govern
ment, and, it may be added, study
both careful and graceful.
Writing of the language of Jewish
life, in the Lamp, Israel Zangwill says
that the modern progressive Jews of
New York and London lead a life not
necessarily inferior to Jewish life
but "a Jewish life it is not 1t is the
general life of the nation whose Ian
guage they speak. Scrupulously buried
in the same cemetery, they have a
common death. But common life
no, that they have not. Upon the
clear mirror of language they produce
no breath.
IF Israel is to live and speak again.
it can only be on soil of his own"
A popular British weekly has Just
discovered the existence of a novelist
ad 7 Enf1iI1aN-n sAar.
OF his Pathfinder" as the work of a
promising author. A London daily is
better informed and ironically OBJ
serves that Mr.. Cooper is "now well
over his hundredth year." and is en-
gagged on another book, which, as at
present arranged, will be entitled "The
Last of the Mohicans." Americans,
however, need not be in haste to jeer,
says the Springfield (Mass) Republic
can. 1t is not very long since a school
superintendent in "a thriving town of
the Middle West wrote to a historian
named Hume to ask him to make some
changes in his history of England
which would fit it for classroom use.
Later he expressed some surprise that
his politely worded request had elicit
ed no reply.
Followers of Izaak Walton will well
NOlAAC a DOOh Oil ulIIdulS new llSL, ell
titled "The Anglers Secret" The u
thor is Charles Bradford, who is al
ready known for his earlier volumes,
''The Wild Flowers and 1.-THE Deter
mined Angler" The latter work, which
was called by Grover Cleveland "the
most pleasant and practical and sensi-
BILE volume I have ever seen of its
kind" was devoted to brook trout only.
This new book treats of the sporting
GnaRinc n M NJ
fish-from the tiny mountain trout to
the mighty striped bass of the ocean.
1t contains a full description of vari-
Gus tackles, and the methods of catch
ing these fish,, together with notes Of
their habits and habitats.
1t is curious fact that although the
Napoleonic photography includes some
10000 volumes, there is authority for the
statement that there is no short life
which fully embodies the latest results
of historical research, and may be &C
cept as authoritative. 1t is understood
that such a biography has been in
preparation for some time by r. M.
Johnson, author of 1.-THE Roman The
ocracy and the Republic" who has
been recently appointed Austin Teach
ing Fellow at Harvard University. It
is understood that this new Life of
A. S. Barnes & Co.
Lovers of quaint, old-fashioned wit
and humor will find much to divert
them in the reprint of Joe Miller's
Jest Book" issued by Mr.. William r.
Henderson. They will also find many
old jests that are continually appear
Ing in new guise, and, as Mr. Andrew
G. Dickinson, Jr., says in his brief in
PRODUCTION, will be more than ever in
clined to accept the statement that
there is nothing new under the SUM-"
The jest book has a curious and inter-
esting history Joe Miller was a popu-
lar comedian who flourished during the
first half of the eighteenth century,
and was of such a taciturn disposition
that he was seldom known, when off
the stage, to crack a smile, much less
originate joke. The preface to this
reprint assures us that not once did
he utter an original jest but we have
authority for believing that on at least
one occasion he INDUCED in a witt
cism of his own, though, it must be
added, this was in the heat of anger,
and was not meant as a specimen of
humor. Shortly after "Joe's' death,
in 1888, John Motley, a playwright,
was commissioned to make a collection
of current jests, and, thinking that the
use of "Joe's" name would make the
book "go," it was named after him.
The original edition contained a COM
paratively small number of jests, but
some years later a greatly enlarged
edition was issued.