The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-06

knowledge of the mechanism of COM
position" They are indeed wonderful,
most comnleX at times, with grim
'umCr, sardionic power and curious
eXtravagances AS a Northern writer
once said of them, he wrote tales of
netemnsychosis of weird crime. OF
strange retribution, or of fantastic dis
,overy and marvellous invention" That
IS true and we'll done. He was in an
important sense a genuine creator, and
The short story took on a very differ
7nt form and type and originality un-
Ter his handlin~ than it unbound be-
ore. There was nothing like them in
their rich, artistic, ingenious ana dis
criptive features. If his poetry should
lot give him immortality his stories
would. With the high qualities and
gifts of originality his name should
go sounding down the ages. The
great story writer's since learned
much from Poe. / remember that sew
aral years az cad with pleasure an
Iticle by Prof. Smith in which he
iuoted from several English and
French writer's in high commendation
Of Poe, some of which affirmed that
ne was the greatest genius of America.
| had seen other opinions of corre-
spondin" character and since then
have met with still others that were
equally laudatory ana decided
/ can not follow the able and accom-
olished Professor as he refers to HaW-
thorne. Eggleston, Miss Murfree. Fox,
and others in their local fictions. but
his words are judicious. / make one
other quotation and it is informing and
just:
ITO the future Macaulay of our
history these works will be invaluable
for their local color and their fidelity
to local environment: but they viii
prove permanent contributions 10
American fiction only in so far as the
writer's have learned how to be local
in theme without bein~ provincial in
art To live, these stories must enable
the reader to interpret the particular
in terms of the universal. Man Of
them, however, leave the impression
OF being written for other pur sc
than to exploit let of unknown ana
vacant characters in terms of an i'm
possible dialect"
/ have read with more or less Of
pleasure and satisfaction among
Southern novels produced since the
great war, some by our best North
Carolina novelist, Miss Fisher, that are
quite as good as many being deVoured
with hunger now of later appearance;
Edwin Fuller's "Sea Gift. Worthing-
toiI . IlIIpl eSSlNc ne bGOkGn SWORD
Dabney's Don Mfr; two by r. n
Page; a novel by Fox: two by j. L.
Allen, and probably three by other
Writers | have | must mention
several by Mis- Murfree, and two
at least ] regarded as excellent, and
can fiction in the last century OF
novels b. Northern writer's since about
1870, I have read three or four BY
Henry James; three by w d. How
ellis; two or three by T. B. Aldrich;
three by Marion Crawford: two nv
Mrs. Virgins, and one or NJ IRE by
three or four others. OF the North |
read with most interest and satisfac-
ton those bv Crawford OF the
Southern novelists / prefer Miss Muir
free, of Tennessee. but of North Car
DINA stock, and Mr. Allen. u Ken
tuclian.
Prof. Smith discusses briefly the two
early and most famous novelists before
Scott-RichardSon and Fielding. OF
the formers novels | know nothing
save that obtained from English
critics. AS to Fielding l have read
only Tom Jones" his masterpiece.
and that was SO offensive, so nauseous
to me, that | was forced to abandon
a second attempt to read it within
year. | read it first probably fifty
years ae~ and that will do me for
life. | cannot commend him to any
reader while recognizing his eminent
vigor and distinction. The coarseness
is intolerable.
Stephen Phillips the English play
wright, has a drama ready he calls
Miriam; or the Sin of David" 1t is
put in the Cromwellian times.
Tennyson said that the oUIv bad line
Milton ever wrote was:
And oh! We dolphins: watt tho hap
less youth"
That is probably as good as tho
best line of some poets who are read
and reliShed much by a class of reac-
ers who think they knew poetry whc"
they see it in a book. newspaper or
in the road.
Sir Grant Duff thinks the great poet
William Wordsworth was unjust to
himself when he said he was so def
cient in wit and hunor. Duff tells
how Wordsworth said to him on hear
ing of Browning's engagement to Miss
Barrett: well | suppose they under
stand each other, although nobody
understands them'
II. S. Merriman's last novel ''Thc
Last Hope is generally praised by
English critics, and g regarded as one
of the best. This moves the London
Athenaeum to say: 1T is not often
given to novelist to lay down the
pen while at his highest" He died
some months ago in his mental prime.
He was one IF the best writer's and
most interesting novelists of the last
ten years. His real name was Scott ;
was led to read some three of his
novels some years ago, and regard
him as gifted. pure and entertainers
/ was sorry when he died in the finn
flush of his fame, and am disposed TO
make him better known. The n. y.
Saturday Review in a review of
the novel referred to above. says that
the story has I'll the charm which
the author has put in SO many other
stories and is illumined with his quiet
half-French humor and quaint kuack
of saying things by the way
Items well selected are interesting
and often informing. New York State
has $4,000 whiskey dens, and that is
horrible. In all the States lying south
Of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River,
Including Arkansas and Louisiana.
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