Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-26

book Is more successful in Amer,c,
@iiaii Is the American book In England
says a writer in the London Dailv
JEWS. This Is partly due to the fact
'"at the American public is SO large IN
COMPARISON that books OF the most di.
verse types have a better chance of
success. But there Is another reason.
"ateVer some Americans may saw.
Hhsish and Americans are not two
parallel species Of the English tongue.
mus, whilst the Englishman may be
annoyed by "Americanisms," there are
no corresponding "Englishisms," prop
eriy speaking. to irritate our cousins
across the Atlantic. The Book Monthly
gives the opinions Of Sir Gilbert Parker
on How are the litcratures Of England
ana America influencing each other?"
Sir Gilbert remarks: For my part
see nothing definite, go far as the high
or literature in England is concerned.
IN any influence from the other side Of
the water. l am certain, however, that
england still influences the United
states" He goes on most strangely to
belittle the influence Of Whitman upon
English poetry. But IL what he SAYS
about the higher literature" Is true in
general, the opposite is probably the
case In an inferior class Of literature.
Among the novels issued in England
every week 1t Is seldom that one or
two cannot De found which contain an
imitation or unconscious caricature of
FRANK Norris. And anyone familiar
with the yearly output Of minor poetry
In England will be sickened with a
dreary Whitmanesque refrain which
can be detected in tangling, dissonant
phrases. But that England and Ameri-
ca are acting and reacting one upon
another in way that England and
France are not is shown by the close
relations between English and Ameri-
can publishers. Though the literatures
of the two countries are not possessed
in common, there is a connection be-
tween the two which, for good or for
| bad. must go to the forming of literary
taste.
The first piece of fiction ever offered
in printed form to the Samoans, was
| Robert Louis Stevenson's story Of THE
| Bottle Imp" The idea Of the story
| Mrs. Stevenson says in her Introduce
ton to Island Nights Entertainment"
| Stevenson. was suggested to Stevenson
by melodrama which was founded on
| and old German legend. The similarity
| of the legend to the Hawaiian folk
| stories struck Stevenson particularly.
and he wrote the story especially to APP
peal to the native mind. The tale was
| translated by missionary into the
Samoan tongue and published serially
| in the Sulu, under the title of 20 LIE
Fangu Aitu." The circulation of the
paper Immediately arose to an enor-
nous extent and the popularity of the
story among the SamOans was I'M
| limited. A strong belief remained in
| the Island that the unopened bottle still
| existed and was safely slowed away IN
| Stevenson's house. Three other vol
umes OF this Biographical Edition will
be published this month. The Wreck
ers.' 1.-The Inland Voyage" and "Fa-
| miliar Studies of Men and Books"
Writing of the forgery of literary relics
Mr. Shorter says that he has often been
consulted as to the authenticity of letters
purporting to be by Charlotte Brontc Her
letters, he adds, have been frequently
forged. "a very considerable number OF
forged Bronte letters appeared in TIN,
book shops of the COS; that is. when TIL"
Bronte cult was at its height. Many OF
these letters were written on the fylcave'
of books purrorting to be presentation
copies have seen one such letter pro-
| Tossing to be written from Paris. city
that Miss Bronte never visited AnOthe.
letter purported. as many do. to be writ
/ ten to Thackeray; the handwriting was
an obvious imitation of the tiny writing
that Miss Bronte affected when child,
and the latter opened. Dear Mr.. Thack-
cray whereas she never got beyond NY
dear sir to her London correspondents
The anecdotes, facsimile sketches ana
other intimate personalia with which the
volume, Talk in Library with Law
| renee Hilton" is filled make 1t the most
delightful and plcasurable of reading. lie
gives us a reproduction of an envelope ad-
dressed to him by Mark Twain at his
hotel in Venice. Ito be kept till the cusi
comes" and he recounts anecdote OTTER
Ianecdote involving the fancy and humor
Of many another literary celebrity. VI his
own experiences there are also man!
While travelling with John Fiske through
| England, he was the victim OF an incl
dent that clearly reveals the characters
tic by which the cockncy is known the
world over. I'VE had gone together one
morning in London he writes. to get
our letters and for me there was none
I gave my name carefully. but there was
nothing 1 felt sure that there must DC
same correspondence for me. ana was IN
lspired to ask the cOckney clerk if he were
looking under II. Immediately great
mass of mail matter was produced IL
seems he had been searching in vain iof
Hutton in the box of L. For years aitei
that John F'iske in writing to me always
dropped the initial II, and heard him one
night in a public lecture in Baitim"rs
sneak of the occurrence apropos OF some
eccentric linguistic matter winch ne
wanted to illustrate" For years the Eit.
Henry C. Benrer and Mr.. Hutton al
Though thrown constantly into cach oth-