The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-07-02
NOTES ON THE LIFE OF
IN REVEREND DOCTOR DEEMS.
BY Or. r.: B. kingsbury.

a Sunday of vacation" In all the thir
teen. no more than three Sundays hat
been spent ava from his church. IL
view of the regular holidays of pulpi
athletics, lasting for month or TIVE
| months every year, and the very fire.
| quent absences for Sunday and Weei
days-making probably a tenth OF
even a sixth of the years-how coulc
DR.. Deems for nearly eight and
half years stick to his work so eager
ly, satisfyingly? But I remember
| that thirty or forty years ago, az
senteeism was not countenanced OF
practiced by the faithful preachers
One Sunday in year, or possibly uH'
der ver-- extraordinary circumstances
two Sundays might be taken, not foi
pleasure, but for service. preachers
back yonder" worked. Ihefe Wds
a circuit in the North Carolina Con-
ference that had sixteen monthly APP
pointments and over 233 miles a
month had to be ridden to attend
them. l knew minister who never
missed one of them. DR.. Deems was
tremendous worker and of splendid
Intellectual parts. A fine study.
The appearance of commonplace
and trash in respectable Journals ana
monthlies is not a very uncommon oc-
currence. If you will read with care
you will catch now and then the most
paltry and absurd deliverances. In so
we'll known and able a weekly as the
London Academy the editor is found
to spell William Cullen Bryants name
wrong, calling him Bryan, and then
gravely asserting that he is not entitled
to "a place beside Homer, Shakes
peare, Milton and Dante" the world
four greatest poets. Bryant cannot be
i L.. nAVlf I'm
with them. This is on a par with the
ignorance and incapacity of another
critic who says Jane Austen Is
Shakespearean in her genius. Another
writer, and of distinguished parts and
reputation. INDUCED in something al
most as absurd and idiotic. l see 1t
mentioned that woman contributor
TO the Boston Atlantic Monthly
states, with evident satisfaction, that
she has lately read sixty American
and English novels" And this is the
food upon which millions of Ameri-
cans are now feeding, and it is called
culture and training the mind. That
sort of mental pabulum with weekly
doses of the New York illustrated sun
day editions of yellow journals are
enough to demoraliZe and deplete the
readers and leave them stript and
poor indeed" And yet the great
boast of this age is education" and
culture of the people. And behold the
poor stuff they read, love and sorrow
TO-,
Here are some brief notes that will
interest men of letters and lovers or
good literature:
The famous literary weekly known
as 1.-The London Academy" establish
ed in 1869, has been sold to Sir George
Newnes, of London, who owns already
some half dozen we'll known English
journals. He says that he hopes to
make it "the best literary paper in
the world If he does he will ac-
complish great things. 1t has proba-
bly, no superior now among the great
literary weeklieS of London that lead
those of all other countries. The old
Saturday Review" the old anthem
leum," the Pail Mall GaZette,N THE
Economist are all weeklies of un-
rivalled excellence. When the truly
most valuable and interesting literary
weekly published by the London
Times and called Literature" which
read nearly throughout its life
regularly with intense interest and en-
joyment was sold, THE Academy"
bought it. Who will edit it have not
seen stated. MIR. w. Teignmouth Shore
has been the editor for some two
years In the United States there are
no such great literary weeklies as
those named.
A new volume has appeared of So
lected Poems of Elizabeth Barrett
Browning, edited by Elizabeth Lee.
Price, 80 cents. She is no doubt the
greatest of all modern poets among
women.
A volume has been published in
rdx nv
It is filled with pictures of Wessex and
Oxfordshire. Hardy is a great force
In the novel literature of the last sthir-
ty years. A map shows how Wessex
is divided into six parts: Upper Wes-
sex, which is fruitful Hampshire; low
er Wessex, which is beautiful Devon
shire; South Wessex, (Dorsetshire),
North Essex, (Berkshire) mid Wes-
sex, which is Wiltshire, and outer
Wessex, which is Somersetshire The
map Identifies, also the many Hardy
towns, villages. and hamlets. Thus
Downstaple is Barnstaple, Tonebo-
rough is Taunton, Melchester is Sails
bury.
In the Metropolitan Magazine a
ew American one | think, there is a
Primer of Literature" / make few
elections which fit the times and hit
rom the shoulder:
What is the Literature of today?"
Fiction"
How is Fiction divided?"
Into Historical Novels and Nature
Cooks
What is a Historical Novel;"
zone that shows no trace of His
DRY or o. Novelty
What IS a Nature Book ~
"A volume of INSTRUMENTATION about
lnimals."
What is a Critic?'
"A critic is a man who writes about
he books he doesn't like
What is poetry?"
Lines of words ending with the
anne sound"
What is a Minor Poet?'
"A poet not yet twenty-one years
IF age"
What is a Major Poet?'
There isn't any,"
What makes a book a phenomenal
success"
Much bad much pad, and much
ad."
AS just now a new interest has been