The San Francisco call., 1905-06-04
Notes and Comment
About Writers.

II is interesting IN connection with
the present war to find in Prince Kro-
count OF Tolstoys youthful military
prowess. He lived through all the
dreadful experiences of the defenders
of Sebastopol He has the
right TO speak OF war; he knows II from
within" Kropotkin points out the
pertinent facts that Tolstoy "oosti-
nateiy refused during the siege 10 be-
come an ofhcer OF the staff. and re-
mained with his battery in the most
dangerous spot and that. though he
seems never again to have written
verse he at that time composed, In
the usual meter and language Of sol
dier's songs, satirical song In which
he described the blunders Of the COM
manders which ended in the Balaklava
disaster
The constant cry of the average
American is that he has nc time to read
He gulpS his newspaper like literary
anaconda and leaves the books 10 his
wife and children Once In a while he
nibbIes AT a novel. but seldom finishes
it. We have il on good authority that
huge slider presses and cotton gins are
being installed in certain large publish
ing houses into which VIII be cast the
old dramatic novels Of Dickens and
Thackeray, of George Eliot Of Meredith
1 -
Washington Irving and Cooper. and out
/ OF which the masterpieces will come
neatly compressed into thin duodecimos.
quick lunch. editions which may be
read by the busiest man in one street
car journey between their residences
and their places OF business. In these
COMPRISING processes all the fine
writing" the descriptions. the delinea-
tions of character will be carefully ex-
tracted- leaving a residuum pale and
innocuous. which may be taken without
danger to any seminary for young Ia
dies and Introduced without fear into
the family circle. We may soon expect
The Best of Boeeacio'' in this form.
! also Purified Plutarch. The Con-
densed Homer" Twenty Minutes With
the Aeneid.' ~An OF Dickens Worth
While. The Busy Mans Thackeray.'
Don Quixote" fduick order edition)
and Moments With the Masters The.
Reader Magazine for June.
The Reader Magazine for June con-
tains the first installment of Merdith
Nicholson's new story. The House of a.
Thousand Candles which will run
through seven numbers OF the maya
zine. The story is conceded by those
who have had an opportunity Of read
ing il 10 be by far~the most vivid. in
tense and yirile novel Mr.. Nicholson
has produced. II is a story OF Indiana.
| the time is the present. and the scene.
is laid in the picturesque lake country
of the Hoosier State In plot. DEVELOPS
ment and action the narrative is crisp
| ly fresh and compelling and there can
be no doubt that IN hrs latest work the
brilliant young author Of The Main
4 Chance and zelda Dameron" has pro-
rduced "A story that will place his name
well TO the fore in the list OF AmeEi-.
can writers offietion- Howard Chand-r
Ter Christy illustrates The House OF a.
| Thousand Candles" a drawing In tint
BY him for the hrst instaIlment being
the frontispiece Of the June number
of the Reader Magazine.
writing OF her beginning in The
/ Theater Magazine for June. Blanche
Bates says Prior to the fareful night
I Of September II. 1894. when l made
my debut. / was an energetic young
person, whose sole aims and soul aims
/ were 10 get enough to eat. / cared
nothing for the theater. seldom saw q
play, and wondered why my parents
| insisted upon staying on the stage. Ac-
tors. I thought. were really very com
mon people / tried to illuminate a
kindergarten for a year. but when the
! year had dragged by, my superior IN
4 formed me- oh, so politely. that. per-
/ haps, il might be just possible-my
dazzling future might not be in kin
/ dergarten.'
The SimDlon is the longest tunnel In
the world. and has been finished I'm the
face OF tremendous difficulties. most OF
/ which were entirely unexpected, and
many OF which presented new prob
\ lens for engineers 1t extends from
/ Brieg in Switzerland TO Iselis IN Italy.
| total length OF a little over twelve
/ and a Quarter miles The story Of The
Piercing OF the Slmplon" has been writ
ten for the June Century BY Deshler
! Welch from authoritative personal in
&. vestigatien. and there viii be plenty
: OF illustrations from photographs 10
/ add 10 the interest OF the article.