New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-29
Che sNrtnWoras Gribaroufs
SUNDAY, OCTOBER %, 1905.

The opinion held in divers quarters that the
Ioter work of Bret Harte was inferior to mat
which established his repute thirty years ago
is trayersed in the editorial department. VI
"Scribner's" and pretty effectualiy disereai,eo'
The writer admits that "The Luck OF ROARING
Camn" and the '1Tales Of the Argonauts" Illus
trate the highest point Of Hartes work, but Ne
notes that 'they fixed themselves IN the 1nlhu
when the whole genre was new and unfamiliar
If the reader who goes through the later vol
umes does not enjoy them SO much-thougn
there is no reason why he should not do so-it is
TO be remembered that "the fashion of the tale
may have lost its freshness, as has happened'
especially in the generation in when IL arose.
with many another fashion," and, as this COM
mentator rightly adds, ut is unjust that the
artist should, therefore, be said to have lost his
art" Some of Hartes later stories were I'M
worthy of him; unquestionably some of them
we're the merest potboiIers. But many more OF
them show that he retained his old gifts and
used them with unvitiated strength when he
Was in the mood. His defender quotes the
opinion of the late John Hay. written in
personal letter in 1894: Il agree with you per-
fectly about Harte's present form. He was
never better; his art is finer than ever, and his
invention equally active and fertile, his color
ing as sure and as vivid as when he wrote his
first stories" AS the recipient of this letter
Ike but it is time to abandon the legend that he
had no staying powers
The Russian correspondent of 1.-The Athen-
Gum" reports some interesting developments in
The literary affairs Of his country. 1t seems
that while the war and internal troubles have
lad a distracting influence upon the reading pub
lie they have also brought about some beneh-
rial changes. Though the censorship is still in
force the press laws are being investigated by
n special commission, with a view to giving
the press greater freedom and already its
rights have been so far enlarged that its witt
ers congratulate themselves what they call
"the Spring" Publishers also have greater lib
trty. NJ. Bruisov notes that when Giles Fletch-
prs con the Russo Commonwealth" first print
ed in England in 1891, reprinted in Il mag
nZine in 1878 by Professor BOdianSki the num-
Der of the magazine was confiscated and BOdi-
anski was sent from Moscow to Kazan. Now
Il translation of the book is among the gifts
of Spring" to the Russians. They have also
been vouchsafed books by native writer's
(which before came into the hands of Russian
readers as a kind of contraband, in editions
published beyond the frontier" More of the
works of Herzen today accessible in Rus
sin than were ever openly circulated there be
fore, and the hitherto forbidden poems of his
friend Ogariev have also been brought out
der the new regime Then there is the work
of Tchernishevski, who eyiled to Siberia
for treason in 1864 after having stirred the
youths of Russia with his writings. He was
allowed to return IN 1883, but died in that year.
His works were long entirely forbidden, and
those recently published appeared without his
the title page, but this year his novel,
"What Is To Be Dene?' mas been published
with bis name.
The reprnt is not faring any too well in Eng
land to Judge from what publisher has
been saying to The Academy" In his opinion
the business is being oyerdone, and the editor
adds that already we hear a large and thor
ough scheme inaugurated lately by a firm of
publishers for the reprinting in uniform vol
umes and with perfect texts of all the old mas
lcrs of prose and verse is threatened with fail
IRE" The explanation onered is the same
which we gave week ago in speaking of the
fortunes of books IN general The bad ones
yet in the way of the good ones" All this
must be discouraging to lnglish observers, but