The Washington herald., 1907-06-16
BY HECTOR FULLER.

was astonished and awed to see that little
slip OF a thing sit up at table and take
part in the conversation Of the grown
people, capabiy and with ease and tran
quility Poor Jean was obliged 20 Keep
still. for the subjects discussed never hap
pened to hit her Level. but at last the
talk fell within her limit and she had her
chance 10 contribute to it, Tom Saw
yer was mentioned. Jean spoke CRATE
fully up, and said:
u know who wrote that book-Har-
rlet Beecher Stowe"
The record Of book popularity at the
Public Library for the past week shows
that in noufction the most popular
books are Ibsen's "The Dolls House
and Bisland's Life and Letters Of Laf-
cadlo Heam" In fiction the cali was for
Halls Aunt Jane of Kentucky and
wilkins by the Light Of the Soul
The youngsters department found Al
cott's Little Men" and French's "The
Junior Cup" the most popular.
John DavidsOn's critics viii be inter-
ested 10 learn that that poet subscribes
20 "a prosecuting agency. lie adds: Il
consider every cutting carefully. rcjoic-
ing i'm good will wherever I find it. and .
rejoicing also in the virulence of my
enemies. which becomes more and more /
concentrated with every new Testament /
4 f- rf hal
known to himself and others, by the /
company he keeps; the enemies he sue
Ceeds I'm making are the true mark Of his /
character and Of the greatness Of his /
intention
Among the curious personal recollee-
tious Of Walt Whitman by Mrs. Calder /
formerly Mrs. William Douglas O'C0n- /
norJ, in the June Atlantic is the inter- /
esting note that Whitman was fond Of /
repeating rhymed and rhytmnical verses /
from the poets while about his room and /
engaged in the ordinary occupations Of /
domestic life. "One verse says Mrs. /
Calder that he liked We'll 20 repeat 7 /
remember, It was called The Greatest /
Pain.
A mighty pain 20 love it is
And yet q pain that love 70 miss;
Put of all pains, the greatest I4ia
Il is % lo'e but lcTc IN vain.
Mrs. Calder saws that Whitmans reci- /
tati0ns were rather disagreeahie as 'he |
had a somewhat theatrical artificial mon /
nar. and q habit Of using his voice as If /
his throat were stiffonod. instead Of the /
clear flexible voice that he used In CON /
versatiOn" John Boyle OReiIly, by the /
way. has testified TO WhitmIn'S f3ndness /
for repeating "The Midnight Visitor 49,
Whose steps are those who comes so /
late%'-a rhymed and metrical poem
which has often been attributed 10 Whit .
man.
A new section Of the Oxford English
Dictionary carries the slow alphabctic
procession from Piper to PoIygenist.c,
edited by Dr. James A. II. Murray. As
in all the sections the great distinguish
ing feature here is the number of illus
trative quotations. showing the historical
changes in the meaning Of a word which
is the one supreme function Of "a die
tiOrarv. The number Of such quotations
in the present section is 2o,StS, against
2217 in the corresponding section Of the
Century, and ass in the Standard
Among the fiction issued by the Serb
ners' for June is the new novel by the
author of Elizabeth and Her German
Garden" called "Fraulein Schmidt and
AIr. Anstruther" a love story in the
highly amusing and sentimental surround
/ iHgs Of a little German town, and Richard
Harding Davis new story, -'Tha AdveB-
lures of the Scarlet Car" the tale Of the
/ experiences Of a girl and three men in an
automobile Frederic G.. Howes book,
The British City. The Beginning Of
Democracy" will APPEAR this month. and
the new volume in the series Of Original
Narratives Of Early American History"
which contains The Voyages Of Samuel
de Champlaiu," -" Social and Religious
Ideals.'' a volume Of little essays by Rev
Artemas Jean Hayes, viii he published
this month and another volume of the
new edition Of Ibsen containing "Hedda
Gabler' and The Master Builder"
William Morris well-known interest in
manuscript-making and calligraphy lends
an added interest 10 a manuscript copy
Of part Of Mr.. Morris own poetry now
on exhibition In the retail department of
/ Charles Scribnfr's Sons. This manuscript
consists Of the Introductory poem,
March," from the book of that name I'm
/ The Earthly Paradise and begins.
Slayer of the winter art thou here again7
/ welcome, thou that b-ingst the summer nigh
It is beautifully written in the poets
[ bold hand and is signed william
/ Morris and dated January Z. 1895. The
Q
/ written on one side of a large quarto
sheet and attraCtiyely framed, so that il
makes a most interesting memento Of this
| great poet, artist and craftsman, whose
fame is steadily growing,
Studies IN German Literatur by
| Bayard Taylor. published in 1879 is still
/ in demand. and seems in a critical way.
! substantially level with the scholarship Of
/ our own generation. G. p. Putnam's Sons
! have just renewed the copyright for the
work ref fred to, and Mrs. Bayard TAYLOR
/ has revised It In accordance with certain
notes left by the author It viii perhaps
/ surprise some to learn that Bayard Tay-
I lor's books of travel and novels are still,
/ Ike the Studies in German Literature"
active books.
New editions Of that popular series
of handbooks dealing with the lives
and the work Of famous French. Span
ish, Italian, and German authors,
known as Foreign Classics for Eng.
lsh Readers" and edited by the late
Mrs Oliphant. have recently been pub
| Ished by the J. B. Lippincott Company
The authors treated are Rousseau.
Goethe. PetraTch, Nine. de Sevigne
Montaigne. Moliere. Rabelais. Voltaire.
Pascal, TassO. Cervantes. Calderon
CorneiIle and Racine, ST. Simon, and
la FOntaine