New-York tribune., 1907-12-07

English series, Classics of Art. Mr.. Edward Dill
Ion is writing companion volume on RuOehs'
Each study is TO be richly illustrated
One of the new books of "reminiscences teils
the story OF the lost eye of Gambetta on the
authority Of a we'll known Englishman hVihs
in Paris:
appears that Gambetta had such fafbsr f5skf that af
unless he taken away from schooi ne. ne m1u w n
poke one of his eyes out His iathep Gambetta
did he had threatened TO do and on ms h father
sent him back aeair to school he would poke the
he that his father had finally to give way 10 hlii
The International News Company SENDS us the
usual sheaf of christmas Numbers, the sPe-
cial holiday editions, with supplementary lhuS
trations in colors, of The Graphic, Inc H.
Illustrated London News The Gentle"oIhah'
and Pears Annual" The large pictures IN
tended for framing are mostly OF the Iaiiiiiia,
festive or sentimental type, but The Graphic
gives one serious plate in a very successIul re-
production in colors of Holman Hunts famous
picture 1.-The Light Of the World Looking
over the stories and verses in these Christmas
numbers we find some episodes of rather grim
adventure and in Mr. Cutcliffe Hynes Inc
Discontinued Mail" a capital narrative OF the
eerie sort. Generally, however, the tone Is
gayer than we have known it to be in years
For once the makers of Christmas ANIMALS nave
decided not TO give their readers new shudder.
but to make them laugh. Perhaps the funniest
of all the things in this bundle is the series of
'Posers for Posterity' drawn for The Illus
trated London News by Mr. Lawson Wood
There are some exceedingly entertaining
studies of wild animal life in Mr. William j.
Longs new book Whose Home Is the Wilder
ness tGinn & Coz. The author in these studies
suggests the individuality of all tie wood folk,
revealed to him, he tells U.S. in long hours OF
patient watching. There are chapters on his
experiences with birds, with big beasts ana
little beasts, from bear to chipmunk. What
he has to say of the manners of little Chip"
recalls similar interviews between these Great
ures and the writer Of this paragraph:
Last summer one. of the whom employed
a chipmunk that made himself very much at home
a9oIt our & saR one day wep b ne toe oan G oi that
he did not have the right medicine. l took an
cause when We gave this wilderness squirrel
whole nut for the first time he did not know what
bling bit of Latin doggerel for medicine As
kept a distance, but when the man withdrew
and sat down quietly the little fellow came at
SoGsly 70 bus @ eshg me Steadily ali While til
his his nose touched the Ph5 an N my the heDG nut
which was altogether too much for his tiInidity;
as it took flight, for he scampered nimbly after
it till he sat fair on my knee where he nipped ID
every way to pull the morsel from between my
To this day the guide thinks that I have some
special power over animals. but 1t was simply
had been too eager too excited too impatient. and
the chipmunk. 1ike most wild animals and like
certain children who seem at times to understand
your thought rather than your action, had felt
the subtle excitement and was afraid. In day
two he understood US better and would take
food from anybody.
Mr. Meredith. like Mr.. Hardy, is enjoying the
privilege of looking on while some Of his readers
make books about his books, A year or so ago
Mr. George Macaulay Trevelyan. who comes of
a family of historians and is himself a clever
historian, produced an interesting volume on
The Poetry and Philosophy of George Mere
dith" This week Mrs N. Sturge Henderson
has brought out volume on George Meredith:
Novelist Poet Reformer," and soon to
have still another book on The Novels of George
Meredith" by Elmer Ellsworth James Bailey.
All these books are published by Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons whose imprint is also, may note.
upon a pocket edition of the works of the novel;
ist. the best edition that has been issued,
whistler's fine portrait of Henry Irving as
Philip OF Spain was not, it appears, TO the taste
of the actor. Ellen Terry says IN McCIurt
Magazine' Henry had a strange affection for
the wrong pictures of himself. He disliked the
Rastien-Lepage, the Whistler, and the Sargent,
which never even saw the light. He adored the
weak, pretty pretty picture by Millais, which, L
must admit all the same, held the mirror up to
one of the characteristics OF Henry's facets
extreme refinement. Whistler's Philip probably
seemed not nearly snowy enough"
A friend OF Whittier contributes to "Lippin-
colt" some slight but agreea bic "reminiscences
of the poets later years. There is not much
here about his literary methods, but it is worth
while to quote what he answered to a supposi-
writing without labor that it easy to him
NO" he said emphaticaIly, everything is labor
TO me. 1 don't know any easy writing"
His friend remembers that it was in Boston
that Whittier once had the novel experience of
not being recognized
He was talking TO two ladies the Winthrop
House. A young woman just out OF boarding
school, who had come to pay visit to the ladies'
was introduced to the poet; but she was far from
possible to enighten her in his presence
of nsfronsee addine fhsf his name m reninded her
that at school they had just been reading Snow
bound" by the poet Whittier. 1t was SO beautiful,
he se es resd m AHd she SuSned ihaney IN It's praise i'4'
The poet admitted that he had looked it over
assent that question went without saying; and
She next asked Mr. Whittier if he were any rela-
tive of the poet
He had not studied out what relation. he an
And have you ever seen the poet Whittier"
she propounded promptly.
The poet admitted that he thought he had met
him.
are not recorded: but for time she talked on.
r,err IN he md of