The San Francisco call., 1907-01-20

assimilated much out Of the undercur-
rent of oficial life and unconsciously
written 1t into her book
Since Paul Lawrence Dunbar made
the literary world sit up and take
notice there has been no representative
OF the negro in literature. One, how
ever, has Just been discovered in James
Ephraim McGirt OF Philadelphia. he
writes both in good English and dialect,
but the simplicity and tenderness OF
the dialect verses are his best points
His first modest little book is just out
under the title For Your Sweet Sake"
Thus the confession OF Wallace Irwin,
industrious parodist, in his Random
Rhymes and Odd Numbers:
have vandaIishIy parodied 1.-The Raven"
have written things that sounded like '"Ths
Brook"
Banal sambOls have made with ''rhe Iniun
Serenade,"
And I've dandled Kipling's Vampire on ny
hook.
But in all my dark career OF evil doing
Certain moments of discretion have shown
have never tackled "Hiawatha's WOOing''i
There are chestnuts which It's best to leave
e. Phillips Oppenheim and Fred NJ
White, with highly successful English
novelists are ardent devotees OF golf
Mr.. White says: I play it every after
noon; it's fine discipline for the
temper"
E. T. Benson's recent books have
been marked. each Of them. by one
striking character. The reviewers
seem to agree that his most unusual
creation is Theodore Beckwith, one Of
the principal figures in his last and
much discussed novel, Paul" The
critics are applying such terms to
Beckwith as vampire" "deviI' and
"iend."
George Moore is always rushing into
print defending himself his books
from some grouchy critic. He has a
poor opinion of American taste and
none whatever of American judgment.
This conclusion is reached by his ex-
perience with his book Esther
Waters" He took his proof sheets to
three American firms and by each 1t
was politely declined because OF its
immortality; so he took it to Eng
land, and when, after three weeks, It
was a success there, the American
firms offered to publish authorized edI-
tions of 1t. Moore asks: How IS 1t
/, that an immoral book can become
moral in three weeks?"
One of the many books written lately
on the japanese question is The Book
of Tea" by Okakura Kakuzo. the we'll
known Japanese critic He is . man OF
rare culture and attainments and de-
plores the attitude OF the East and
West toward each other. He tells
curious and laughable stories which
only few years ago were taught the
youth of Japan by the wise men OF
the day An example of this is found
in the following passage: "The wise
men who knew informed us that you
(of the West) had bushy tails some
where hidden in your garment and
often dined off a fricassee OF newborn
babesI The author suggests that some
OF the popular Western ideas Of Japan
and the East may be as highly colored.
Frankfort Moore, the author Of the
"Jessamy Bride" has an ideal home
for writer of romance at Lewes
Castle, Sussex, England.
A wonderful Italian garden, gate
way built by William the Conqueror,
bits of Aubusson tapestry acquired
from the Empress Eugene. an ormolu
and Sevres table painted by Boucher
these are a few OF the things one
reads in descriptions OF his beautiful
home.
Ex-Embassador Joseph H. Choate
writes an interesting memorial intro
duction to "The Dream and the Busi-
ness" the novel which John oliver
Hobbies (Mrs. Craigie) finished~just
before her death. He compares her
with George Eliot, that other remark
able woman writer of the previous
generation, and says: IF George Eliot
had died at thirty eight the world
would hardly have heard OF her as a
novelist at all. for when she published
her first great work, scenes from
Clerical Life.' she was already older
than Mrs. Craisie was when she died.
and4t was in the next twenty years
that she continued to create those mas
terpieces which have made her name
immortal"
The Prix Goncourt has this year been
awarded to two brothers Jerome and
Jean Thauraud, for their book entitled
"Dingley, fI1lustre Ecrivain.' The Lon
don Academy says OF It:
The book Is a study of an English
man, whose prototype is perhaps Kip
ling. In any case he has won fame az
40; soldiers sing his verses and he is
known for his patriotism and his belief
in the mission Of the Anglo-Saxon race
But it is the moment Of the Boer war,
and the English pride has been sorely
wounded. Dingley wishes to offer some
consolation to his country, and sketches