The Washington herald., 1907-12-08
THE WORLD OF BOOKS
LITERARY GLEANNGS AND GOSSIP

ward University. The chief foreign tribute
was an illuminated address from the
RuslSin Society OF Glasgow, which said
in part:
On this occasion we recall with pleasure the long
period q friendship YOU privileged 70 enjoy
with John Ruskin whom We still delight 10 cell
master and especially would we remember with
gRtitudo the dc0t uC ali owe you for your Letters
Of Ruskiu.
During your long life YOU hare hocn able 10
compsh IN the doulain oi literature many remark
able works Al this time should especially re-
member ycir wcrx as the first commentator in Eng
lish On the Vita Nuova" As a Dante scholar
yolu place is an honorable one; y0uT niche IN the
palace Of art is surely fixed and recognized
Your great contemporaries IN American literature
hare enshrined their names In works which the
world viii not willingly let die, and II gives as
pleasure recall thai you were one Of the honored
friends Of that noble band
Your memorial volume, issued the hun
dredth anniversary = Longiellow's birthday gives
striking proof that yonr hand has not lost its cIn-
ming in the an & literature. Lovers Cf Longfel-
low-and their name is legion in all parts Of the
woTld-must be yCU debtors fer recording your
recollections Of him
Robert Louis Stevenson had few more
intimate friends than VIII II Low. and
readers Of his life and letters will remen-
Der how much his correspondence with
this friend helped 10 reveal his own per-
sonality. Mr.. Low was young art stu
dent in Paris "in the time and circle
OF the Stevensons. Robert Louis and his
cousin Bob, the art critic; and his
Chronicles OF Friendship OF those days,
announced 20 appear in Scribner's Maga-
zine during 1908, is a most delightful con-
III.
ality and to the ART life Of Paris and
Barbizon Of thirty years ago. Among
the many friends of those days was Jean
Francois Millet, the painter of The An
gelus." The Sower," &C, one Of the real
" great artists of the modern world. Mr..
Low has written with frankness and a
sense Of humor. and withal a fine SINGER
ity and seriousness that are irresisubly
attractive.
Charles z. Russell, author Of "The Up
rising Of the Many" is a newspaper man.
as his father was before him. Il seem
to have done everything about a news
paper Office from wrapping up mail to
financing the enterprise remember
once had a job in which I was at the
same time market reporter and dramatic
critic cpork and poetry Il was called in
the office). The best job ever had was
city editor: 10 be a king or president IS
nothing compared 10 being the city edi-
tor OF a New York paper II you have
managing editor you can bully and a
proprietor that keeps his hands off. To
take 1000 loose ends Of news and weave
them into patterns differing every day
is no mean art and TO get from l00 bright
minds the best work they are capable
Of is field marshalling, and there is not
another post known TO man that COM
bines these two delightful occupations"
Among the holiday editions OF this year
tractive little pocket editions Of we'll
known stories. sold for 81 when they are
bound in leather. and for so cents when
bound in boards One OF the most charm
ing of these books are new reprints
bound in red limp leather with gold
design for the title Ci Henry van Dykes
Little Rivers" Cables ''Old Creole
days" Eugene Fields Little Book Of
Profitable Tales" Pages In ole Vir-
ginia,'' and Hollands -Kathrina' and
Bitter Sweet" These books, which are
16mo in size. are enclosed in a cardboard
paper and type and general appearance.
So much has already been written on
Hamlet that the author of a new book on
that mystifying play feels rather put on
his defense. Prof Charlton Minor Lewis,
of Yale. says in the preface Of his '"The
Genesis of Hamlet" which Messrs. Henry
Holt & Co. announce for immediate pub
lication, that he believes it differs from
all previous treatises In including the first
complete attempt to solve the Hamlet
problem by discriminating between
Shakespeare's original contributions 10
the story, and the legendary materials
that he inherited" as previous commen-
tators appear TO have thought Il "impos-
sibie to distinguish these heterogeneous
elements" DR.. Lewis striking little vol
ume will also handle, among other topics.
the Theories Of Coleridge and Werder. :"
forest" The German Hamlet" and
"ophelia."
The famous coup d'etat by which Ma
poleon III gained control of France is
wildly described in the Memoirs Of
Monsieur Claude just published by
Houghton, Miflln & Co. Among the
many anecdotes of the eventful evening
Of December /. 1851. NJ. Claude gives the
following:
Comte de Morny, the chief spirit of the
nocturnal drama about to be performed.
was az the Opera Comique in order to
allay suspicious. A lady said to him:
Monsieur de Morny, is il true that
they are going to sweep out the Cham
ber?'
Madame. ] don't know anything about
it, he replied; but if there is any sweep
ing to be done 1 shall try TO be on the
side Of the broom-handle."
An inspiring true story. called Two
Who Dared" is told IN Country Life in
America for December, by Walter A.
Dyer. It is the life-story Of Edward w.
Redfeld, the well-lnown landscape paint
er-how he and his brave little French
wife cut loose from the city and started
life anew in the country, with no capital
and how the artist fought his way TO
fame.
Here is an amusing incident in the
story:
When Mr. Redheld was notified that he rss ,h.
recipient n tho medal Of honor q the Academy
q Fine Arts. he mixing a bucket Of fcod f,r his
chickens. messenger boz in that locality MAS in
iiselt enough Of novelty 10 give man a nervous
shoek, Nr Retneid tore open the dispatch and
read ifs contents hastily. Being. as have said 4
human being the news Of bis great and ha-d-earped
success was not without its emotioaal eject. With
an attempt 20 conceal his feelings he dismissed the
boy and started on his errand 10 the chicken yard
bis heart OIeroUing with the JOY of ii all. and his
head in the clouds
And then" said he, with droll cock Of the
eye. i came back % earth very Suddenly 10 md
that hau lnsged 10 Tie chicken yard instead Of
the bucket Of feed, a scuttlc of coal Then voi,
should have seen me sneakiHg around 10 tho house