The Washington herald., 1907-12-15


die. died feeling as though mother and
sister We're by their sides if only Mrs.
Cridley were there" She is eighty-three
years old, and is still a clerk in the Land
Office at Washington. Throughout the
i Hillsdale festival she was feted and
saluted on every hand. Mr.. Carleton him
self has passed his three-scOre years. It
is some thirty-hve years since he gave
his first volume OF Farm Ballads" con-
tanning such verses as 'Betsey and
Are Out" and "Oyer the Hills TO the
Poorhouse.' TO the Harpers-long enough
for the ballads TO become known to old
folk and schoOl-children the country
round.
Through all the flux OF holiday fiction
that is turned up fresh and new each
year there runs perennially a little
steadying current II is the demand for
older books This demand has called out
in new editions according 10 the Har-
per announcement. such wise and IA
lvorite books as Macaulay's Life and Let
ters.' John Stuart Mills System of
Logic" Morley's de Quincey and
''Sterne" in the English Men of Let
ters." Miss Mulocks Brownie" and
Walter Besants "Armorel Of Lyonesse. q"
II is not often that a 'best seller" finds
its way to the pulpit as the favorable
subject OF a sermon. The other day The
Weavers." Sir Gilbert Parker's new novel.
was announced by a New York minister
as the topic Of an afternoon talk. AS
the subject had been announced before
hand in the regular church columns OF
the newspapers. the audience included
several people with a curiosity TO know
just how a popular novel-and the popu-
lar novel is never preachy-would lend
itself to preaching. The discourse. how
ever. drew nothing more sensational than
n simple plea for more men Ike the hero
OF The Weavers." Sir Gilbert Parker
recently wrote an article. published in
the current number of the North Amerl-
can Review, on Fiction and It's Place
in the National Life" 10 which this ap-
pearance OF his own novel IN the pulpit
is a significant addendum.
Mr.. J. VI. Barrie tells how on arriving
in New York some years ago. he was
accosted by breezy young woman on
the dock. who had launched into a pane
gyric OF his work and declared that her
favorite of all his books was The Suckii
Minister" Before Mr. Barrie could dis
avow the authorship and shift the credit
and responsibility upon Mr. Crockett
shoulders. the young person pursued the
subject by charging him with autobio-
graphic intent Now. Mr.. Barrie. I'm
sure you were that Sticket Minister your
self-don't deny it, And of she bounced
: 10 report the facts in an alleged inter
view with the Scottish novelist in next
days paper
1t is quite futile for the public. says q
writer in Haper's Weekly. that circle OF
it which really desires good books. tC
, wiring its hands and wall over the de-
pravity OF the publisher. n only Il would
extend its circle oy forming great asso-
Citations for the demand and pursuit OF
better reading-if il would have v3st
anti-novel organization, with rules nevel
TO buy or 90 read q current novel until Il
had survived a decade and stii held inter
est. or never 10 buy a book q would not
VOW 10 read through twice. or il il would
found society for the support Of th'
minor poets" then indeed "a useful deed
would be done. and the world really serv.
. ed. If, again. these select few who really
care about books would be as careful ir
the selection OF the books they give away
as they are about the books they buy e
own, some good would result
Meanwhile, the publisher has anotheI
difficulty 10 contend with. which is m,
. difficulty OF distribution good book. q
is taken for granted in the beginning. 5,
not going 10 cell very widely; the amount
therefore. that Is spent upon advertising
it has TO be much more closely calculated
than the amount spent on advertising q
, sensational novel To get the worthy
book before the eyes Of the man that
reads just that particular kind of worthy
book is q new and often insuperable com
plication. There are people in the world
for example. who read essays Of a NOR,
or less serious nature. who actually very
much prefer them 20 vapid story, ant
yet. scattered as they are among IN,
: nOvei-readers, like needles in a haystack
J how are they TO be picked out by the pub
; Usher as he sits at his desk2
Some particularly appropriate books foi
holiday giving have just been Issued un-
der the imprint Of the J. 3. Lippincott
Company Among these are Holly; the
Romance Of a Southern Girl by Ralph
Henry Barbour. illustrated in fun color
and containing many decorative text pic
lures; The Pearl; Its story. It's Charm
and Its Value" by W. r. CatteHe. viii
) many illustrations in half-tone and tint
J Poets Country" edited by Andrew Lang
containing fifty full-page Illustrations II
color; Under the Syrian Sun" by G
Inchbold, with forty full-page color plate.
and eight black and white drawings
Gods and Heroes Of Old Japan" b,
Violet NJ Pasteur, with original drawing,
) on every page, and four charming Illus
tratiOns in color, and Lotus Land" by
z. 4. Thompson, containing a eoloret
frontispiece and numerous illustration,
and drawings.
A third edition Of Antonio Fogazzaro'.
/ powerful novel. THE Woman" published
in the late spring. is announced by tn,
J. B. Lippincott Company.
Rudyard Kipling. whose COLLECTED
Verse" has Just been brought ont in on,
volume by Doubleday, Page & Co. ha,
been appearing in a new role in Canada
where he has developed unexpected power
as a public speaker. and has been listened
to eagerly as he has set forth his hope.
for the Canada of the twentieth cen
! tury.
An addition to the attractive thin
/ paper editions Of the year is the twenty
volume Dickens announced by Double
day, Page & Co. and published in Eng
land by Chapman & Hall. II is finished
in beautiful morocco binding and con
tains no fewer than 7C0 illustrations. Tn,
; type is clear and readable the books ar,
convenient and handy. and the whole Sc
is On6 OF the most satisfactory forms +,