New-York tribune., 1908-12-12

serial in 'AIunsey's Magazine" for six months
TO come.
NJ. Funck-Brentano's new book La Regence."
deals with the regency of Philip. Duke Of Or
leans. during the minority of Louis XIV. 1t IS
issued by Goupu in the artistic fashion charac-
teristic of the publications of that firm Le
Biscuit de Sevres" is the title Of another book
which is now on the GOupil press. 1t is TO be
richly illustrated.
The once prevailing lists of the hundred best
books" have receded into the past, but Will no
doubt come up again some day matters OF
discussion. Meanwhile the list OF dozen
books which Southey once said he would have
kept had his library been limited to that num-
Der Is worth remembering. Fullers Church
History" was one Of them. The others were
Shakespeare. Chaucer, Spenser and Milton;
Clarendon. Jackson, Jeremy Taylor and South;
Izaak Walton, Sir Philip Sidneys Arcadia -
and Sir Thomas Browne What a wealthy
and well stored mind" Southey wrote, would
that man have, what 6 Bank OF England 20
draw upon for profitable thought and delight
full associations, who should have fed upon
them"
The straining and preciostty that infect so
much OF our current literary production" are
vigorously attacked by the Chicago Dial
thus:
From the use Of words for the concealment OF
thought to their for the COncealment OF its
taken by extraordinary numbers Of writer's at The
present time How else should the voracious print
Ing presses be fe1 with copy, the aTtless pub
lie get It's intellectual breakfast food? The aP-
petite the masses may OF course be served with
commonplace thoughts and sentiments Sarnls!led
with the tissue paper ornaments OF coInonplCs s
rhetoric and their case has thus been aisposea o6
all ages. But just above the level OF the masses
there is a stratum of readers who demand some
Fortunately q sham distinction Is sufnclenL TOT
+heir needs and thev think brlIrnnagem quite as
who has nothing say but many ingenious ways
Of saying it the opportunity for which he has been
seeking, and he sets bravely out 10 win with MS
pen the plaudits that may be thus cneaply got
The fashion in which this writer arranges
his thoughts is amusingIy traversed by The
Dial"
Among his methods are the employment of tortu-
Gus constructions that have be puzzled and
bold eIlipses that permit several guesses for each
meaning. Sometimes he acquires a reputation for
ing clauses, and puts So many of them into sen
tence that when IL is ended one wonders what II
less hguratlve language that ne may De cred'1su
with great powers of imagination Sun again, he
darky hints that his writing Is symbohcaI' ana
will reveal precious inner slgnlhcanCe 10 those
who penetrate its verbal veil This is a parucu,
Iarly fetching trick. because anybody can mo
each investigator may feel that he has discov-
cred the right ones, and admire his own acunlen
with all the naive satisfaction of an inteuectu ual
lack Horner Finally, If all these devices fail 10
bring the writer a following he may resort 10
paradox for paradox. if only startling enough, IS
nfaJ1irgl1y effective ct him deny ali seIf-evident
propositions matter OF principle, declare the
widest of absurdities tc be the most OBVIOUS or
throughout as the normal thinker in mad
world and he viii enjoy very pretty repa-
tation as a philosopher. Examples OF how the
thing has been done will come to the mind or every
reader Of current fashionable literature.