The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-13
Literary Lights and Shadohs
BY s. MAYS BALL

l There was typographical error Chats right-lay it on the compositorD in review published December on "Waterloo' in that the distinguished authors name was given as James Watson, when, of course. it should have been Thomas E. Watson
 Col. Alfred Colqutt Newell. lovingly 1 known as plain 'Alf when he is, as al- ways, advertised by his loving friends, formerly one of the greatest newspaper scoop collectors in Atlanta, New York and The Land That Never Was, now one of those life insurance general agents, sometimes called "pests,' who sing to us the ditty entitled "The Loving Husband, or The Man Who Dies To Wln"-has re- gently burst forth in magazine song.
 The aforesaid song, different from the die-to-win ditty. is entitled Uncle Ephs Santa Claus which appears in the De eember number of Uncle Remus The Home Magazine. The editor of that mag azine in his announcement states that this poem is full of pleasing lilt.'
 Maybe 1t Is. and even if it Is, MT. New els poem is really very pleasing Hit or otherwise. The poem occupies full page in the magazine and tells the story in pleasing poetry of an old negro lament ing the Christmas days "uv Marster Jim
 You cant keep a good man down. Here's hoping that protecting the "wid- ows and orphans will leave to MT. New ell time within which to give us more of his poetry. whether it contains "lllt'' or not. Uncle Eph's Santa Claus is all right.
 ''Blackstick Papers" By Lady Ritchie.
 Illustrated e. P Putnams Sons) l ba fplr pa hU Ritchie (Anne Thackeray Ritehie). is q collection of essays by Thaekerays ac- eompished daughter. These essays, of which there are 13, deal with men and books and other matters, written with much grace and charm, in line with the same grace and charm which character ] ized her famous fathers Roundabout i Papers.
 By the way. do you know that Mir. i Thackeray, after he retired from the ed- l itorshp of the Cornhill Magazine, was paid 100 guineas each, say, s525. for the two three page essays which were aft i erwards collected as the Roundabout Pa ] pers''? How do you think he must have felt, receiving s525 each for those little Sketches when he recalled that he had in earlier years sold the great novel, Hen " Esmond," outright to his publishers for only 91OOO (S5O00)?
 In the 13 essays Lady Ritchie discusses among other things and people, Haydn, Felicia Felix, St Andrews Joseph Joo- chim, Mrs. Gaslzell, Thomas Bewick, and l so on.
 To this reviewer, who loves Any- thing from or about the great Rus sian novelist, Tourgueneff. the essay in this collection dealing with that master artist is the most pleasing. Lady Ritchie as child had met the great Russian in her fathers drawing room. Later as grown woman she met him again and again. and now writes about it. The int mate details of the great Russian novel, ist-how he appeared to friends and ac quaintances, a reprint of some of his per 1 sonal letters-are all very charming.
 My first remembrance of Ivan Tour neguenieff is of tall figure standing in the summer twilight in that familiar green drawing room in Onslow square where so many things happened which were beyond me and where many things were said which I did not follow. In those days I was more used to look at my fathers guests than to speak to them or to understand who they were.
 When l met Tourneguien again it was long years afterwards. i. As the song fin- ished Just then my glance fell upon Tourneguieff leaning against the door post at the far end of the room, and as l looked l was struck being short-sight- co., DA d ceTldl1 TeSeHDldIc6 lO uly HULL CT which I tried to realize to myself He was very tall, his hair was gray and abundant, his attitude was quiet and re- | poseful. Two days later we met again at Mrs Huth's. Tournegulff came straight up to me at once. T was so sorry that I could not come and see you, he said so very sorry but I was prevented Look at my thumbsl' and he held up both his hands with his palms outward. I looked at his thumbs, bua could not understand.
 ' See how small they are he went on. People with such little thumbs can never do what they intended to do; they always let themselves be prevented, and he laughed so kindly that I felt as if his wis., it had been paid all tile time and quite understood the validity of his excuse
 It is thus the Lady Ritchie discusses the people mentioned in her book. The lover of the real good things in literature should own the "Backstiek Papers"
 You remember Fairy Blackstick' wno lived in Grim Tartary some 10000 or 20 600 years ago. and who used to frequent the court of his majesty King Valoroso XXIV don't you? From that old witch Lady Ritchie takes the name for her col lection of charming essays
 Uncle Carl" By Surev. CNeale Publish
 ing Co)
 Carl Englewood is the hero of this good 1 noyel-very good indeed
 Carl didn't believe in all the accepted things, scripturally speaking, and the au- thor of this book endeavors to give an | answer to the complaint You take away from us the old faith, but give us nothing back in place of it."
 Carl. though. had a faith of his own, one tenet of which was adherence of hypocrisy. "the most despicable sin of humanity
 Carl was honest man. a moralist, 1 and he lived righteous life as he under stood 1t. contending always against, as nanfully as he could, those ever-present enemies from within and without Even when his sweetheart, dying, beg ged him to accept her religion he refused, ] saying that even she would not have his last act for her that of hypoerte.
 There are. of course villain or two in l the novel-John Stanhope. suave scoun- i drel, and the inscriptions Jenkins, who plot all sorts of evil against Uncle Carl.