The Washington herald., 1908-02-02

There have been few more interesting
literary personalities in recent years thar
the late Lafcadio Hearn. the true inter
pretation of whose character no one. 81
far has been daring enough TO attempt
But Hearn himself has given intimat,
glimpses into his own heart, and nowhere
better than in a series of letters written
TO his intimate friend Henry Watkin
which have just been published under
the title Letters from the Raven" The
letters show in a striking way the de-
velopment of Heans character and
Ideals. They get their title from the fact
that their writer used. sometimes, curl
Gus drawing of a raven as his signature
II Is known that when Hearn went %
New Orleans he was charmed with the
place. though he endured much poverty
and privatiOn there OF that time De
writes 10 his friend:
To is all a dream here 1 suppose. and wil seen
dream even after the sharp awakening Cf another
voyage. the immortal gods only know where All
Gods! Beautiful gods Of antiquity. One can Oub
feel y0u and know you, and believe ia son. after
living in this sweet golden air. What is the good
If dreaming about earthly women when one is iu
love with marble aud ivory and the brouzes q
Ro01 years Ggol
AfterWard, when he had settled in ia
pan, it is easy 10 see from his letters how
his state Of mind had changed. he
wrote:
Here / am in the land Of dreams surrounded h
strange gods. ] seem % have known and loved
them before somewhere. - | PASS much Of ms
time n the temples trying % see into the heart q
this mysterious people, In order % do I have
10 blend with them and become part of them. Il
Is not easy. But I hope 10 learn the language, and
II do not, in spite Of myself. settle here. you
VIII again. If you d. not / shall be under
big trees in some old Buddhist cemetery. with six
laths above me- inscTibed with prayers in an un-
known tongue and queerly carved monument
tpifying those FIVE elements into which We ars sup
posed to melt away. | trust all is well with you.
dear old Dad. Write me when it will not pain
your eyes. Tell me all you can about yourself. BE
sure that I always remember you, and that my
Love goes 10 y0u.
I'm May, 1896. Hearn wrote his last let
ter to his friend, the oldest and dearest
that he had Hearn was married TO a
japanese wife, had become a japanese
citizen, and his whole heart was wrapped
up in the welfare Of his little son.
I really expect TO see you. You are only seventy
two. and hale and ! trust yOu have long years be-
fore you. and that shall meet. Oh. no. I shall
not have 10 look for You in the old mems home, no.
shall see you IN yJu own n0me-and talk queer
talk 70 you
For the time being Indeed for two years. have
lived altogether hy literary work, without breaking
my little reserve and il is likely that better things
ara IN store for me. am anxious for suc.lss-f5r
the boys sake. above ALL To have the future OF
others 20 msse-to feel the sr0nsihtes-crrtainly
changes the face Of life. ] always frightened
OF couSe, but l WUTk ard hope That is the best
IS I, not:
A new novel by Katherine Cecil Thurs
ton, The Fly on the Wheel" begins
publication, in the February number Of
The BoOkman.
Ernest Thompson .seton's book, "The
Natural History of the Ten Command
ments." recently published by Charles
Scrlbner's Sons, in which the origin Of
the DecalOgue is traced back TO the ami
nal kingdom. has met with some serious
consideration The following letter is
from Dr. Lyman Abbott 10 Mr Seton
7 read\'The Natural History OF the
Ten Commandments with "a great deal
Of interest and, in the main. it car
Tied conviction TO me. 1 should put this
article along with Henry Drummond's s
The Ascent of Man as helping to make
rational the belief that mans spiritual
nature as well as his physical organism
has been evolved from lower animal con-
ditions. Your article and Prof Drum
mOnd's book COntTasted with DarWius
Expression Of Emotions in Man and AMI
mails illustrate the scientific vaule of
imagination which Tyndall has recOg-
niZed and elucidated in his famous es-
say" Besides this letter from DR.. Alb
bott. Mr.. Seton has received various
other communications Of a somewhat
HH#.a.
a Jewish Rabbi OF especial interest since
the writer claims TO have taught the ami
mai genesis Of the Decalogue years ago.
Mr. John Burroughs has written a book
of essays entitled Leaf and Tindril,"
and Messrs. Houghton, Mif1in & Co viii
issue it early this spring, together with
Literature and the American College.
by Prof Irving Babbitt. of Harvard. and
also a volume of Mr.. George 5. Wasson's
shore and beach stories, appropriately
named The Rote."
In his introduction TO his life of Henrik
Ibsen, published this week by Scribner,
Edmund Gosse says; Numerous and var
fed as have been the analyses Of Ibsen's
works published in all languages. since
the completion Of his writings, there exists
no biographical study which brings to-
gether on a general plan, what has been
recorded of his adventures as an author.
Hitherto the only accepted life of Ibsen
has been 'Et LiteTdeTt LiVsbillede' pub
lshed in lSSS by Henrik Jaeger But the
advance of Ibsens activity and the in
crease OF knowledge since his death have
So much extended and modified the poets
history that 'Et LitaTaert LivSbiIIede' has
become obsolete. 1t would please. me best
If this book might be read in connection
with the final edition OF Ibsen's Complete
Dramatic Works, now being prepared by
Mr.. Archer in eleven volumes. The final
volume Of this edition. edited by Mr.
Archer. was published this month by
Charles Scribner's Sons. What has been
written about Ibsen in England and
France has often missed something of its
historical value by not taking into con-
sideration that movement Of intellectual
life in Norway which has surrounded him
and which he has stimulated. Perhaps
l may be allowed TO say of my little book
that this side of the subject has been par
ticularly borne in mind in the course Of
It's composition
To the February HaTpeT's Prof. Louns-
bury contributes one Of the most inter
tanning essays he or anybody else has
ever written in English speech He dis
cusses particularly the aristocracy and
exclusive character OF the society of Eng
lish pronOuns-that is 10 say-he talks
about the difficulty of correcting in the
language its chief deficiency. namely. its
lack of pronouns. such as genitive of
which, singular accusive Of you.
ana so forth The history Of 1T" and
its. recent innovations, is interesting.
The first novel on the February list of
hessrs. Little, Brown & co. is THE
Reaping, by Miss Mary INLAY Taylor,