The Washington herald., 1908-01-12
LITERARY GOSSIP.

writings nothing stands out more clearly
than the fact that she is pre-eminently
a woman in the commonly accepted, per
haps even old-fashioned, sense Of the
term. The most casual contact with her
genial. CHEEKY, absolutely unaffected per-
sonality produces q sensation of large
souled motherhood that embraces each
and all and is therefore, indeed, unlike
that motherhood whose hal mark is a
rigid exclusiveness, confined 10 its own
offspring Ellen Keys offspring hll the
world-they are all those that labor that
bear burdens, that have cares that she
diyines and endeavOrs to s1lace For love
is the keynote Of her life as Of her writ
ings. The books on which Ellen Keys
European fame chiefly rests, Love and
Marriage and "The Century OF the
Child, have been published since the
century turned. They contain the sum
total of her life g thought and expert
ence She once laughingly remarked
that she had been writing THE Century
Of the Child" since she was four years
old.
In his transatlantic letter to the New
York Evening Post, Mr. Andrew Lang ad-
vises all people who Ike literary ancc-
does OF the Victorian age-the age Of
Carlyle, Thaceray and Dickens-to read
in the current issue of BIachwood's Mag
azine the "reminiscences Of the fate Prof
Mason, taken down from his dictation
by his daughter Miss Flora Mason. The
opening is unpromsng." he says; I'VE
seem 10 receive the usual list Of names.
some of them forgotten; some. ike that
/ OF Douglass Jerr0ld, belonging 10 authors
now little read. though remembered for
their good sayings. But presently We
come 70 ThaCkgray. ana Prof Mason g
anecdotes confirm his reputation for kind
ness and generosity. one OF them gave
me a great inclination TO cry in pure
affection and admiration for a man whom
II never saw Prof Mason. in these old
days was young journalist the first
editor Of MacmillaHs Magazine He held
/ for many years the chair of English liter
/ Iature in Edinburgh University, he was the
biographer Of Milton, and, in old age,
was the editor OF the Register OF the
/ Privy Council Of Scotland. adding pref
/ aces not only useful hut amusing.
/ At book exhibition iu London recently
the opening address was delivered by
/ Frederic Harrison, and IN it's midst he
gave voice TO an opinion Of reviewing that
/ is both caustic and humorous.
/ II is 10 use 70 raly 90 shat the critics @y They
I vii not tell yog much. 50 rather old hand at
I criticism and reviewing aud ! ultet care straw
I what ties 8y-I u0T DO is all uGisluse. Tie thing
is 90 select y1ur books for yourself UIt E1v Clu
I sou choose yulr books unless son ssa them aud get
/ hold Of them: An old w0Felb used to saw Don't
/ hly a rs b. 8 pose I sag Don't t1y BOOK
/ III a poke" People a-e iu the habit -i saving j
TEn au7ss Ssa5 and Elcl q book. HHt that IS an
odd prucgediUE. E SON want O horse or motor
car o. a aife 500 take q ferv good lock at them be-
/ fore son invest I Say take d good look 4t b5oAs
bef0re yuu lay 0.t yclr money.
IN the Nature Of Man putnam Prof
Metchinkof showed that man has In
( herited many bodily structures, physiO-
logical conditions. and mental traits from
/ his animal ancestors These relics were
/ in gear with th environment ia the re-
I mote past. but they are not ia har
m0ny with the present circumstances o
man. The legacies are the prime caus,
Of many OF the iIls u the human race
and IL is because Of them that so many
systems Of philosophy and religion have
had a frankly pessImistic basis. The pro
fessor found, however, that recent ad
vauces in knowledge gave just ground
for a scientific optimism In this new
volume. % be published early In 1898. 10
which the descriptive title Of the Pro
lougatiou Of Human Life iPutuam1. ha
been selected. Metchinkuff expOunds al
greater length. in the light Of additi00a
knowledge gained I'm the last few years
his main thesis that human life IS no
only unnatUrally short. but uunaturaIi,
burdened with physical and mental dis
abilities. He analyZes the causes of thes
disharmOules and explains his reason
for hoping that they may be counteract
ed 10y a rational hygiene Finally Do
+ discusses The social and moral aspect
of his proposals. Ills book brings 70 n
world a message Of hope that is n
. dream, but a substantial assurance base
upon the certaiutes Of science
In these days when so much Is sai
about the sums Of money which author
receive for literary work, it is interesting
to remember chat the highest rate Of com
pens8tiou ever given to q poet was pai
TO an Italian writer. Jacopo Sannazarl
ia the fifteenth century.
Sannazaro was by birth a Neap0Iitar
who wrote both in italian and in Latin
His poetry was so greatly admired as Q
be translated into many foreign Ian
guages, while all through Italy his fam
was very Ereat. Frederick III of Maple
presented him with q beautiful villa, an
his friendship was sought by nobleme
and princes.
! SannaZaTC was an ardent lover Of Iib
/ erty. and. though born i'm Naples. he I'D
J mired the Republic Of Venice as being th
home of political freedom in ITALY. Rom,
on the other hand, seemed 20 him cen
ter Of despOtism. lie contrasted the Nv
cities in a poem of six lines. entitled
"The Marvellous City, Venice" ID
Mirabiii Urbe, Venetiis}.
The Venetians were so highly fattere
by this poem that their Senate sent [
SannazarO the sum of 1890 crowns-8.6 q
crowns for each one Of the six lines Tn
nearest approach TO SO muuihcent q re
ward for poetry is found in the case G
! Tennyson, who is said TO have receive
! from the publishers of St Nicholas sli
a line for short lullaby. translate
of the poem of SannaZaro is given here
{ THE MARVELLOUS CITY. VENICE.
! Neptune hooked down on Venice by the Adriat
/ wave
A city SO majestic as TO make the sea its slave.
Now glorify, o Jupiter, quoth he, "the walls
Mars.
And boast Of Rome. whose pinna-les point uDwal
"a the stars
Though thou prefer the Tiber 10 our mighty mort
eTn floods.
Confess that Rome was reared by men. but veni,
by the gods
Having written a number Of novels tina
give voice to an enthusiasm for Italia
scenes and history, Richard Bagot Ia
now prepared a handbooks describing an
] ms
! Italy No details of routes and othe
/ information for the tourist that ma
7 readily be found elsewhere are included
for that is not the purpose of the bool
, It's object is 10 supply visitors TO th
Z Lombard Lakes with an entertainingl
written description Of the beautiful scene
/ among which thew NAV expect to trave