The San Francisco call., 1910-10-02

A centenary which should not be al
lowed to pass wholly unobserved Is
that of Elizabeth Gaskell. author OF
Crawford, who was born September
90. 1910. Mrs. Gaskeli wrote many
novels besides the famous Crawford,
but her greatest service to literature
was her Life of Charlotte Bronte,
universally regarded as one of the
masterpieces of English biography. AS
a sister novelist and as friend, Mrs.
Gaskell was exceptionally qualified to
write the story of the Brontes. Her
biography of Charlotte is included in
all standard editions of the Bronte nov
els and makes a separate volume In
the new "Thornfield Bronte." In this
edition another sister novelist, Mrs.
Humphry Ward has written an intro
duction for each volume.
o. Henry told the following story of
how he found his happy pen name:
when I was in New Orleans one day,
out some stories. don't know whether
they are any good or not, so 1 want an
alias. Help me pick one He 'sug-
gested we get a newspaper and PICK a
name from the first list of notables we
found In the description of fashion
able ball, my eye lighted on the name
Henry That'll do for a last name
said l. Now for a first name. I want
something short Why not a plain
initial?' asked my friend. 'Goodr I
replied. and the easiest of all to make
is o.
The name as seen in the paper was
the French form of the word, Henri"
and for time the writer signed him
self "Olivier Henri" This he later
changed to the simpler 90. Henry"
In "Strictly Business" the latest col.
lection of O. Henry's stories, published
by Doubleday, Page & Co., those who
are jaded and uninterested any longer
in conventional fiction Will find treat
and a stinulant.
Grace MACEDONIAN Cooke, author of
The Power and the Glory which
bears the fresh imprint of Doubleday,
Page & Co., writes that she has re-
ceived numerous inquiries concerning
the pink moccasin flower mentioned in
the earlier chapters of her story. The
blossom is an orchid of the terrestrial
variety, a cypripedium, and was
brought to her notice by a mountain
girl She wrote her story at her pres
ent. home in California, and wishing to
make very certain of the habitat and
appearance of this flower she applied
to one of her mountain friends for as
surance. receiving in answer deli
cately penciled sketch of the flower and
a description of it, which appears al
most word for word in The Power and
the Glory
Mrs. Margaret Mordecaf though an
American by birth. has for some time
been making her home in England. She
has travelled extensively in all parts of
the east, with the result that she has
become inbued with the spirit and Is
in sympathy with many of the ideals
of the orient. Her recently published
volume of short stories, entitled The
Flower of Destiny is devoted TO de-
piction of life in eastern lands. Not
a few of the stories have their basis
on fact or in tradition.
II. G.. Wells Ann Veronica" is on the
list of books excluded from the Detroit
public library. Other works on this
list are Herrick's Together and the
unexpurgated editions of Balzac, The
Arabian Nights George Sand, De
Maupassant and F'laubert.
William H. Gregg. who is a Scotch
man by descent, has. in his new vol
ume entitled Controversial Issues in