New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-11
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Current Talk of Things Present
and to Come.

and to Come.
Mr.. Owen Wistcr is Just now busy
with novel which is calculated TO
cause some excitement In Philadelphia
and in other American cities as well.
The book is a political study OF Phila-
delphia.
Meredith's Puzzles.
Those who are baffled by the mean
dering obscurities OF George Meredith's
verse will appreciate Laureate Austin's
description OF his struggles to grasp
the poets meaning. He says that when
Meredith read TO him from manuscript
THE Empty Purse" no had not the
faintest conception what 1t was about.
He remembers a visit at Meredith's
house, when he besought help from the
poets daughter in the Interpretation
of n sonnet by Papa" Daughter and
guest had TO give II UP, and when the
poet came I'm and was appealed to he
shed little IL any more light on 1t, and
ended by saying; 1T means some-
thing like that" He once said to Aus
tin, mo one values or admires lucid
ity more than / do and he certainly
could be lucid II he chose to be. Aus
tin continues: He had II always
seemed to me, two ways Of writing,
the natural and the Meredithian.
Every time | went TO see him he began
by talking to me In Meredithese, prob
ably because he had been writing 1t all
morning. But, as I talked like the
proverbial plain man, he soon did the
same, without any detriment to the
play Of his mind and his Illuminating
treatment OF whatever subject We
touched on"
PetrosIyphs and Photographs.
The latest discoveries Of primitive
art in European caves have no doubt
suggested TO II. G. Spearing. Of Queens
College, oxford. the preparation OF
book which is coming from the Put
mans press. 1t is called THE Child
hood OF Art" and deals with the crude
pictures and decorations left by pa
leolithic and neolthic man on rock
walls, pottery, metal. etc.
Rider Haesard Again.
A new novel by Sir II. Rider Hag-
gard is something TO stir to pleasant
anticipation the most fatlgued reader
Of fiction. One from his pen is now In
the press of Longmans, Green 4 Co.
1t is entitled Child OF Storm"
Statues to Authors.
The interesting fact is noted that
statues to poets In Paris exceed In
number those that have been raised
to any other class OF celebrities. There
are fifty OF them. Writers OF prose
come next to the number Of forty
seven, and thirty-nlne painters follow.
Not Work.
The writer's Of stories. long or short,
who have been occupying for decade
past so large a share Of public atten-
ton, may find more or less meaning
In the story told OF the little son Of a
popular novelist. He was recently
asked what work he was going to do
when he was man. oh. he replied.
I'm not going to work at ALL Well.
what are you going to do, thenT he
was asked. 'What?' he repeated Sc
riously. Pm just going to write stories.
like daddy"
Byron in a Play.
A Belgian diplomat. the Comte A.
du Bots, has written four-act play
the hero Of which Is Lord Byron. The
real incidents In the poets life have
not been used. the authors aim having
heroine of the play Is fictitious
Molly Blackwell. A correspondent of
THE Pail Mall Gazette" says of the
plot:
Tho first act shows Byron surrounded
by hunting party In the Gothic Hall OF
Newstead Abbey. Hobhouse and the
Comte dOrsay are there. his two inti-
mate friends. Molly Blackwell. playmate
of his youth, is about to marry Everard.
a type OF sporting squire, and Byron Is
furious out OF piqued pride rather than
any real sentiment for the girl. Everard
lame man" one of the scenes represents
the poet drinking from skull. to the
horror OF clergyman present. This
French Byron Is a morose creature, push
Ing pride to the pclnt of ferocity.
Molly Blackwell becomes his wife.
thanks to the intrigue of Lady Lamb.
who wishes to revenge the poets neglect
of herself by plotting his unhappiness in
81 Ill AL ytao