The Republican journal., 1915-06-17
Literary News and Notes.

Tudor jerks opens the June number
Of .HThe Writer" the Boston magazine
for literary workers, with an amusing
sk;t entitled "Writing Romeo and Ju-
let showing how Shakspere may
have been interrupted while COM
nos;no as authors are often in these
modern DAYS, Kemper Simpson writes
on "I,eonard Merrick and the Short
story" Other headings are: Barry Pain
on Short Story Writing, Qualifications
of Journalist, Shorthand and the News
paper Reporter, Magazine Editing from
the Inside. Moving Pictures for Pcriodi-
Gals. Vegetarianism for Writers, The
| Bible as Literature, and How Cowper
Wrote "John Gilpin." The number has
also the usual instalmennt of entertain
ing personal gossip about authors, ref
erence list of literary articles in current
periodicals. and the live news of the
publishing world, including announce
ments of number of prize offers for
manuscripts.
The State library is in receipt OF
volume entitled "James Shirley, Dram
atist-A Biographical! and Critical
STUDY" The author of the volume is
| Arthur Huntington Mason, a graduate
, of Cony High school, Augusta, and Bow
doin College. Mr.. Mason is the son of
Charles and Emma H. Mason. His moth
er wrote "Old Hallowell on the kenne-
bec". which she dedicated to her son.
He is now in New York City, an assist
ant professor of English literature at
New York University and an instructor
at Union Theological Seminary. He has
| two advanced degrees: M. A. from Bow
| doin and Phi. d. from Columbia. Prof.
| Mason has written other books. among
them "Heralds and Heraldry in Ben
Johnson's Plays, Mosques and Entertain
ments'-l9O7, "Talks on Theme Writing
and Kindred Subjects 1909, "Short
Themes - 1909. "Short Themes and
Long"-19l5. The volume which has
j just been added to the State library is
notable for its thoroughness and COM
pleteness and is beautifully bound, uni
formly with the book written by his
mother.
"The quack novel is thing which
looks like a book, and which IS com
pounded, advertised, and marketed in
precisely the same fashion as Castoria,
Wine of Cardui, Alcola, Mrs. Summers s
free-t my-sster Harmless Head
ache Remedy, Viavi Tablettes, and 9TH
err patent medicines, harmful and harm
less. AS the patent medicine IS made
of perfectly well-known drugs, so the
quack- novel of course contains perfectly
familiar elements; and like the medicine,
it comes wrapped in superlative testi-
monials from those who say they have
swallowed it to their advantage. So
Mr.. Owen Wister, in the brilliant article
on "Quack Novels and Democracy
! which opens the June Atlantic. describes
TIE style of book manufactured by Harold
Bell Wright and other popular authors,
! Mr.. Wister puts American fiction under
the microscope, from Robert W. Cham
bers and Mr.. Wright to Anne Douglas
/ Sedgwick and Mrs. Wharton; he Sits
the true from the false. and comes TO the
conclusion that the wide popularity OF
the quack-novel is due to our national
preference for sham, "Our public
oracles from Jefferson to Bryan have
continued to build commonwealth with
hot air." he says. 1.-The greatest sham
we have. the pension of war veterans, is
swathed in phrases of the same pious
sentimentalism and the same regardless
ness of reality that drenches the novels
of Mr.. Harold Bell Wright" No such
fearless and honest indictment of our
democracy has appeared for long time.
The Atlantic's other articles cover wide
range of interesting subjects.