The sun., 1919-04-06
BY BARRETT II. CLARK.

l. hshed practice of making htera-
ture a bore to students is disappearing.
The old notion that the study of literature
must be arduous in order to be effective is
giving place to the enlightened ideas of
editors and publishers who are now striv
ing to offer students not only the more
interesting classics Of the past, but the
vital works of the present.
Some day perhaps We shall have The
Old Wives Tale mot Geoge Peele'sD
and Tono- Bungay, The Man Of Property
and Lord Jim, "edited with introduction
and notes by Prof. Blank, PHI. d." for
use in colleges and high schools.
1 remember with warm gratitude two
English teachers who assisted at my in
tellectual adolescence. One of them varied
the required curriculum by reading You
Never Can Tel to class that ought, ac-
eording to the regulations, have been look
ing up the hard words in Macbeth; the
other fatty refused to force us to read
Burke on Cancellation, thereby running
the risk of calling down upon his head the
wrath of the authorities.
Seribners' Modern Students Library,
under the editorial supervision Of Prof.
Will D. Howe, includes fifteen volumes Of
English classics. More are promised and
two announced: The Essays of ADDISON
and Steele and Hardy's The Return of the
Natice. With the publication of the last
named, the series will include the work of
at least one living author. Good! have
high hopes that the editor will see fit to
include two or three more volumes by
contemporaries.
Without in the least disparaging the
classic writer's, it is obvious that while
they must be read and studied, especially
by young students and aspiring authors,
the men Of to-day cannot be neglected.
If you would write nowadays you need
not spend your days and nights with Ad-
olson and Dryden; it is much more to the
point to read Conrad and Galsworthy,
George Moore and Max Beerbohm, Bar
RE and HoweIls.
From among the older classics Prof
Howe has made a wise selection. He has
evidently been at some pains to reprint
the great books that have lived not only
by reason Of their purely literary but their
human qualities. 80
Baeom's Essays, for instance, are at
trsctirely edited With sufficient notes TO
help the reader, but not too many, or too
deeply erudte. The Introduction, by Mary
Augusta Scott, is thoroughgoing and ae-
curate if not actually inspiring. Boswelrs
Life Of Johnson it is perhaps necessary TO
abridge. The work Of abridgment and
editing is well done by Prof. Charles G.
Osgood of Princeton. Pilgrims Progress
is worth while having in this edition If
only for DR.. Crothers's introduction.
The novels are an interesting assort-
ment. Meredith's Richard Fererel has
not, I believe, ever before appeard as q
text book. 1t is an easy introduction to
Meredith, and ought to be made aeeessi-
bic to the young student. Adam Bsde Is
also good selection; / presume this was
decided upon in preference to Silas Nor
ner because Of the many editions Of the
latter already extant Pride and Preja-
dee with an Introduction by Howells),
Pemdenris, The Scarlet Letter and The
Heart Of Midlothian complete the list of
novels
Of poetry there is not so much, only
two volumes: The Ring and the Book and
English Poets Of the Eighteenth Century.
1 question the ACCESSIBILITY Of Offering
Browning's difficult though magnificent
masterpiece to any but trained minds.
Stccenso~'s Essays, edited by Prof.
Phelps, is first rate selection of the more
interesting essays; Carlyle's Past and
Present and Nisstss~sh Century Letters
are both well edited and readable. while