LITERARY GOSSIP

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12867, 27 July 1907, Page 7

LITERARY GOSSIP

"If," says Sir Conan Doyle, "I wished fo set before the sensitive mind of a young girl a book which would prepare her for life, there is no book I should choose so readily as The Vicar of Wakefield." "

The Roman Catholic Church in Franoe has won of lato years many distinguished converts— notably Paul Bourget and Ferdinand Brunetiere—but its most remarkable triumph (remarks an Australian critic) was surely the conversion of Huysmane. What would Professor James make, on© wonders, of th© spiritual history of a man who started on his literary career by writing such novels as "Marthe"—in which ho went one better (or one worse, if you prefer it) than Zola in sheer brutality of realism—and who ended by producing such things as 'La Catheclrale' J and "Saint© Lydwine d© Schiedam ; who started with a kind of rollicking self-assertiveness and ended by committing ah his unpublished manuscripts to th© flames, "as a last act of humility.' From a violent and bitter materialism to th© very ecstasy of mysticism—her©, surely, is an interesting case, a case for th© psychologist to classify, anlabel, and put in its proper pigeon-hol© among the "varieties of religious experience."

Mr J. H. $ears, an American publisher, ha 6 returned from his annual visit to London profoundly impressed by the increasing failure of British novelists to write works adapted for the American market. Ten years ago, h© says, there were a dozen English writers of fiction whose books sold in the United States better than tho best American nbvels. The conditions are now reversed. Commercially speaking there are but three or four English novelists, such as Mr Hall Came, Sir Gilbert Parker, Mrs Humphry Ward, and Mr Robert Hichens, who rank with the leading American novelists. Mr Sears declares that a very serious reason for this decline is the growing license of th© titled and sporting classes of Britain. Respect for women is alarmingly on the wane. In fact, tho relationship of the sexes is entirely different in England and America. In England man is cared for as woman is cared for in America. This is shown by such details aa the anxiety of the hoete-;s to supply enough women for a dance or other entertainment, whereas a majority of men to entertain th© women is looked for by the American. So greatly, according to Mr S -ars. has Erglish life Hetymio alienated from its better traditions that it has cha g d the character of fiction. The ma so English novels to-day are concerned with the problems of sex in a manner that revolts the American reading public.

In this connection Miss Nerfcta Syrett says she has had an amusing ex,peri-

ence with the American public. 'Thejy actually dbjected to my book, "TUe Days Journey-,' beosu-se I made the wile take her huaband back agaan «ft«r he hac lelt her. Now, I -onink that was a very good and nobie thing lor her to do, don't you? But .you never can tell what the Amerioan public want. If I wrote a love story tx> suit the taste of the I\'«w York and Boston woman I think I should mako it a story of love in a philosophic spirit, something very suitable to the_ stilted mind. But how funny for them to say they do not read stories about the relation of the sexes! How craxy tJhey went over the Thaw trial!''

The Englishman abroad ia not expected to know everything about tlie ways of th© oounitry that ho distinguishes with his attention, and it is highly nrobable that the British journalists who have just been tho guests of Germany made their entertainers gasp now and then (says the 'Daily Mail")- There is nrß.t-ha.nd evideno© of ono unconscious faux pas made on the greatest occasion of all, whon Majesty rode up to speak witih tho visitors at the Schloss Sanssouci. One of the editors presented to the Emperor l*egan to talk about Heine, and quote from his works. Heine is one of that editor's favourite poets. How could he know that Heine is anathema to the whole of official Germany, from the All Highest downwards, on the ground of hia very marked detestation of everything that they con-vderr to be worthy and of good report? Heine loved Germans and Germany; but he loathed and never spa.red aristocracy, militarism, officialdom, pomposity* harshness, and grobheit. He loved* Paris, and Frenchified himself. Heine is not admitted by the govern in-g class in Germany to have been either a German or a poet—so marvellous is th© power of prejudice; and Prince Hntzfeldt must have su-prpi-wsed a shudder on hoaring a gentleman whom he bad just presented burst into fluent quotation from the anti-pat-riioikic rhj-mewber.

It is impossible not to feel a little chagrin (says the same paper) at Mr Heinemann's news of his forthcoming publication of a big biography of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, translated from the German oi Dr. vom Ruville, of Hail© University. Again the inevitable German professor is beforehand with our historians. There is no ample and modern history in English of that tragic life, whidh stands transfigured by the blase of glory won in th© few ahort years of power wherein the Empire was founded.

Mr Kebbel has something to say about the curious, but necessary, system in a newspaper office of writing obituary notices of eminent people ancl pigeon-holing them until the tims comes to use them. In some offices it is the custom not to pay for any MS. until it his been used. Mr Kebbel had written the biography of Mr Gladstone for "The Times, and it waa returned to him every now and then to be brought up to date. At last he said to Mr Buckle, "You see this has been going on for a long while. Mr Gladstone keeps in perfectly good health. Suppose he outlive* mc, which is quite possible, I shall hive written this biography for nothing." Result of the expostulation: a handsome cheque the next morning. These premature obituary notices are sometimes written by people of great distinction in the world of letters. We believe (says the "Daily Mail") that a London daily has in its pigeon-holes a biography of Miss Florence Nightingale written by no less a personage than Harriett. Martineau. Harriett Martineau died over thirty years ago, and Miss Nightingale is, happily, still alive at th© ag© of eighty-seven. Of course, her great work had been done long before Harriett Martineau's death.