LITERARY GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 136099, 25 April 1908, Page 7

LITERARY GOSSIP.

Every year tho London County Council present prizes to hundreds of boys and girls in the schools under tiheir control. During tho last two years their lists of suitable books for boys and girls have been completely reorganised, and still the cthoico comprises some thousands of volumes. I'rom tho list of 1900 wero removed "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "Swiss Family Robinson," '-Wide, Wide World," "Tho Lamplighter-," and "Tho Land and tho Book," the reasons being that the books aro published in cheap editions and are obtainable by parents of limited moans. During the past year no fewer than- 5,877 of Andersen's '•Fairy Talcs," and 4227 of Grimm's stories have been chosen as prizes, and the books added to the 1906 list which have been most popular are "Tanglewond Tales," -'"Water Babies," "Old Curiosity Shop," "Heroes" (Kingsley). "John Halifax, Gentleman," "David Cop-perfiekl," and Lamb's "Tales from Shakespeare."

The new Municmal Council of Man* tua has crushed tho scheme of its prefor the erection by public subscription of a monument to Virgil, the city's pride, on. the ground that "no further knowledge is needed either of Virgil or cf his monument," and also "that tho proletariat has no need of pOL'ts."

Tlio "Periodical" (Oxford University Press) tells us that a Scots reviewer suggests that Heine can bo better translated in Scots than into the excellent English of Dr. Todhunter. Here are two stanzas of the Oxford version of one of Heine's characteristic poems:— Our neighbour's ruccicnt tabbyCame often to pny a call; We met her with Lews Mid curtsie*, And compliments mono too s__ll. Wo asked a-fter *1I her ti'ments With frier-dlicst fusils and grins; We've played that Ramo as gravely With many an old cat einoe. Here is a Scots version:— Frao ncist door cam' oi_d ba__ron» Iticht a'ten us tae see; "We beckit ta« bor, We boot (ac her, Mado many a laich curchie. Wo aye wad spior hco waa sho, _A.ud mim. we lockit an' kin; We ha'o dor.c the fame gey aftca Tae ither aud cats sin' syce Readers must make their own choice.

Mr Louis Fabulet tells, in the ''"World's Work" for February, how he managed to make at least tho younger generation of Frenchmen come to same appreciation of Mr Kipling. Mr FabuJot writes:—The task of translation was a foolish one, and I took it up almost against my will. "Tho Jungle Boak' , lia.s had , a relative succees in France. TOie "Revuo de Paris" published t-lio greater part of the translations of the stories in it, and M. Jules Lemaitre wrote, in the '"Echo de Paris" an unsolicited article in which he showed tho enthusiasm, and surprise which the reading of these stories had>Jbrought to him. However, it •was difficult to iind ■a- publisher, and we saw the gates of the principal houses closed against us. It was tho ••'Merciiro de France" which opened ite doors to us, and we gave ir. six months "'The Junglo Book" and 'The Second Jungle Bonk." Then, but treading the most dangerous ground possible for on© who knows France, and making a very cautious arrangement, we gave "The Finest Story in tho World, , ' "Love o' Women." 'Tho Man Who Would be King."-"The Man Who Was," and 'The Drums of tho Fore and Aft." accompanied by short stories, from ''Plain Tales from tho Hills," and some of the other writings. I pave up all otJier work, applied myself "to tho task, and bit by bit gave several other volumes of stories selected from almost everywhere in Ins entire work.

According to the Vienna correspondent of the "Pall Mall Gazette." Barrio is not understood in Vienna. In a recent telegram he says:—Mr Barrio's Scotch humour seems altogether too subtlo for Viennese playgoers. Last night '-Tho Little Minister" was performed for the first time in Gorman garb at the Imperial Hurgtheater. The house was sold "out days before, and the audience proved an unusually distinguished one. including the Archduchess Maria Theresa and many other aristocrats. In the beginning the play was coldly received, but the audience warmed up later, and the applause at tho end was generous and hearty. Like every play that is produced at tho Court theatre, the scenery and staging last night left- nothing to be desired. But with one brilliant exception the acting was far below the- Burgthoater's usual ihigii standard. Frau Albach Retty made, a most delightful 'Babbie,'- and interpreted the part with raro sympathy and intelligence. But Herr Frank's pourtrayal oi tho Little Minister was a wretched traveetv lie failed utterly to grasp the author's c£>nof:ptionoftiu? character. When he tried to be sfrious tho audience was convulsed with laughter, whilst his comic efforts were received, in silence, lhis, morning's papers show- that the V iennese critics do not understand Mr , . i ...■■■■ r '

Barrio's work any better than tho actors did. One calls it a cbildisb. comedy which might doubtless attract crowded houses during the holidays, only the posters ought to bear xho words. "Adalts half-price." Another says that if the -n-orld were an immense lump of sugar candy, and men were pastry -with syrup in their veins instead" of blood", 'The Little Minister" might bo a. true comedy and Mr Barrio a great poet. The poetry would certainly be a sweetmeat which would give ono the toothache, but that must not bo charged to the sweet Mr Dame, but would be .solely tho fault of the poetry. Herr Rudolph Lothar, a former Viennese journalist, is responsible for tho German adaptation, which, on the whoie, is very fairly done, and does not depart greatly from the English original.

Here is a choice instance of Htorary pweatini: roferred to in London "Truth:" —"What is .". living wage for a librarian in a public Hbrarv? The Corjxiration of Su.nderland advertists for two r-Tsietant librarian, with n '•conrmc«r.fing snL-iry" of .£X>5 per anjjnm—"2.3s a wec-k. It will 1»> Keen frein tl:e following e-stract that, altlioucrh this is t-Jv? commr-vcin-j salary at Sunderland. tlie cardidatt* must hove commenced sscroewhere elso oi'd stuck to it for five- yenr≤ —p-rivutvaMy at a lower snkir>- still—and r<u:t he a highly educated ln.-in, coi'---'>tent- to undortake teach-ins as we'4_ <• library work : —'The Corrc-raiion nn> nL-o:i't to a-ppoint two I.ibra-riane. "to assist in tho organisation of three l)ranch libraries.' nine: produce proof of good education and a thorcuch training of at le-if-t five yenrs in public- library work, w.hioh is to ir.cludo a practical knowlet',c;e of tJie Dewey system of cJa-'V-ification, a.:i<l of cataloguing in Knjrlisli. a.nd French. Assistants are- required to take the Library* Association correspondence ckisjes. Commencing , salary tX!S per annum." I wonder whnt tho Corporation pa ye its scavengei's ?