LITERARY NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 96, 23 April 1921, Page 15

LITERARY NOTES

Dr. Marie Carmichael Stopes Ls art exceptionally clever and versatile writer. She is an authority on 16th century litterature, particularly of Shakespeare, and has translated and put into clear English some ancient No plays o£ Japan—an exceedingly difficult thing to do. That is not all. Her latest work is "The Truth About Venereal Disease," a copy of which is received from C. P. Putnam's Sons, Ltd., London. Her justification for writing and publishing this litle work is because : "These diseases generate the worst menace to happy and healthy marriage. This fact convinced me that all my work on behalf of the true understanding of pure love is jeopardised by the horror wrought by these invisible enemies, the geims of the sex diseases." This little work is written in plain and popular language, and is calculated to profundly influence readers, young and old.

Camille FJammarion, the French philosopher, astronomer, and psychic investigator, at the age of 78 has just published in France a book entitled " Death and Mystery," which may be regarded as his last will and testament. M. Flammarion reiterates in this volume his lifelong conviction that what we call death does not exist. "The Problem of the immortality of the aoul," says M. Flammarion, "has not yet received an affirmative solution from modern science; on the other hand, it has not, as is sbmotimes pretended, received a negative solution. . . .A persevering study

of this (treat problem leads us to think to-day th*t the mystery of death is leas obscure and low sombre than- has generally been supposed up to,, the present, and that it can be illuminated by real and experimental rays that did not exist a century ago." "When the author was seven years old a funeral passed through the street where he was playim*. To the surprise of his companions, Camille declared tfyat the man in the coffin had noV ceased to live. Speaking of this incident, the distinifuished Frenchman says:—'

"I meditated thereon several days, several weeks, several months. The conviction that there is really no such thing as death has continued to dominate my spirit ever since, although I have long known that a human being die 3 every second on our planet. It is a mystery to be solved, and I am not so very much further advanced to-daj; in the solution than ak seven, But my innate conviction persists." .

Mr. B, Irving Babbitt, in hi* new book, "Rousseau anid . Bomanticiam;" quotes an interesting description of tha romantic Buhver-Lytton. "Of Bulwer-Lytton at Nice about 1850 Princess yon Kacowitza writes as follow* in her Autobiography (page 46) : 'His fame was at its zenith. He seemed to be antediluvian, with his long dyed curls and his old-fashioned dress . . .

with lortg coats reaching to the ankles, knee-breeches, and long-coloured waistcoate. Also, he appeared always with a young lady who adored him, and who was followed by a man servant carrying a harp. She sat at his feet, and appeared as he did in the costume in 1830, with long-flowing curls called Anglaises . . . In society, however, people ran after him tremendously, and spoilt him in every possible way. He read aloud from his own works, and, in especially poetic passages; his 'Alice' accompanied him with arpeggios on the harp.'"

"The old plan of simply bringing out books and letting peonw fin 4 out what they can about them for tbemaelves is breaking dbwn," says the Daily Mail. "New conditions, require d«w methods, and it is possible that a bold and intelligent usa of advertising might meet the threatened' crisis and turn it aside. After all, if people will pay 12s 6d for two and a half hours' amusement at the play, they might be persuaded, by a suitable appeal that 10* is not an excessive charge for a good book, which will give lasting pleasure."

A first edition of "Tristram Shandy" ■was sold for £63, at Messrs. Hodgson's recently. Two copies of the pamphlet, issued in 1760 by the Committee for Clothing French Prisoners of War, with introduction by Dr. Johnson, realised £51 and £30 respectively. The higherpriced copy contained. the inscription, To 'Laurence Sterne."