AMONG THE BOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13450, 29 May 1907, Page 9

AMONG THE BOOKS.

"It is hard," says a .writer in the New York Nation,, ''to think|of any name in our annals that at once suggests; a quality of poetic pleasure so fine, so constant; and-so individual as the name of ' Aidrich.' " America and tin's whole Englishspeaking world certainly lost ' a.'.' true man of letters in Thomas Bailey. Aldrich. '" To those who knew him," says Mr. Greenslet, '" the despatches' announcing the death of Mr. Aldrich" will carry a poignancy that seldom attends the passing *of men who have lived out their' threescore years and ten. Ho was a lover of life."

Mr. Barry Pain lias served a long apprenticeship to the business of story-writing, and ought to have something: to say upon the subject that will be of use to the novice. Ho has finished and will shortly publish a little book on story-writing for beginners, in which he has endeavoured to lay down general principles, as well as to give advice '■ upon matters of detail. Mr. Pain considers that while it is impossible to create a story-writer out of nothing, a beginner with a taste for the art may be put on the right road .and saved from many mistakes. His own inexhaustible fertility in inventing stories will lend a peculiar interest to his chapter on "How to Think of It" The difficulty of invention often remains after considerable skill in expression lias been reached.' "My Dear Robert, One , passage in your letter a little displeased me. , . .. You say that'' this world to you seems drained of all its sweets!' At first I had hoped you only meant to insinuate the high price of sugar! but I am afraid you meant more. 0, Robert, I don't know what' you call sweet. Honey and the honeycomb, roses and violets, : are yet in the earth. The sun and moon yet reign in heaven, and the lesser lights keep up their pretty, twinklings. Meats and drinks, sweet sights, and sweet smells, a country walk, spring and autumn, follies and repentance, quarrels and reconcilements, have all ; a sweetness by turns. So good' humour, and good nature, friends at home that love you, and friends abroad that miss you—you possess all these things, and more innumerable; ; -and these; are all sweet things. You may extract honey from everythingV 'do not go a-gatbering , 'after gull. . . . I assure you I find this world a ; very * pretty place.From a letter /of ,Lsmb to, Robert Lloyd.