LITERARY NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 3321, 31 December 1897, Page 2 (Supplement)

LITERARY NOTES.

. , . Tho, first: number of Blue and White, the school magazine of St, Patrick's College, Wellington, is to hand, and in its handsome cover, with' view of the College and the College arms, presents a very creditable'outward appearance. The size, small quaito.'is specially suitable for binding, and all school 'magazines should bo carefully preserved and bound'as a record of • school • life. ‘ The Hector of the College, *Dr .Watters; 'contributes a characterioally vigorous and sensible introdg ition to the contents; which are? of a varied,-; interesting and indeed; valuable character. Under separate headings wo Hod articles dealing with the various,associations in connection with the.college, the. sports records of the year, the distribution of prizes and various special high feast days and holidays, records of tho Governor’s Visit,' etc. The Honours'List " -is also’given and it is pleasant 1 to see when'perusing the “ Old Boys’ l Column” how many wellknown New ■ Zealanders 1 who VaroLnaw making names for themselves ■ in.various professions have been pupils at; “ St; Pat's." Interesting articles deal with'lifoist-St. Mary's Seminary, Meanee, and the holiday experiences of the . .Hector and Dr . Martin in tfae South Sea Islands. Several illnsti'a;' lions of a high-class style of execution are given, and. add to the interest and value of the articles. The magazine, l which ’ contains-over--150 pages, and which has been -Very,, neatlyprinted and ' tastefully-' l ,“-got up” at the- officeaiof 'the New- Zka.LAun •• Times - Cosipast, - reflects 1 " the greatest credit - upon; its editors; - and all concerned in its production.• It would ,b well worth the while; of all* our;render who are interested in secondary education to look through* - the pages i--of ■ Blue and White, and see how., various and ; strong are the.; forces:..for . good education ~ and.,.'moial iraining; which l are employed by the; worthy Hector and’ his staff. We are pleased particularly to notice the attention given ioVart,' music; literature, apart from the. ordinary school - training and religious side of the schools I congratulate “ St. Pat’s ” upon having turned out the best school magazine in the. colonies... ' .>,’i - 1 ' I have also to acknowledge-receipt of the December issue of the Wanganui Collegian, an old-established and- particularly'wellconducted sohool magazine. l1 'The athletic news in connection'with the School is' carefully 'chronicled, yand the’"Old Boys " record la kept woll np to date. i;j . In the “ Qdds and Ends ” column of ihe Collegian there are, as usual, many .‘‘.good things ” which come under classification of “scissorable.” ■-Thus: ... . . ‘ . Discoursing on ice-creams-*-;! I* l wish X had an incubator to make them ’myself.". “Bees, like soldiers, mate boot upon : the summer’s •<velvet' buds."—(Shake- - speare.) - Why do they make boot ? ~ . ‘ To”carry thS honey inV ’ “8a tailla Atai t rondo coramo un jonc et aouplo comma unrosean*" : ‘ ’ ' i His tail was a- round junk and supple , as a rose." -, - . , - , “ Ad'. assdni' vithlinum . opera ‘ per- ' ducitor.” 1 ' ' ■ ' ■ - ’' l ■ •' I come-with pains 'to , tho roast veal. -, - , ... : J‘ Bosnia vomica, purpureaiuo cnltum martialenf 3abit." ........ ; - '' lie' will give you mariial'shaven vrith pumioe and attired' with purple.” _ 5 ’ “ A-snnjisl is a short jrrem consisting' i of 11 lines uißlreii ing.each." 1 " 1 - The great-mistake made- by-Maty j Queen of Soots watrin marrying a Ikench king who dleu in 15 months- and so \ could not help Ler at-»IJ.". ; • > '« "Do you hnow what pirates are ?”i

“Oh yes; there’s a pirate-station in Wellington.” Is the popularity of Scott dying out ? It certainly Roes not appear so when I notice that there are no fewer than three new editions-of “ Waverley" novels now in course of publication. Oho is Mr Nimrao’s,” a cheaper edition of the superb .‘tßorderSoott" This is in2s volumes at 3s GfLeaeh andlmclndes .the full- set .iPfjiUua- - traiioas, and all the introductions by Andrew Lang, which appeared in the .“ Bqrclei Scott.”- Another is: the “Temple” Scott, published by J. M, Dent and Co. in 48 volumes at;.2s each—a pretty pocket edition with introductions to each novel by Mr C. K. Shorter, editor of the Sketch, and some very dainty illustrations. A third is issued by Messrs. A. and C, (Hook. Verily the older novelists hold their own. The last number of the Quarterly Reruns has a long article dealing with the “ Minor Poets.” The favoured few ■ are ..Kipling, Gilbert (“;Bab Ballads”); Kobart Bridges,.-'—' William Watson, Sit Edwin Arnold, Austin Dobson, Andrew Lang, Francis Thompson, John 'Davidson, Richard La , Qallienne, Alice Meyuell, W. E. Henley, H. D. Traill, Ashby Starry, G. R. Sima, and, las; of all, Alfred Austin. In five :instahoeS r S3%<Quarterly finds "not an immensity-but ® true intensity of talent.” Mr Wataonand Mr Le Gallissne are treated witlr : thfei scantiest mercy,'- - . - h.--At the end pf-Ootober the -Times .proprietors commenced the publication of,a new weekly literary journal called “'Literature." The editor is Mr H. D. TrailVa fine critic, whose essays on various literary subjects are’ familiar to readers of the Graphic, tbo -Kliemriim, and other papers. At first sight one would have thought that, what with the Atheaftum, the Academy, and-the Literary World, there was enough periodical literature concerning books,. and the price, sixpence, of the new venture is rather high'. To the first number -of. Literature Mr Radyard Kipling contributed a poem, and Mr Augustine-Borroll, the witty author of “Obiter Dicta," an essay. No copies-of the new journal havo as yot reached Wellington. .

Ibso'n worship seems to increase rather than to diminish. There is now a flouriahing Ibsen Society in London; an Ibsen Birthday Boob—the vary idea of young ladies writing their 1 names opposite extracts from, say, “ Ghosts ”* or ' e The Wild Duck "—has been published, and next spring, when Ibsen goes to Berlin to celebrate hia 71st birthday, there is to. bo a grand demonstration, at whiolx many of his English admirers will ,be present. A lot of fuss ! over a writer who is generally either dull or dirty,. ‘

f Mr Marriott Watson, son of the Bov. . H. C. M. Watson," of Christchurch, is now i X bear, doing very well in London, He 3 bolds a fine journalistic position, and can command a good price for his purely literary work. A new serial story of adventure from his pen is to appear nest f year in due of the leading magazines. ’■ A correspondent,-“ J.F.,” asks-mu if I can direct him to “ the best books dealing Q with Byron’s life and character.” In reply e X would recommend “ J.F." the Hon Roden 1 Noel’s brief biography of >tho . poet in ::the >, “ Great Writers Series" (JLs,.6d) published > by W alter Scott.. -The poet’s letters make '< most delightful reading. There is a good “ selection published,in.the Scott Library 6 (Is Gd),edited by the late Miss Mathilda e Blind-. MrNichol’a monograph bn "Byron” q In the .“English;Men °f Letters series (Is fld) Macmillan and Co., ! is . also coni' sidered a good work, while as a repository if of all the. scandal about the author, Mr ’b Jeaffreson’s “Tho Real Lord Byron" is S' said to bo highly entertaining—to those who like scandal—but I have not road it. I may add to the above that two new 0 editions of Byron ore now being published, e one edited by W. E. Henley (published by o W, Heinemann) and the other by tbs Earl d of Lovelqoe (put)lished by Murray)..-In o each of these editions.there .is a quantity Y of new biographical matter, unpublished letters and the like, hut the main facts of Byron’s life 7 are set forth I should : say, with sufficient fulness in ■ the Hen Roden u Noel’s monograph in the “ Great . Writers " d ■series.

According to the London Bookman, “Oscar. Wilde has written a now Drench play called ‘ Pharaon ’ and a poem of a a hundred stanzia 'dealing with 'a painfnl 'experience.'"; 1 " ' ' . ' The 1 autumn -and' -winter., publishing g season in-London has-been remarkable for{ the 11 appearance -of several -important, biographies..; .Besides .Lord ■ Tennyson’s Memoirs, there have.; also been, published ■two volumes, of Memories ’’ by Lord.'Selborno j , the “Beoolleotions of Aubrey do Vero,” who was. .a .personal friend of Wordsworth, Newman, Sir Henry Taylor, F. D. Maurice and ctheis; a life of Miss Clough of Newnham College ;'and tfae “ Life and -Letters of- J,.-A. Boebuck/* the sturdy Eadical who. for. ao many years representedSheflieldm.parliament, ' Every reader knows how pronounced is ’ the affection of flir Edwin Arnold, of “Light of Asia,” fame, for Japan and the Japanese. The poet journalist-spent a year in Japan recently, and wrote soiAe; charming letters from the Land of the Chrysanthemum, Ha is now inLendon; where be has just married a Japanese lady; who has been educated in England.- " . Amongst the deaths; reported in the London weeklies-of the' end of October is that of a gentlman whose writings have made's good many thousands of Londoners laugh right heartily. This was the late Mr' Charles -H.' l Boss; a play-wright and journalist. Mr Boss was tho creator of that disreputable, but-highly diverting, character, “Ally Sloper,” who was-for so many years 'a feature of the comic, paper “Judy." - b. ■■ - . A book which gives an excellent account of West. African .-life, has just been publiahed.by.Meesrs-Mothaen.and Co. and can be bought locally {price 3a 6d).. . This is “The -Benin .. Massacre," -by.-. Captain Boisragon, one of tho two. survivors of an expedition massacred by the Benia natives, •It is a terrible story, but one which affords striking testimony to the valour and endurance .of British officers in Africa The.’.expedition included ten Europeans and two hundred and forty natives. Out of these two Europeans, the writer of the hook and Mr Locke, a District Com-, xnisaioner; were the sole survivors. ;.. . Canon Ainger.has edited: the poems of Thomas Hood for. Macmillan’s Eversley series, supplying a memoir of some seventy pages. He regards “as probably.the most pathetic jiun in the language " the Stanza fr6m'“The'Song of the Shirt" ; ' -' ’ While underneath <h« eaves - • .. ' --- The brooding awaUowa.eling,- . - ;Aaif to allow me their annny.backs; 1 And twif'me with the spring. - ,

" A' recent isroe'bf Black and ■ White contains a- r special ‘lHustrated supplement showing :,L Mr,’ Frederick 'Hughes, who acted '-as' the journal’s war ’ artist in Cuba, and who wastnurdered' there,' Bitting astride hiapbny.. ''iff Hughes’-fellow war correspondent in the Soudan contributes some reminiscences of- the murdered artist !—" MrHdghes seems to have had an iron constitution,'- .add," unlike’ some of, his - colleagues,‘ who apparently ' take mountains'of luggage'with them to the Soudan,' he’' travelled light/' his baggage consisting mainly of his camera. chemicals and-plates. : • Half the.' time/ says Mr Sheldon, ’he had .- no shelter, . and he seemed, to be quite-content as long as be had a native, bed on which to lie, and to cover him. ,He did not -- associate much with the olher correapondents, his" beat, chums ’ bemg.'the’ “ Tommies.” But.hewas'eyidanUy a right good feSio-p, alf]ths jamej'fir ’it'isTelated that he used to ride‘ a ’ distanceof twenty miles back to tbe telegraphic-stations-for the other '. correspondents with' - : thfeir ' dig. patches.”* ’’ ' A sixpenny' edltioa of “Lorna Doono,” • well printed and of a’ handy size, ianow-on sale, atTaU : the ’ Wellington’ Tbbokshopa. I trust that the; wonderful-cheapness of this editibiir wiUtempt many who do pot Ttnpw the' lovely. - Lorna’ to make acqudTntanpe with ope of the. most charming heroines in modern fiction, not to speak of shaking hands,' as it were; with sturdy John Bidd. :. " ~ C.W,ln "The N. 3, Mau,”