LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2105, 28 June 1894, Page 49

LITERARY NOTES.

Mr J. M. Barrie'B "Little Minister" bas now reaobed its thirty-ninth thousand. Silas K. Hocking's recent nove), " One in Charity," has now reached a sale of 20,000 copies in six months. Mr Hocking's new storyi "A Son of Reuben," which is running serially in the Family Circle, is attracting much attention. It contains some fine character studies of selfish men and women, with their oppoiites.

The Australian authoress who has enjoyed most substantial success after Mrs Humphry Ward is not Ada Cambridge, nor " lota," nor " Tasma," nor Mrs Campbell Pratd, but Mrs Harrison Davis, more than 12,000 copies of whose " For So Little" have been sold. Mrs Davis, whose husband 1b head of one of the great American insurance companies in London, was formerly a Miss Dennys, residing at Geelong.

A very " gushing " request was made to a well-known author to lurnish gratuitously a •• New Year's Greeting " to a syndicate of newspapers, and also " one or two appropriate mottoes." He replied, " I oan not 'greet' people I don't know; but you are quite welcome to my motto, which is — •Nothing for nothing, and very little for sixpence.' " After that wbo daie say that a man of letters is of necessity not a man of business 1 Those who admire the rich Irish brogue and local colour of Mr Edmund Downey's stories — " Through Green Glasses," " From the Grten Bag," "The Round Tower of Babel," &o. — will be glad to hear that be has written a three- volume story, " The Merchant of Killcgue." Mr Downey originally wrote under the pen-name of "I . M. Allen," and was at one time a member of the firm of Ward and Downey before it became a limited company. It is stated that the author who writes UEder the norn de plume of Leslie Keith is a lady whose state of health confines her entirely to the house. Her latest novel, "'Lisbetb," has been pronounced the most life-like picture of Scottish character which has been written for many years. Of this book, which was issued a few months since in three volumes, a popular edition in one volume is about to be issued by Messrs Oassell and Co. The "new humour" has received a new representative in tbe volume of tales, " In the Green Park," by F. Nqrreys Connell, just published through Messrs Henry and Co. The real name of tbe writer is Conal Holmes O'Oonnell O'Riordan. He is a native of Dublin, and is one of the youngest literary men in London. He has written for tbe Stage and the Westminster Review, and it was he who suggested the name of the Speaker for the well-known Liberal weekly. A fully illustrated work on "The Education of the Horse," by Profecsor B. K. Crocker, is to be published immediately by Messrg Sampson Law, Marston, and Co. During the past six yeara Professor Crocker has been exhibiting throughout tbe chief cities and towns of Great Britain the marvellous effect of bis system in training and educating horses. The training of his troupe of 30 educated horseß has been the wonder and admiration of the many thousands wbo have witnessed their performance?. Mr Geo. Moore's " Esther Waters," a new one- volume novel, said to be his " strongest," is just issued by Walter Soott (Limited). Another book that deals wilh tbe relations of tbe sexes in an outspoken way is Mr Grant Alletft " Postprandial Philosophy," whicb, as its name indicates, is not a work of fiction. Its ohapters are familiar to readers of tbe Westminster Gazette, but were startling enough to justify reprinting in volume form by Messrs Cbatto and Windus. An interview with Professor Henry Drummond, by Arthur Warrop, an American, is the first article in the Woman at Home for April. Iv the course of conversation Professor Drammond confessed to being a slow worker. "It is easy," he ,said, " for a writer to be profound ; the difficulty is to ba simple." As regards his best koown book, 11 Natural Law in the Spiritual Wcrld," the author declared he would write it, differently now if it were still to be written ; he would make it more ethical. Mr Frank Mathew, who achieved a success last year with his volnme of storieß, " At the Rising of the Moon," is busy in Sandgate with the concluding portion of his new novel, tbe semes of which are laid in Wexford during the rebellion of 1798. So intent is Mr Mathew on the effort to make tbis book a triumph that he has refused some tempting offers from editors for less ambitious work. The new no val will be his third publication, the life of his grand-uncle, Father Mathew, rmbiisned when he was very young, being his first. Max O'Rell must (a ays a Home paper) be careful of Scottish susceptibilities. Here is a risky story he te;ls — " At first I was rather timid about lecturing before English audiences. At a certain town in Scotland, at the close of my lecture, I made my usual apology for murdering the Queen's English.' Then up got a brawny Scot, who in all but incomprehensible dialect declared that I spoke it as ' weel as he did bimsel.' After that, as you may suppose, I was more at case." We hope Max OTtell is duly prepared with proof. Mr H. Stacey-Marks, R A., whose reminiscences Messrs Chatto and Windus are about to publish, is a little dark man, with grizzled hair and beard, and a merry twinkle in his eyes. His wit and bonhommie bave long rendered him one of the most brilliant and popular members of the little knot of great men whose happy hunting ground is the Arts Club.

" Another big scoop by ." This is a marginal note to an American advertise* raent of " If Christ Came to Chicago," the title of a forthcoming new book by " the most remarkable figure of reform in modern civilisation," in which (quoting the advertisement) truths are told as they have not been told since Christ came to Palestine. All the evils known to modern life are scotched like vipers, and their chief abettors are named openly without regard to person or consequences. The farther advice seems superfluous : Supply yourself at once with this great book. Ba ready for the furore.

Mr J. Scott Keltic, wbo edits " The Statesman's Year Book," is also secretary of the

Geographical Society, and friend of more eminent travellers than anyone else in the world. The.late Mr Pettie, R.A., would have considered him an ideal type for of his grim Scottish barons. It is difficult to conceive a more typical Scotchman, with his auburn hair, straight nose, high cheek bones, and resolute expression.

The Rev. Horace Tucker, the Melbourne clergyman whose "New Aicadia" is announced by Messrs Sonnenschein, was once known as the "Apostle of the Wimmera," from his haviDg raised the funds for building no less than six churches in that dried-up Australian prairie. He afterwards became Vlcsr of Christ Church, South Yarra, one of the fashionable Melbourne churches. A Clergyman of the Church of England, be had a great deal to do wiih the success of the joint Episcopalian and Presbyterian mission to the " back blocks," which was one of tbe first signs of co-operation between these bodies in Australia.

When Mr Alexander Ireland publishes his long-expected volume of reminiscences he will doubtless (nays the Literary World) include in it the extremely interesting recollections of the Hungarian patriot Louis Kossuth, which he recently coritributed to the columns of the Manchester Guardian. Mr Ireland emphasises the f.ct of Koesuth's Bingularly intimate acquaintance with English literature :

Considering that Kossuth spoke in a language foreign to him, acquired mainly by the study of books during tedious imprisonments, his deliberate and unhesitating command of pure classical English was marvellous. It was not modern English, but rather the English of Barrow or Baxter mingled with that of Milton (in his prose writings) and of Jeremy Taylor — solid, clear, vigorous, bat occasionally rich and ornate, adorned with 'stately imagery and poetic flights. Kossutb, according to Mr Ireland, was an enthusiastic admirer of Scottish ballad poetry, especially of Logan's " Braes of Yarrow," of the creepy " Twa Corbies," and of the dialogue between the river Tweed and its tributary, the Till : Says Tweed to Till, " What gars ye rjn sac still 1" Saj's Till to Tweed, " Altho' ye rin wi' speed and I rin slaw, » For ilka ane that ye droun I droun twa."