Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub

THE MANY-SIDED MILTON. Harry Thurston Peck. Cosmopolitan for January.

THE PREFACE TO

"LES MISERABLES." R. T. House. Open Court (13 c.) for January.

THE REVISED IDEAL PRINTING PLANT. Printing Art for December.

JOHN MILTON. Harper's Weekly (13 c.) for December 5.

THE PENALTIES OF AUTHORSHIP. Florida Pier. Harper's Weekly (13 c.) for December 5.

CELEBRITIES AT HOME. Melville E. Stone. With portraits. William Inglis. Harper's Weekly (13 c.) for December 26.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST CIRCULATING LIBRARY. How New York guides its children through good reading. Illustrated. Claude G. Leland. Harper's Weekly (13 c.) for December 26.

THE

Emerson Hough.

TERCENTENARY OF JOHN MILTON'S BIRTH. Collier's (13 c.) for December 5. WILD-WEST FAKING. Illustrated. Collier's (13 c.) for December 19. PLAYWRITERS AND PROFITS. What playwriters make and how they make it. With portraits. John R. Hale. Saturday Evening Post (8 c.) for December 19. DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI'S UNPUBLISHED POEM ("Jan Van Hunks"). Theodore Watts-Dunton. Saturday Evening Post (8 c.) for December 26.

MILTON AS A CHRISTIAN CITIZEN. Charles W. Hodell. New York Christian Advocate (13 c.) for December 3.

HOW WASHINGTON IS REPORTED. Robert Lincoln O'Brien. Youth's Companion (13 c.) for Decem

ber 10. MILTON AFTER THREE CENTURIES. Outlook (13 c.) for December 12.

BOOKS

THE IN

Webster.

H. MAKING. Hanson Journal of Education for December 24. THE RELIGION OF JOHN MILTON. Rev. Samuel M. Crothers, D. D. Christian Register (9 c.) for December 24.

NEWS AND NOTES.

Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett, who has returned from her twenty-fifth visit to England, says she is going to remain in the United States a whole year this time, and adds "Hereafter I shall not divide my time equally between this side of the Atlantic and the other. I am building a home for my son on Long Island, and I shall be interested in gardening."

Another biography of Thackeray is being prepared by Lewis Melville, who published a life of the novelist about ten years ago. That book is now out of print. Fresh material is available to-day, and Mr. Melville believes that he can improve upon his first attempt.

J. Berg Esenwein, editor of Lippincott's Magazine, has completed a volume entitled Writing the Short Story," which will soon be published.

Mrs. Harriet Prescott Spofford has written the introduction to Little, Brown, & Co.'s new and complete edition of the poems of Louise Chandler Moulton. The two writers were intimate friends, and Mrs. Spofford gives some biographical notes of particular interest.

Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox has prepared a new book, which is virtually an autobiography. It is called "New Thoughts, Common Sense, and What Life Means to Me." The third volume of M. Jusserand's "Literary History of the English People," issued by the Putnams, deals chiefly with the Elizabethan drama. It is mostly devoted to the study of Shakspere.

"Charles Dickens and His Friends," by Teignmouth Shore, will soon be published in ten fortnightly parts in England.

"Some New Literary Valuations," by Professor William Cleaver Wilkinson, is announced by the Funk & Wagnalls Company. One of the chapters of the book, on Matthew Arnold as a Poet," was printed in the North American Review for November.

66

The Mark Twain Company, of New York, capital $5,000, organized to secure to the author and his family all rights in the name or pen-name "Mark Twain," has filed articles of incorporation at Albany. The directors are Samuel L. Clemens, Clara L. Clemens, Jean L. Clemens, Isabel V. Lyon, of Redding, Conn., and Ralph W. Ashcroft, of New York. Mr. Clemens, referring to the Mark Twain Company, said to a New York Tribune reporter that it was organized for the sole purpose of keeping for the benefit of the family the pen-name of "Mark Twain." R. W. Ashcroft, his secretary, said that he looked upon that name as a valuable asset, and that the directors thought that by forming this corporation they would be able to protect themselves from pirate publishers, and also from persons who might want to use the name on cigars, etc.

The American Press Company of Baltimore announces a volume entitled "The Poe Cult, and Other Poe Papers," by Eugene L. Didier.

The Canadian Society of Authors has been in existence for some eleven years. The secretary is Pelham Edgar, of 21 Elgin avenue, Toronto. The primary objects of the society are to promote the production of literature in Canada; to protect the interests of Canadian authors; and to obtain and distribute information as to channels of publication open to Canadian authors.

Caspar Whitney, editor of Outing and vice-president of the Outing Publishing Company, has resigned, and will be connected with Collier's Weekly as editor of a new department of that magazine, which will be devoted to out-door sports. This feature in Collier's will appear next month. Eight additional pages of the magazine will be devoted to hunting, exploring, and stories of out-door life.

William Bayard Hale has gone to Europe as representative of the New York Times, and his successor as editor of the Times Saturday Review of Books is J. G. Dater.

Boston has a new magazine called the Bean Pot.

The Kansas Magazine will make its appearance this month. It will be a monthly, and will be published in Wichita.

A.

The first number of the American Farm Magazine has appeared in Des Moines. U. Quint is the publisher.

The first number of a magazine named Psychotherapy, a Course of Reading, is a large quarto pamphlet containing 100 pages of text and three full-page portraits. The magazine is issued by the Centre Publishing Company, New York. W. B. Parker is the editor.

What to Eat (Chicago) with the January issue changes its name to the National Food Magazine.

The publishing department of Paul Elder & Co. will remove in February from New York back to the home office in San Francisco.

The Metropolitan Opera Company, New York, announces that it will give $10,000 for the best grand opera by a native-born citizen of the United States, no matter where residing. The libretto must be in English; if an adaptation of any existing literary work, it must be a new adaptation. The contest will close September 15, 1910. Printed copies of the exact terms of the regulations of the contest may be procured at the opera house, or will be mailed upon request. Contestants should procure an exact copy of the regulations, as it is necessary for them to submit a written acceptance of them.

The Independent for December 10 was a sixtieth birthday jubilee number. It contained portraits of the founders, editors, notable contributors, and editorial associates of the Independent, views of the buildings occupied, and facsimiles of manuscripts by Whittier, Longfellow, Bryant, and others famous in the annals of American literature.

The reminiscences of Dr. Edward Everett Hale begin in the January number of the Woman's Home Companion.

An essay on Poe by W. C. Brownell is one of the notable features of the January Scribner's.

The first serial began in the London Post in 1719, and was none other than "Robinson Crusoe." Of course, in a sense the serial is much older than that. Boccaccio's "Decameron," for instance, was issued at intervals, and since there is some connecting thread running through it, might claim to be the first serial.

Donald Grant Mitchell died at New Haven December 15, aged eighty-six.

Professor William Ireland Knapp died in Paris December 5, aged seventy-three. Herman Knickerbocker Viele died in New York December 14, aged fifty-two.

Major Orlando Jay Smith died at Dobbs Ferry, N. Y., December 20, aged sixty-six. Mrs. Evelyn Greenleaf Sutherland died in Boston December 23, aged fifty-five.

Dr. Augustus Le Plongeon died December 13 in Brooklyn, aged eighty-three.

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE TO INTEREST AND HELP ALL LITERARY WORKERS.

VOL. XXI.

BOSTON, FEBRUARY, 1909.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

About 250 years ago a small volume was put forth by one "John Peters, learned scholar and author," which had the following long-winded title: "A New Way to make Latin Verses, whereby any one of ordinary capacity, that only knows the A, B, C, and can count nine, though he understands not one word of Latin, or what a verse means, may be plainly taught to make thousands of Hexameter and Pentameter Verses, which shall be true Latin, true Verse, and Good Sense!" The present articles must not be expected to accomplish so stupendous a result; their object will have been fulfilled if they somewhat help writers to use better, clearer English. The suggestions made are set down at ran

No. 2.

dom, beginning with a few general suggestions.

Be careful that the article is used whenever it is needed. For instance, "The red and white dahlias were most admired," properly means the dahlias in which both these colors were blended. "The red and the white dahlias" implies two species.

The grammatical number of a verb should agree with that of its subject, and not with that of its predicate. Thus, the sentences, 'Death is the wages of sin," and "The wages of sin are death," are properly written.

In changing from a past tense to the present, when the same nominative remains, the form of the verb should continue unaltered. Thus, instead of saying "He was traveling and travels," say, "He was traveling and is traveling."

A fruitful source of mistakes in language is in the linking together of two or more inappropriate tenses, or in the misuse of one. Many commit blunders of these kinds. A few corrected examples of such are here given :

"His text was that God was love"; the sentence should be written, "His text was that God is love."

"This painting was preserved and exhibited for the last century"; say, "has been preserved and exhibited."

"It was the last act he intended to have performed"; say, "to perform."

Adverbs are often inelegantly used instead of adjectives; as, "the then ministry," for "the ministry of that time."

Of prepositions, it has been frequently said that no words in the language are so liable to be incorrectly used. For example, The love of God" may mean either "His love to us," or, "our love to Him."

[ocr errors]

Many more of these particles are inelegantly, if not ambiguously, used. Instead of

Copyright, 1909, by WILLIAM H. HILLS. All rights reserved.

66 the natives were a different race to what they are now," say, "different from."

"He doubts if his friend will come," is not so elegant and accurate as, "He doubts whether his friend will come."

"The business would suit any one who enjoys bad health." [From an advertisement in a New York daily paper. ] Few persons who have bad health can be said to enjoy it. Use some other form of expression: as, one in delicate health, or, one whose health is bad.

"We have no corporeal punishment here," said a schoolmaster. Corporeal is opposed to spiritual. Say, corporal punishment. Corporeal means having a body.

"He rose up, and left the room"; leave out up, as it would be absurd to say rise down. "This is a secret between you and I"; say, you and me. The construction requires the objective case in place of I, which is in the nominative.

"John and Henry both read well, but John is the best reader"; say, the better reader, as best can be properly used only when three or more persons, or objects, are compared.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

pectus of a schoolmistress ]; say, NOR vacations.

"Not as I know"; say, that I know.

He would never believe but what I did it"; say, but that I did it.

"He is quite as good as me"; say, as good as I. Also, instead of as good as him, say, as good as he. In both these instances am or is must be mentally supplied at the end of the phrase, to suggest the meaning; and the pronouns should, therefore, be in the nominative case.

Many an one has done the same"; say, many a one. A, and not an, is also used before the long sound of u, that is, when u forms a distinct syllable of itself: as, a unit, a union, a university; it is also used before eu: as, a euphony, and likewise before the word ewe : as, a ewe; we should also say, a youth, not an youth.

"I have rang several times"; say, rung. "You have drank too much of it"; say, drunk.

"Who do you mean?" say, whom. "Was it her who called me?" say, she. "He has got my slate"; omit got; has is sufficient for the sense. The addition of got, though not ungrammatical, but gradually becoming obsolete, does not in any degree strengthen the meaning.

Purpose and propose these two words, which are often confounded, are entirely distinct in meaning. To purpose means to intend to propose means to offer a proposition.

[ocr errors]

The two friends conversed together for an hour"; omit together, as the full meaning of this word is implied in con, which means with, or together, or in company.

"I have often swam across the Hudson"; say, swum.

"I found my friend better than I expected to have found him"; say, to find him.

"I intended to have written a letter yesterday"; say, to write; as, however long it now is since I thought of writing, "to write" was then present to me, and must still be considered as present, when I recall that time and the thoughts of it.

Shall and will are often confounded, or misused. The following suggestion will be of service to the reader: Mere futurity is ex

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

"In the first person simply shall foretells;

In will a threat, or else a promise, dwells. Shall, in the second and the third, does threat; Will, simply, then, foretells the future feat." "Without the grammatical form of a word can be recognized at a glance, little progress can be made in reading the language" [from a work on the study of the Latin language ]; say, Unless the grammatical, etc. The use of without for unless is a very common mistake. “They ride about in small carriages, which

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

KEEPING THE TYPEWRITER CLEAN.

A good many writers apparently fail to realize the necessity of keeping the typewriter clean. They go on using the machine day after day, week after week, even, it would seem, month after month, without ever taking the trouble to pick the dirt out of the face of the letters, until a, and e, and o come to look pretty much alike, and their work generally has a muddy look, and is often difficult to read.

Sometimes machines in constant use for making copy get into such bad condition that the manuscript they make is hardly as legible as ordinary handwriting. It is easy to understand that editors look with disfavor on such manuscripts, and are inclined not to spend upon them the time necessary to determine whether they are good or not. At any rate, editors are always prejudiced against them, and the writers who send them out put themselves at a disadvantage by their carelessness.

Every typewriter ought to be cleaned thor

oughly every little while, and kept constantly in condition to do perfect work. Every day care should be taken to wipe off the dust and see that the running parts are oiled. The work of the machine should be critically watched, and if any of the type faces get filled with ink from the ribbon or with dirt of any kind, the dirt should be picked out with a pin and the type faces brushed clean with benzine. A few minutes devoted to this work every day will be time well spent. Using a wornout ribbon, too, is poor economy.

Good typewriting helps to sell a manuscript, and poor typewriting tends to prevent its sale. An editor is always rejoiced to receive a manuscript that is so good and in such good shape that he can send it to the printers without having to edit it at all. Writers who want to be successful should aim never to send out manuscripts of any other kind. Edward B. Hughes.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.

« iepriekšējāTurpināt »