Literary Paris 485 LITERARY PARIS

Literary Paris 485 an article by the late James Ashcroft "to those of further England, who have Noble, telling its interesting story. As given me that joy of listening denied to is usual in Mr. Mosher's publications me in my own island." We quote a char there are many foot-notes of especial in acteristic verse from one of the many terest, in one of which Mr. Theodore charming poems in the book: Watts-Dunton says: "Then came, in 1850, The Germ, that short-lived maga Ah me, how sadder than to say farewell, zine of four numbers, upon which so It is to meet much has of late been written. The Dreading that Love hath lost its spell And changed its sweet! Germ was really an official manifesto or I would we were again to part apologia of Pre-Raphaelitism; all.that it With that full heart. had to preach was the noble doctrine of the sacredness, the saving grace, of con When Mr. Mosher first issued Mr. science in^ art." How it did this Mr. Maurice Hewlett's Qnattrocentisteria in Mosher's beautiful book gives the book- The Bibelot for May, 1896, there were lover of modest means his first oppor comparatively few who discovered its- tunity to discover for himself. Very in charm and beauty, but this new edition, teresting is the appendix, containing which makes an exquisitely pretty book, parallel readings of different versions of will be read with delight by the many Rossetti's The Blessed Damosel, which who have enjoyed the same author's first appeared in The Germ. Along with The Forest Lovers. The new edition of The Germ Mr. Mosher has appropriately The Story of My Heart, the autobi reprinted Rossetti's House of Life. ography of Richard Jefifries, has now In the light of the new volume of been issued for the first time in a form poems by Mr. George Meredith, many adequate to the beauty of the work. readers will turn with interest to one of We have only space to just mention the new volumes in the Old World Mr. Mosher's other books, a reprint of Series, Modern Love, and Other Poems, Swinburne's rare volume. The Hepta- and they will be greatly rewarded. In logia; four little volumes of the Imagi addition to that wonderful sonnet se nary Portraits of Walter Pater; King quence, "Modern Love," the volume Florus, by William Morris, and, The contains the most beautiful poems from Eclogues of Virgil, done into English the almost unobtainable 1851 volume of prose by J. W. MacKail. Poems, and from Mr. Meredith's later Someone was once asked the question : volumes, Poems and Lyrics of the Joy of "When is a classic not a classic?" and Earth, and Ballads and Poems of Tragic gave the reply, "When it is just pub Life. Re-reading these poems confirms lished." If the same person were to ask one's faith in Mr. Meredith's great quali "When is a classic a classic ?" we should ties as a poet. be tempted to reply,."When it is repub- For this edition of Underneath the Hshed by Mr. Mosher;" and to classic Bough Michael Field has written several books Mr. Mosher weds classic taste in ,new poems, and has dedicated her book bookmaking. • M. K. LITERARY PARIS The election of Henri Lavedan to the I need hardly say who Henri Lavedan French Academy, which took place on is. With Anatole France and Gyp, he the 8th of December, was a foregone forms a trio of mercilessly skeptical satir conclusion. Everyone has known for ists of contemporary French society, and quite a while that he was sure to be the if we compare our Hn de siecle with the successor of Henri Meilhac. He easily stateliness of the France of Louis XIV., triumphed over Henri Becque, who is he is no unworthy successor of La not likely to ever pass through the Bruyere, one of his predecessors on the sacred portal, and Paul Hervieu, whom fauteuil, which he is going to occupy. he is almost sure to number before long But in reality it is. not simply the sati among his colleagues. rist that the Academy has just chosen. It PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED 486 The Bookman had been privately decided that Meil- sponsible subscribers had sent in their hac's successor would be a dramatist, names! and Lavedan's two great successes of Among the Academicians, the only this year, Le Nouveau Jeu and Catherine, one who is claiming the attention of the made him then the logical successor of public just now is Brunetiere. He has the author of La Belle Helene, La Petite just brought suit against a well-known Marquise and Froufrou, especially as publisher. Stock, for issuing a little Rostand is not thinking as yet of a pamphlet. La Raison de Basile, which candidacy. And yet, at the last moment, consists of Brunetiere's letters to the the unexpected came very near happen newspaper Le Siecle, on the subject of ing. The great success scored by Paul the Dreyfus case, together with the an Meurice at the Theatre Franqais with swers of Yves Guyot, the editor of the his Strnentec, put it in the heads of many paper. Brunetiere was not consulted men of letters that it would be a graceful about the publication, and claims that his thing for the Academy to honour with prose, though originally addressed to an election the octogenarian literary M. Guyot's paper, remains his own executor of Victor Hugo. But he re property. Of course he would never fused to be a candidate unless abso have allowed it to appear under a cover lutely sure of an election, and then too, which likens him to Beaumarchais's he dreaded the compulsory visits that a Basile, the merciless panegyrist of cal would-be academician has to pay to his umny. future colleagues; it was calculated that he would have to climb between four and He gives us at the same time the sixth five thousand stairs (you know there are series of his Etudes Critiques de Litterature very few elevators in private houses in Frangaise, in connection with which I Paris), and it seemed to him to be a little ought to mention two similar volumes too much for a man of his age. Lavedan from his associates in the Revue des Deux is not quite so old; his age is just about Mondes, the third series of Rene Dou- one half that of Paul Meurice, a little mic's Etudes stir la Litterature frangaise, less, even. and Edouard Rod's Nouvelles Etudes sur le XIXe siecle. The Academy had also one of its great The Revue itself has just undergone gala days, on November i8th, when one important change. It has lost Jules Pierre Loti read his report on the Prix Lemaitre, who has become the dram de Vert'U. It goes without saying that atic critic of Le Journal, and Doumic has every Paris newspaper had its little arti succeeded him. cle on the incongruousness of Loti, as I hardly know whether I ought to a eulogizer of virtue. But, as the French mention here a rather curious Parisian say, Une fois n'est pas coutume. Anyhow rumour. It is said that the stately fort Loti performed his task as gracefully as nightly is to have a new and redoubtable all his predecessors, and the reading of competitor, and that the editor of the his report was followed by a little in new periodical is to be Maurice Bern cident which showed that the institution hardt, the great Sarah's much petted of these "Virtue Prizes," is not as com son! pletely useless as some would have us Another new periodical is gaining believe. Five hundred francs, nearly steadily in the favor of the public. It has the largest amount the Academy can for its editor Fernand Labori, Zola's now bestow on anyone, was given to two celebrated counsel. It was started two blind sisters, by the name of, Michaun, or three years ago as La Revue du Palais; who are taking care of their old mother it has just enlarged its scope and changed with admirable devotion and tenderness. its name to La Grande Revue. It appears But how long would five hundred francs once a month. last? some in the audience at once • thought. So the next day the Figaro Sarah Bernhardt herself is entering announced that its staff would like to upon a new venture, as manager of one hear of ten people willing to contribute of the theatres belonging to the city ot annually one hundred francs each, for Paris, the Theatre des Nations, which the support of two sisters, and be served as a temporary home to the fore the next issue appeared, twelve re Opera Comique, now again installed in its own home. Place Favart. The first PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED Literary London 487 work Sarah intends to produce in her La Caricature et VHumeur Frangais au new theatre is Marthe, by Henry XIXe siecle, by Raoul Debert; Filon'sZ^e Kistemackers. But the dramatic event Dumas a ,Rostand; Le Roman Frangais au which is awaited with most curiosity, is XVIIIe sikle, by Andre Lebreton; and the production at the Theatre Fran9ais, UEducation Nouvelle by Edmond De- of Jean Aicard's adaptation of Othello molius the author of A Quoi Tient la with Mounet-Sully in the title part. Superiorite dcs Anglo-Saxons. This new Another event of a literary nature, is book contains a description of "I'Ecole awaited with even greater interest; I des Roches," a new school,, started by means the publication of Anatole M.

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