Literary Notes [pp. 555-556]

LITERARY 0NOTES.
entifice men." The logical sequence of this
enlightened courage in facing questions of
the day is the opinion expressed on the same
occasion by the new president, that, "while
a college cannot teach except it also learns
from the past, it cannot teach unless it understands and sympathizes with the generation which it attempts to instruct. Unless
the teacher is alive to the thinking of the
present, he cannot prepare his pupils fully to
meet it." President Porter is also an earnest disciple of the theory that knowledge is
a means to culture, and not an end in itself.
If he will only put this into thorough practice in every department of the university, a
very great point will be gained. And, if the
movement now going on to make the whole
body of the alumni the constituency of the
governing corporation, and thus bring to bear
immediately upon the university the influence
of the widest circle of cultivated men actually engaged in the world's affairs, and hence
most sensitive as to its scholastic needs, the
result, though revolutionary, cannot fail to
be of the best, both for the prosperity of
Yale itself and for those whom it sends forth
into the world from year to year.
There has been an animated discussion in some of the English papers recently
on the comparative comforts of travelling in
England and on the Continent. One vivacious correspondent, a true-born Briton in his
fondness for good living and his propensity to
growl, declares that England is yet in the
midst of barbarism, as far as hotel comforts
and conveniences are concerned. He asks
why it is that, if he reaches a British hotel
after eight P. M., he finds nothing "more succulent" for supper than a chop or steak, or
eggs, or cold meat; how it is that the English do not take kindly to the table d'hdte,
from which, he is convinced, "spring inevitably good breakfasts, good suppers, and
good waiters;" how it is that the bedrooms
at " mine inn" are almost inevitably stuffy,
ill-ventilated apartments, with huge fourposters and feather beds, without ink, paper,
or table on which to write, if need be; how it
is that no other room is usually supplied to
the British smoker, whose name is legion,
than the billiard-room, with its "infernal
clicking of the billiard-balls;" and how it is,
finally, that, though "service" is charged in
his bills, he is beset by the porter, the boot black, and the chambermaid, on leaving, for an
extra fee? They do these things better, this
pampered Briton thinks, on the Continent;
there the hotels will serve you a game-supper in
a trice at one in the morning; there the table
d'hote flourishes in all its civilization and
glory; there they provide every facility for
letter-writing. There is a good deal of truth
in his complaints of the deficiencies of Eng lish inns. It is true that Falstaff could take
his ease merrily at his inn, and that Johnson
found the most perfect happiness in this
world, next to the jolting of a stage-coach, in
the cosy corner of a country-tavern of a
snowy winter's night. But all men are not
made obviously happy by a burly cup of sack
or a beefsteak an inch thick. There is a
great deal of enchantment lent by distance to
the view of the English inn. We believe the
American, with all its faults-faults harped
upon by so many generations of English tourists-is far preferable. If our steaks are
drowned in butter, at least our servants don't
dog us, as the gadfly did Io, for an extra
"tip." If our rolls for breakfast are indigestibly hot, they are at least more palatable than
the big English loaf a week old. And our
cups of coffee yield a perfume and taste of
the real berry, while one may travel from
Land's End to John O'Groat's without once
obtaining either; English coffee is simply
abominable. The Englishman falls back confidently on his "joints;" the Continental relies on made-dishes, entrees, and cunning
sauces; the American is the champion vegetarian of the world, eating usually little meat
and a great deal of potato, squash, tomato,
and corn. Nine American epicures out of
every ten, after travelling the grand tour and
tasting every dish that is concocted between
Edinburgh and Palermo, return with satisfaction to the old home-diet, and thank their
stars'that Delmonico, the Continental, or the
Parker House, is once more within easy
reach.
- Of the power of the press in a free
country no more striking exhibition was ever
given than that afforded by The New-York
Tinmes in its recent contest with Tammany.
Almost unaided-to some extent, in fact, impeded for a while by the jealousy or apathy
of its contemporaries-that journal undertook
to expose the corruption of our municipal
government. The task had been undertaken
many times before by great political parties,
and by powerful organizations of influential
citizens, but without much practical effect.
The Times, however, boldly engaged the common enemy almost single-handed, and, by dint
of courage, determination, and perseverance,
succeeded at length in dragging to light monstrous abuses in the management of the public money, and in compelling the plunderers
to stop their thieving operations. The
achievement demanded great pluck and energy, as well as intelligence; and for these
qualities the Times certainly deserves very
great credit, and has well earned its marked
increase of circulation and of influence. We
make these remarks with more pleasure because we have ourselves, in former numbers
of the JOURNAL, seen occasion for questioning the correctness of some of the assertions
made by the Times as to the condition of the
streets of the city. However extravagant
that journal may have occasionally been in
describing the external filth of New York,
there can be no doubt that its exposure of
the internal corruption of the city govern ment is altogether too well founded.
Iciferard'Rats.
RYANT'S poem of " The Fountain," su perbly illustrated by Harry Fenn, Winslow Homer, John Hows, and Alfred Fredericks,
will be published as a holiday-book the coming
season. It will beissued in style to correspond
with the same author's " Song of the Sower,"
published last year, and which was universaly
pronounced the leading book of the season.
"The Fountain" affords admirable opportunity for variety of illustrations, the poem containing not only charming descriptions of
scenery, but a variety of incidents, both of an
historical and domestic character. Mr. harry
Fenn has drawn for it some of his most pleasing landscapes; Alfred Fredericks has supplied several of the historical incidents; and
Winslow Homer, with great felicity, has contributed charming groups of young women and
children. The volume will be hailed, we are
convinced, as an admirable specimen of American art.
Justin McCarthy's novel of "Lady Judith,"
and Mr. De Forest's American romance of
" Overland," each of which has appeared serially in the Galaxy, have been published in
book-form by Messrs. Sheldon & Co. "Lady
Judith " is a fresh, wholesome, and vigorous
novel, the scene of which is partly laid in England and partly in America. The American
portion includes some very well-drawn pictures
of New-York scenes and characters. "Ox erland" is, as its name implies, a Western story.
It is a story,of marked character, reminding
one frequently, in its direct and searching style
and dramatic power, of Charles Reade. The
scene of the shipwreck equals in picturesque
and vivid description any thing we can recall
in Mr. Reade's pages.
A new Italian work, entitled "La Vita e 1
Tempi di Daiiiele Manin," principally founded
on the unpublished documents deposited in
the Museo Correo by General Giorgio Manin,
will be shortly brought out, edited by Professor Alberto Errera and Avvocato Cesare Finzi.
"The work," says the Athenceum, " will be interesting, as illustrating the first steps toward
the unity of Italy, of which Daniele Manin
was one of the earliest promoters; and among
its contents will be the private and diplomatic
correspondence, the accounts of political trials,
and the documents which belong to the origin
and development of thile republican principle
in Italy in 1848-'49, and to the association of
the idea of monarchy with the house of Savoy."
Messrs. Dodd & Mead will publish "The
Theology of the New Testament." Translated from the Dutch of J. J. Van O'sterzee,
professor in the University at Utrecht, and
better known to American readers as one of
the authors of Lange's " Commentaries." Of
this book the London Spectator says: "The
scientific method in which it is constructed,
the lucidity of its arrangement, the sagacity
and abundance of information which is brought
to bear in it on the work of interpretation, call
for the highest praise."
" London," illustrated by DIor, with text
by Blanchard Jerrold, will be published in
parts, the first number appearing in London in
January next. Proofs of some of the illustra tions have been shown to us. They exhibit all
Dorn's great qualities, and are likely to make
a sensation in the world of art. The work
will be completed in twelve or thirteen num bers, each containing four full-page illustrations
aiid several smaller ones. It will be sump tuously printed on heavy, calendered paper,
with wide, luxurious margins.
Dr. Porter, of Yale College, will offer,
through Messrs. Dodd & Mead, a contribution
to the scientific discoveries of the day under
the title of " The Sciences of Nature eersus
the Science of Man." It will in part be a re view of the arguments of Huxley, Spencer,
and others, and aim to prove that, on the prin ciple of many of the current philosophies
which claim to be conducted in the spirit of
the inductive philosophy, it is impossible to
have any trustworthy induction at all.
1871.1
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