60
NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. i. JAN. 15, 1910.
Authentic Examples. Readers who have grasped
the principles enunciated by Mr. Stapleton
should he equal to taking up a work of importance
which needs doing everywhere, and specially in
England. We have merely to add that in the
case of Latin inscriptions punctuation is of im-
portance, as often indicating abbreviations, and
that instead of line-for-line copying the method
used by classical scholars for many years should
suffice. The insertion of an upright stroke indi-
cates the end of a line. For instance, w can
write a famous passage in ' King Lear ' thus :
" Men must endure | their going hence, even as
their coming hither : I ripeness is all." This,
without the use of capital letters or help of
metre, shows where the line-divisions come.
The Burlington Magazine for January opens with ' A Retrospect of 1909,' referring to various hopeful aspects of the year, including Govern- mental recognition of art. There are brief notices of two great collectors, Mr. Salting and Dr. Ludwig Mond. Mr. Sidney Colvin begins a study of ' Tintoretto at the British Museum,' which promises to be very interesting, and is well illustrated. The frontispiece is a ' Portrait of a Child ' in the collection of M. Gustave Dreyfus, which Mr. Claude Phillips claims as a work of Jacopo Bellini. ' Cezanne,' by Maurice Denis, with introductory note by Mr. Roger Fry, treats of an artist who is credited with being the forerunner of the Impressionist movement, and so of first-rate importance. Mr. Lionel Cust writes on John Hoppner, and M. L. Dimier on ' French Portrait Drawings in Mr. Salting's Col- lection.' Sir Charles Holroyd has an all too brief note on ' Florence Revisited.' One of the chief changes he records is the safe housing of Michel- angelo's four unfinished heroic figures in the Florentine Academy. They were formerly in the Boboli Gardens, and imitations of them are now placed there plaster casts that " are skilfully tinted to imitate the stains, rust, and dust of the originals, so as to be absolutely deceptive." The ' Old English Embroidery of Justice and Peace,' which is illustrated in colour and described by Mr. W. G. Thomson, is a well-designed piece of work.
While we admire the excellent and thorough way in which The Burlington deals with the scholarship of old masters of all sorts, we still regret that living English art does not, as a matter of course, occupy some substantial space in each number. Fashion and the dealer combine to laud the dead and put a high price on their work. What of our living masters ? and if we have none, could not The Burlington explain what is the matter with our art ?
IN The National Review politics, as might be .expected, occupy a predominating place, and .are dealt with in a trenchant style which is a great contrast to many half-hearted pronounce- ments on the Tariff Reform s 5 \e. Miss Jane A. Findlater in ' Three Sides > the Question ' examines the views on social questions of Mr.' H. G. Wells in ' Tono-Bungay,' Mr. Galsworthy in ' Fraternity,' and Mr. S. Reynolds in ' A Poor Man's House.' She points out that they chiefly tell us what to avoid doing, and offer but partial solutions of the problems they suggest. But their business is to tell stories, not to proffer a panacea for mankind, and they naturally exag-
gerate the views they happen to hold, which
may not be permanent. Miss Findlater easily
inserts several pinpricks in their social theories,
and has produced a highly interesting, if incon-
clusive article. Mr. Cecil Raleigh in ' The Player's
Poverty ' says that the profession is ruined by
those who act for nothing, or even pay to appear ;
so the actor in the provinces is often on the verge
of starvation. He says there should be a Trade
Union of Actors to insist on a minimum wage of
21. a week. The Union of music-hall performers
was strong enough recently to organize " a strike
which demanded and received Board of Trade
Settlement." M. Rene" Feibelmann has a roseate
account of ' Belgium's New Ruler, Albert I.,'
who has an excellent record in the way of know-
ledge, sympathy, and resolute study of the
questions concerning him as a ruler.
The most attractive article in the number is, however, ' Holding Her Down,' by Jack London. It is one of the most vivid accounts of adventure and quickly devised expedient we have read for some time. The title, which is as difficult for the ordinary man to understand as much of the author's lingo, refers to getting on a train by stealth, and managing to ride free of charge by jumping back on to the same train when turned off. The tramp who does this, and the officials, called shacks," are at deadly war, and the former runs the risk of serious injuries. The number concludes with some valuable notes on Colonial ideas, which are always well treated here.
WE have just received No. I. of Vragen en Mededeelingen op het Gebied der Geschiedenis, Taal- en Letterkunde, edited by J. F. Bense, 49, Pels Rijckenstraat, Arnhem. This is a Dutch Notes and Queries, which follows generally our own arrangement and rules. Contributions may be sent in English, French, German, or Dutch. The number includes some notes in French on libraries in the Netherlands in the first part of the seventeenth century ; notes in English on the ' Etymology of " Toucan " ' and ' The English Pronoun " she " ' by Mr. Jas. Platt, Jun., and a query on the derivation of " God," answered by an extract from the ' N.E.D.'
We must call special attention to the following
notices:
ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately, nor can we advise correspondents as to the value of old books and other objects or as to the means of disposing of them.
EDITORIAL communications should be addressed to "The Editor of 'Notes and Queries'" Adver- tisements and Business Letters to " The Pub- lishers " at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.G.
MRS. HAUTENVILI.E COPE (" Parish Register Fees"). See the numerous articles i\t 9 S. x. 148, 394, 428 ; xi. 130, 252, 453.
HABAXA. Forwarded.
