SENHOR VASCONCELLOS, THE EMINENT PORTUGUESE ANTIQUARIAN, heard of him. He passes unknown among the Aside from his work of classification and investigation, Senhor da Vasconcellos is constantly writing or preparing his materials for writing on the subjects of importance and interest to him. Pamphlet after pamphlet as well as books come from his facile pen, and it can be only a question of time before they are by translation put within reach of English and American scholars. "GORKI'S FINISH." UNDER this somewhat colloquial Ameri- of the celebrated Russian author, particularly can phrase as a title, the well-known "The Barbarians," "The Enemies," "In Russian literary and art critic, Dr. Filosofov, America," and "My Interviews," this critic contributes to a recent number of the serious thinks, have done so much to injure his litreview Russkaya Mysl (Russian Thought) erary fame, have "indicated such a decompoa keen criticism of Maxim Gorki's recent sition of talent, that it is difficult to believe work, particularly his somewhat bitter re- his regeneration possible." flections on American social and political conditions. Two things, says this writer, have ruined Gorki: "His successes and a naïve, poorly digested socialism." The latest productions Rapidly surveying the career of Gorki, Dr. Filosofov points out that author's remarkable, rapid success. Not even Tolstoi and Chekhov, he points out, received such "slavish and boundless flattery." Gorki the light. This light crosses the photographic film in greater or less quantity, according to the degree of transparency of the parts that it touches. In the interior of the camera obscura there is a prism; the light strikes that prism; the prism reflects it totally on a cell of sélénium just below it. The sides of the cell are very thin and the surface of the cell is very spacious, and so the light projected upon it is widely spread. The cell resists the electric current much less than the plaque resists it, although both cell and plaque are of the same metaloid: sélénium. The sélénium cell is traversed by the current from a battery of accumulators. The intensity of the current varies according to the amount of light that falls on the metaloid. The current, which is modified by the length of the wires, is transmitted to the receiver, wherever that may have been set up. The consequences of this invention will be numerous and important. Telegraphotography will be to illustrated journals what the telephone and the telegraph are to journals in general. When methods are a little more rapid it will be possible to give photographs of what passed last night at the Antipodes. By illustrating his reports the journalist will make his work more striking and more comprehensible; gradually all the journals will be transformed and there will be nothing but illustrated dailies. The criminal police will apply telegraphotography to their work, and, probably, fewer assassins will go free. The police of places where a murder has just been committed will telegraph the photographs of the supposed murderer as he looked with or without a beard, and as a disguise would make him look. And just so, enterprising journalists can present prominent public men, bearded or beardless. Police are keen in a scent, and a criminal will be at a disadvantage; he will run away by train or by boat, while his photograph will go by telegraph, and be waiting to catch him as he arrives. The innocent man accused of crime can prove by his friends that he is innocent, and so regain his liberty days, perhaps weeks, sooner than he could have done before the discovery of telegraphotography. If accompanied by the seal of a notary the telegraphically transmitted photographic signature will be valuable. In case of an innovation permitting such practice, the laws of the different countries will have to be modified. "THE ONLY REALLY GREAT SCIENTIFIC MAN OF PORTUGAL." НЕ E is an archæologist and has spent most country. The two scholarly Portuguese pubof his life studying the antiquities of lications, Os Religiões da Lusitania and O Portugal and of the Balearic Islands, par- Archaeologo Portugues, declare that Senhor ticularly Minorca. A recent issue of the da Vasconcellos is the most eminent of living Illustración Española y Americana (Madrid) archæologists. contains an article on the primitive monuments of Minorca, by Señor Francisco Hernández Sanz, correspondent of the Spanish Royal Academy. In this article a warm tribute is paid to the aforesaid leading Portuguese scientist, Senhor Juan Leite da Vasconcellos. This student is unknown to the world at large, particularly the Englishspeaking world, but is a great man in his own Personally, he is a short, square man of quiet manner and retiring life, of deep penetration and vast scientific learning, who has to be diligently sought after to be found. Indeed, he spends most of his time, except when some flying trip has to be taken to a library or some investigation verified, in the Archæological Museum at Belem, just outside Lisbon, where he is deeply engrossed in the classifications going on of Algave and Alemtejo antiquities. So student-like is his existence that many of his countrymen have never SENHOR VASCONCELLOS, THE EMINENT PORTUGUESE ANTIQUARIAN, heard of him. He passes unknown among the crowds of dandies, military men, and Frenchified women who throng the streets of Lisbon. Yet he is the only really great scientific man of Portugal: indeed, it may almost be said that, with the exception of the King Dom Carlos, he is the only man of present Portugal whose name is recognized outside of Portugal, for to "those who know" among French and German archæologists he is regarded as one of the great thinkers and investigators of the world. Aside from his work of classification and investigation, Senhor da Vasconcellos is constantly writing or preparing his materials for writing on the subjects of importance and interest to him. Pamphlet after pamphlet as well as books come from his facile pen, and it can be only a question of time before they are by translation put within reach of English and American scholars. "GORKI'S FINISH." UNDER this somewhat colloquial Ameri- of the celebrated Russian author, particularly can phrase as a title, the well-known "The Barbarians," "The Enemies," "In Russian literary and art critic, Dr. Filosofov, America," and "My Interviews," this critic contributes to a recent number of the serious thinks, have done so much to injure his litreview Russkaya Mysl (Russian Thought) erary fame, have "indicated such a decompoa keen criticism of Maxim Gorki's recent sition of talent, that it is difficult to believe work, particularly his somewhat bitter re- his regeneration possible." flections on American social and political conditions. Two things, says this writer, have ruined Gorki: "His successes and a naïve, poorly digested socialism." The latest productions Rapidly surveying the career of Gorki, Dr. Filosofov points out that author's remarkable, rapid success. Not even Tolstoi and Chekhov, he points out, received such "slavish and boundless flattery." Gorki: was the hero of a day, the favorite of the public, in much the same way as an opera singer who in a few years turns the heads of all his admirers and then, when he has lost his voice, he passes from the scene and sinks into oblivion. There is reason for all this, says the Russian critic. to The passion for Gorki has a psychological explanation. He appeared just at the right time. He touched such deep chords in human nature that he met with response throughout all new Russia," which had just begun awaken. The masses believed that his talent was inexhaustible. They flattered him, tickled his egotism, and almost literally made him their idol. They gave him no chance to concentrate himself, to realize the "limits of his power and the nature of his talent. The drama "On the Bottom" was the summit of Gorki's productiveness. After the conception "My Interviews," in these, Gorki for the first time concerns himself with the world outside his own country and does it "in a very careless way." He did not know Europe and could not make clear to himself what he actually demanded from Europe. Moreover, no artistic instinct came to his aid to whisper in his ear that overstepping artistic limits always leads to the monstrous. His rage is certainly sincere, his reproach in many cases justified; but as these are not directed in the right direction and are clad in stilted bombastic phraseology, they appear only comical. Europe smiled contemptuously and went about its business. Gorki, who knows so little about European civilization, announced to the world that he was not satisfied with that continent. He reprimanded it in such a tone and manifested such an ignorance of its actual conditions that every fairminded reader is inevitably driven to defending Europe. Gorki insulted France because he knew nothing about her history. And then he came to America. MAXIM GORKI of this his downfall began. Since the whole world has read his productions, the whole world now sees how he has fallen, how he himself has reached the bottom of man's triviality and pretentious rhetoric. Gorki sincerely believed himself to be the ruler of the masses, the sovereign of their thoughts and hearts, independent, subordinate to no human soul,-not realizing how he had lost even the shadow of freedom. Gorki, says this critic, rarely saw any true criticism of his work at home. He did see "critical hysterics and the outbursts of applause of the mob which, by idolizing him, Now, this mob coolly announces that his latest productions have met with unanimous disapproval. ruined him." Gorki's real force, says this critic, lay in picturing the type of the Russian tramp, the bosyak. As soon as he attempted to sweeten the bitterness of this tramp's lot with the sugar of socialism it is quite natural that he should have failed." As to his productions on American conditions, "In America," and No European, says Filosofov, really knows much about this land of riddles,-America. "Most of what we do know about it is rather repelling." We are under the impression that in America everything has been adopted from Europe, that the Americans have really nothing they can call their own. Besides, to Europeans it is strange nineteenth century. Europe has the inheritance that a country's history should begin with the of a great past. If Paris had no Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower would crush the French capital with its frivolous and ugly skeleton of steel. Let us imagine, if we can, an immense, wealthy Eiffel Tower,-no history, no traditions, no art, country where there is really nothing but an no literature, no philosophy, only naked capitalism, the cult of Baal, the triumph of matter. If America really is such as it appears to the to be hated. But is America really such? In average European and to Mr. Gorki, it deserves order to understand the soul of a people it is necessary to search for its inner life. Can this inner life be found and apprehended by the ordinary tourist or journalist who gives us so much of "American impressions"? All these tales about the wonders of American mechanical and technical skill have set our teeth on edge, but they should not represent the nature of America and the Americans to us. Are there not in America farmers, with lives of their own? Are there not religious heart-searchings and artistic aspirations? Is America really exhausted by what Gorki calls "Americanism"? This critic denies the truth of these implications and refuses to concede that Gorki is qualified to speak upon the matter at all. Europe cannot trust," he says, Gorki's superficial and banal impressions.' All Gorki has told us about America he learned from the window of his hotel or from the platform of the trolley car. They are little better than the usual generalizing impressions of a tourist with a poor education and no knowledge of the language. What he expected and desired from America we do not know. Any provincial reporter, however, upon an order to write America and American conditions just as well a couple of feuilletons, could have described as Gorki has done. YUAN SHIH-KAI, CHINA'S FOREMOST STATESMAN. SINCE the death of Li Hung-chang, the politics. The decade following the Chinoforemost statesman of China is without Japanese war has wrought a remarkable doubt Yuan Shih-kai. In statecraft and change upon his mind, and the instigator of statesmanship Yuan was trained by the la- that conflict is now to all appearance a warm mented Li, and it is natural that the younger statesman should possess many of the ideas and traits of the elder viceroy. When the viceregal throne of the metropolitan province of Chihli was left vacant by the death of Li Hung-chang, Yuan was immediately promoted to that post from the governorship of the province of Shun-tung. Since then he has been the cynosure of all eyes in the Celestial Empire. An interesting character sketch of this personage appearing in a recent issue of the Illustrated Monthly (Shasin-gaho), of Tokio, is, therefore, worthy of note. As the anonymous writer of this article says, Yuan Shih-kai holds no office in the central government, and yet his influence at the Peking court is as great as, perhaps even greater than, that of the most powerful ministers of state, such as Prince Ching, president of the Foreign Office, and Chu Hungchi, Minister of War. Among the viceroys, Chang Chih-tung and Shin Chun-ken have distinguished themselves by their remarkable administrative ability, but in popularity and power these two viceroys are hardly comparable with Yuan Shih-kai. It was through the diplomatic negotiations between Japan and China resulting in the war of 1894-'95 that Yuan first rose to prominence as a diplomat. At that time he was a stark antagonist of the Japanese, and, as the Chinese Minister at Seoul, left nothing undone to frustrate the Mikado's policy and enterprise in the Korean peninsula. Although his ambitious scheme in the Hermit Kingdom ended in bitter disappointment, it was since that time that he began to be recognized as a factor in Chinese friend of the Japanese, willing to adopt their political institutions and educational system. But can Japan count on him as her true friend, ready to stand by her at crucial moments as well as in time of peace? Is he a sincere believer in modern civilization and enlightenment, unswerving in his efforts to reform the hoary institutions of the Celestial YUAN SHIH-KAI, VICEROY OF CHIHLI. (The most powerful man in China.) |