BOOK CHAT.

PUBLISHERS are apt to be- or appear to be sanguine at the beginning of each new season, although, when the season is under way, they have an excellent excuse in "the bad times" to discourage many enterprises of actual importance. Perhaps there is more cause than is common this year for sanguine expectation. Trade is picking up, there is a good deal of money floating about, the Cleveland administration has not yet destroyed this Government, and the reading public is very much larger than it ever was before. The consequence is that all the leading publishers are preparing themselves for large undertakings and are evidently determined to carry fair business rivalry as far as possible. If one could only be certain that among the thousands of costly books that will be issued between now and the first of January, a proportion of say five per cent. will be books worth buying and reading, one might look with equanimity upon the wholesale production of autumn and holiday literature.

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THE rivalry among the magazines will be sharp and unrelenting, and it will probably have for its practical effect a general reduction in prices. It is only known yet to a few that the cost of the new Scribner's Magazine, the first number of which is now in preparation, will be only twenty-five centscents less than the cost of either Harper's or the Century. The chances are that these old favorite magazines will come down quickly to the selling price of Scribner's. It would be difficult to select four stronger men than those who are to manage Scribner's: Charles Scribner as publisher, William A. Paton as business manager, E. L. Burlingame as editor, and J. B. Millet as director of the art department. The editorial and art staffs will be exceptionally strong, and the contributors. will be the most prominent authors, artists and engravers in the country.

MR. GEORGE PARSONS LATHROP was appointed last week to the literary editorship of the New York Star. He had previously written book reviews for the Sunday supplement of this journal. Mr. Lathrop is a scholarly and well-informed writer, carefully trained in a sound school, catholic in his tastes, and very readable in his style. With Mr. Lathrop on the Star, and Mr. Julian Hawthorne, his brother-in-law, on the World, those two newspapers should manage to get along well together in the placid path of literature.

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IT is a prevalent belief among authors and club men that Mr. Justin McCarthy has visited

the United States this time for a political object alone, and so they are less glad to see him than they might otherwise be. Mr. McCarthy got a taste of the sort of welcome and social distinction which a foreign author of eminence may expect in New York, several years ago. He was then received most cordially, was invited everywhere, and was accorded unusual privileges. To-day Mr. McCarthy is a man of wider reputation than he was then. His brief historical works, little masterpieces in their way, have brought him to the notice of an extensive public, a public which failed to rate his novels high. But it makes a good deal of difference whether an accomplished man of letters comes among us simply as a man of letters, or to grind a particular axe. Mr. McCarthy is fulfilling a useful labor in America this autumn; yet he will be regarded with suspicion by those who had formerly welcomed him. The secret is that Mr. McCarthy is advanced in his political opinions. We Americans see a socialist in every progressive foreigner, and we go into fits when we do see one. And still Mr. McCarthy is not more of a socialist than many of us are who have enjoyed unlimited liberty all our lives. There seems to be a distinction between possessing liberty, in a respectably conservative fashion, and fighting for it. Mr. McCarthy is fighting for it.

MR. MCCARTHY has, by the way, a son who promises to make his mark in literature. His name is also Justin, and he is the author of many delightful sketches, stories and poems. He is the author, too, of a play, "The Candidate," which has been given in London with brilliant success, and which is described as an unusually bright comedy of manners, full of vivacity and humorous character. Only a few weeks ago he published a book of poems, copies of which are beginning to stray from England. It is a bright and earnest book, and is clearly the expression of a fine poetic temperament.

MESSRS. WHITE, STOKES & ALLEN have just published a neat little volume in their series of verse collections by young American poets. These collections are not the work of poets who write most seriously and thoughtfully, the real poets in fact; their authors are those gay, light-hearted, facile persons who skim the surface of things, and are never supposed to go deep into them— not even as deep as Dobson, Locker, or Bunner, goes. The volume to which we are glad to call attention contains the fugitive pieces of Samuel Minturn Peck, whose name is often seen in the bric-a-brac columns of magazines and in the comic journals. Mr. Peck writes with fluency and skill, and he is

JULIAN HAWTHORNE writes of Mr. Stockton: One hesitates to predict what Mr. Stockton may or may not do. The success of his short stories can be compared only with that of Bret Harte's earlier tales. The late Mrs. Null' was a novel in length, but a short story still in substance. Now it is announced that he is to contribute a twelve-number serial to the Century, beginning in November. If it is as good a big 'un as Negative Gravity' is a little 'un, it is safe to prophesy that nothing better will be turned out next year. But the big 'uns are very different from the little 'uns; and this difference depends upon the number of pages less, almost, than upon anything else."

- From the San Francisco Ingleside: THE THEATRE is a weekly magazine of the stage, published in New York, and one of the few publications in that city deluged by bad journalism, possessed of the literary timbre which entitles it to the praise of the judicious. Its tone in theatrical matters is perfect. Its news is news, and its typographical beauty is embellished by lovely illustrations and initial letters. THE THEATRE has been most kind to the Ingleside in many ways, which is in itself an evidence of good taste. A thorough business management will give THE THEATRE the success it deserves. Mr. Deshler Welch writes charmingly with dignity and with vivacity, two qualities rarely combined.

ART CHAT.

THE art season in New York may be said to have commenced with the opening of the art schools on Monday of this week.

These are the schools of the Art Students' League, Cooper Union, Metropolitan Museum, Gotham Art Students' League and National Academy of Design. Next Monday those of the Society of Decorative Art begin.

The majority of these report a greater number of applicants for admission than ever before at the beginning of the school year, which is, perhaps, a prognostic that the art season is to be this year more active than usual.

THE "Woman's Art School" of Cooper Union is presided over by Mrs. Susan N. Carter, assisted by Mrs. Mary B. Young. The instructors are: R. Swain Gifford and J. Alden Weir, oil painting; William Sartain and J. Carroll Beckwith, life and cast; John P. Davis, wood engraving; Miss Alice Hinds, normal drawing; Mrs. M. C. B. Ellis, crayon photographs: Miss Lucy A. Poë, photo-color; Miss Ella Ward, cast-drawing.

The school is free to those who are unable to pay for instructions, and who intend to support themselves by the profession in the future.

But for those who wish to study art as an accomplishment, paying classes are opened in the afternoon, the terms being: Drawing, $15 for thirty lessons; oil painting, $20 for twenty lessons; wood engraving, $15 for thirty lessons, these lessons extending over ten weeks.

THE same condition may be asserted of the schools of the National Academy of Design. There seems to be altogether much unnecessary red tape rules for entering these schools. And it is a great shame that the capacity for accommodating pupils is not larger.

The painting room this year will, however, be the large room, which last year was used for the life class, which arrangement will somewhat enlarge the quarters.

The Academy schools are open to both men and women, nominally free. But an initiation fee of $10 is charged, admitting the student to the antique (cast), life, modeling composition, sketch and costume classes. In the painting class (opening November 1), a fee of $30 for the season, or $10 a month is charged.

The professors are the same as last year, with the exception that W. M. Lippincott's place in the painting class is taken by Edgar M. Ward; L. E. Wilmarth teaching in day and Edgar M. Ward in the evening, in both the antique and life classes; J. Wells Champney lecturing on artistic anatomy, and Frederick Dielman on perspective.

THIS year, I think for the first time, two prizes of $100 and $50 (from the Hallgarten fund) will be given in the composition class for the best sketches or sets of sketches which shall be submitted in that class during the

season.

This is really an excellent idea, for a composition class is often much more of a means of making practical artists out of the students than the professors are aware of. Now the principal of a composition class is to give to the students for treatment such subjects as Fire, Silence, Lost, Home, Wind, Peace and War, etc. Whereupon the student makes his sketch, representing as fully as his mental power and technical training will allow, the subject named. These compositions being brought in on some given evening, and duly arranged upon the walls, are criticised by some competent artist. In this way a student very soon finds out what chance of success he has before the public. For the public patronize those who can make pictures with a meaning to them, not the clever or conscientious painter of bits and fragments. It is often a very sad lesson that the student who has his or her living to make by art, has to learn, namely: that to be able to paint parts of a picture ever so well, will not bring success half so quickly as the ability to paint a complete picture passably. It is with this latter object in view that composition classes are formed, and the step taken by the Academy Council in giving prizes is a good

one.

AMONG the art schools of the city of New York I think it is admitted on all sides the "Art Students' League," 38 West Fourteenth street, leads all the rest. It was established 1875, and is maintained by art students. It has now salaried officers, but is managed by a Board of Control, consisting of twelve members elected annually, a majority of whom are actual workers in the classes. It is therefore entirely a student's school, with less limitations and wider possibilities than the other schools in its aim to make painters out of its pupils. But it does not undertake to teach the arts applied to industry or give any manual training.

ANOTHER School of the most important character is the "Art School of the Society of Decorative Art," which was started last season. They have seven fine rooms in the Art Interchange building, 37 and 39 West Twentysecond street, where classes in drawing and painting from life, costumed and model under the directions of Francis C. Jones; painting from still life and drawing from life and the antique and sketch class, Carl Hirschberg; modeling in clay from life and antiques, and elements and principles of design, wood-carving, metal work, J. Liberty Tadd, are held day and evening, Mr. Tadd's evening class being free. Last season about 400 pupils availed themselves of the advantages of this excellent school.

I HAD a pleasant interview with Mr. Tadd on Monday, when he showed me some very fine work in wood-carving by some of his pupils, and the short periods which he informed me many of them had been studying, seemed to me simply marvelous. Mr. Tadd is a thoroughly experienced teacher, whose work in Philadelphia, in forming the Ladies' Art Club, devoted to manual art work, is well known. This summer Mr. Tadd has been very successful in forming similar classes among the factory hands of Stockbridge and Lenox, Mass., where he had 150 pupils. Mr. Tadd believes in training the hand as well as the eye in art.

"WHEN," he said, "we look around us and see hundreds and hundreds of men and women who have given five years, seven years or ten years of their life to the study of art, who have drawn or painted from the antique or life studiously and earnestly in some of our best schools or under first-class artists, and yet, because they lack the divine spark, the genius to make a really good picture, because nature has denied them power to portray a correct likeness, the mind to conceive an interesting genre, the color faculty to paint a true landscape, all their study goes for nothing, they are not able to support themselves in their work for they can't sell it; they feel their life is a failure. While every one of these unsuccessful painters could have become proficient artisans, had they but taken the pains to procure the manual training. When we see this every day, it seems to me very foolish for the art students not to avail themselves of the advantage of a manual training. None of my pupils ever regret having learned designing, modeling, wood-carving or metal work, for they find it doesn't interfere at all with their drawing or painting and very often gives them in a short while a means of support, which their painting would not bring them in three

times that period." Indeed, before I left Mr. Tadd convinced me that he was doing valuable service to art and industry, and fully deserved the encouragement of the public. As well as the classes for men and women, a children's afternoon class is held, where modeling, woodcarving and design are taught. A class in china painting will also more than likely be formed this winter. Miss Anna B. Danforth is Secretary and Mrs. William T. Blodgett President, of the society.

MR. CARL HIRSHBERG is, I know from experience, an excellent teacher. He was for some time connected with this league, and while I don't think officially an instructor, he was always willing to assist any of the students in their work, especially in sketch class, where there was no regular teacher. His wife, Alice Hirshberg, is also an artist of no mean abilities. She is particularly happy in the use of

water colors.

BESIDES these schools there are a large number of our best artists who have classes to which they give daily attention. (The method in the schools being for the instructors to visit their pupils twice or thrice a week only.)

Messrs. George H. Smillie, Frank Fowler, W. M. Chase, P. Y. Turner, Walter Satterlee, and many others, have large numbers of pupils.

THE autumnal exhibition at the Academy will open about November 20.

THE regular fall exhibition of works in oil by American artists will be held at the American Art Galleries, November 22, closing January 3, 1887. Works will be collected from the artists on November 15 and 16.

There is the possibility of some special exhibition being held in these galleries during the intervening time.

THE present thirteenth semi-annual exhibition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will close on the 20th inst. A new loan collection will be opened to the public on the 9th of November. Owners of valuable modern paintings, wishing to exhibit at the Museum, are requested to address the chairman of the committee in charge, Mr. S. P. Avery, No. 86 Fifth avenue. Loans accepted will, as usual, continue on exhibition for a period of six months.

APROPOS of the above two notes, why shouldn't one of these institutions take the pains to collect some of the works of the late Asher B. Durand who died this summer at Orange, New Jersey?