New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-19
NET-TOEK LITERAKY NOTES.


CnAMBERs's MEMOIR, A FASCINATING BIoGRA-
puY-CAsTELAR AS A MAGAZINIST. ETC, ETC.
The story OF two lives, told simply, quietly,
modcsv a. its writer might tell sitting beside yOn III
tue rudy stiffness Of some wide, oldfashoncd lnSe
neuk;" u biography fun Of character and suggestion
AS 4 romapce--sO honest story. SO charming bog
rahy is the OF Robert Chambers written by hlH
brother william and 10 he reproduced 10y the Stfp-
ners The lives of tie two great publishers were 50 init
Ina-rly and eenary blended that without the autobo
croplica 1cinsc, Of the elder watch run through
the book IL wOuld lose much more than haf III Interest,"
and It's charm From the time when the bnd-healted'
weak, poverty stricken cotton manufacturers Two
young sons together watched the woaverS Ut thsr
treadcs in the Workshop Eldcston Water to their
later years, full Of wealth and honor, they Shrugged
failed and succeeded eide by side much one In afec-
ton energy. purry, perseverance, ana lndepend
ece. The hardsps o. ther boyho William Chambers
describes wiki planning simplicity aud candor
curously in contrast with DiekeEss recital % his
unhappy Tememhronces. The first school 10 which
the two boys were sent one kept by poor old
widow. who qualified to BRING her pupils to the
point OF reading the Dio-uiiciouy leaving out sach
absurdly difficult words rs INSTRUMENTATION TINS
and words lie tnis dubbed IassOvcrs" by this
accomplished teacher, and In letting them alone
her tender ,ivonals entirely ohedient.
Bur tbs was not the only academy Of the
little country n which tho Chamberss hved.
They picscnty entered the hurg school, wherein the
reading rtinc and Itimetic much less absorbing
10 most o. The scholars than the battles o. the books,
when the girls dscrecty retired under the tables eav
nc the boy carry the il which dogcaren Bibles
without boaIds, nandly few about missiles. They
were taught read and TO SPELL but there was not the
attempt made 10 make them understand the
meaning of ATTY The next stage in tier cduca
ton was OF gratnnaIschoo, where Latin, good
morals ana good were bufeted and beaten into
them with that Scottish cato nncaIs the tawse The
cruelty which used 10 tie ~ matter 81 ColiSe Ill
schools, and which VS. thing specially dear to Tire
hearts Of al Scotch dsc.pnaranS, VS. not lacking here
I've brought you cur jock mind ye, lick him weel'
would mother OF Spartan temperament say 10 me
teacher g. ahe introduced struggling young savage
and he sure JOCK GI.n; suffer for want az the de
sired discipline At all these schools The
amount Of ns tructiOn exceedingly slender history
geography, and physical science were left OIL alto
cethcI TheIe was even map IN any Of them, ana
il was rom par Of Cd globes which the hareaniovinc
| father Of kober5 and william III, scd up ~
| all auction that the two boys GOT the lmow
| edge for watch TIER earnest and eager young minds
hungry. But while going through this ineager
schoolIfe they found OF Aeip, AID hope. ana
growth the quant Old shop Of quaint old bookseller
OF the town. who had added Circulating library TO his
! ordinary business. by tho time they nine
| OF ten ycaI. old they had read q large numpcr
of the cGf,cs of English Literature. Roaming about
the attc OF fathers house. one day Robert found
stored ava chest tao successive volumes 81 The
fULrtn edition O tho tncy'ifIHda Nittnuoa, ana
thereafter porod n ecstasy that world What
| IA git Of q whole toy-shop woGld nave been
10 most Children thS book 10 BIN. H.
plunged INTO u and rEShM through II
and tho sciences OF which hc obtained he first tracing
through the Encyclopaedia all IN ife endcarc0 30
him ahuyo Tie rest. Williams cducatio3-wbich cost
us six poIude-4pded thirteen wien his father be-
came wrGtchcdy involved In business, lost everything,
aud removed g EIlnb.nel with few shinss the
capital Of the family-If leaves out the
energy canestncss, and uuseslness. wnch the rugged
training and unasssed study OF those early years had
Taught his two elder sens. Here their DARK
Ages, az they jcstlnGly called them, began Poor
among tho poorest, tho family struggled on.
never losing those characteristic Northern Cuali-
ties of sethelp and seif-resfcct William began
his business bfe Immediately ~ booksellers
aprIcnticea position which included lIt!o pay and the
most iguug drudGcry He lodged with precise and
homes; widow, in whose Louse ghts the artisans Of
the neighbOrIOod assembled 10 discuss the texts aud
sermons OF the previous Sunday. Hs days
filed with Goasclcss lator, his evenings with
controversial divinity and hard study. This
life was not had for the strong minded strong
bodied lad il brought him more strength alike OF mind
and body The and happiness tho years he spent
In tins way were all compressed into the SUNDAYS
Le passed with ms family who had again
moved into the couatTy, not far from L lin
burgh. lie walked home every Saturday night and
without any loeriI gby tie way, for with somewhat
limited wardrobe. POOR boy few things he carried With
him had to be washed and otherwise prepared before
midnight. Robert had been kept at "a noted classical
academy for "A time preparation for the church
presently poverty Withdrew him from a course
Of learning which IL he wonld
never he able to complete and after little dreary expe
rienee different cOun,in houses he began an indie
pendent business bookseller in rckctty little shOD
with few ragged Old books which HIS people
No home had long bef0re put away as next
10 useless. How little b. little he ccumIla,ed
the few sbiliings that enabled him TO add
to his stock how by-and-by WILLIAM ended his appreI
tcesip, and, hiring IA small shop with stall near
his brothers. entered business IA seller OF books,
which n dealer. won by his ftanknoss and honesty,
gave him upon credit; and how gradually, with
az sorts OF heartrendng and c0nical experiences.
tho two brothers made the soanty sum which
took theIa into better locality aud better business al
this Is told in way that grows uninteresting.
Presently William wrote little description OF the Scot
tish gipsics, which he set up, printed, and bound
himself a sxpenny pamphlet. The success
OF this little thing and the literary tastes aud
powers which Robert rapidly developing led the
brothers 10 start small magazine TO be written edited
printed and published by themselves alone. II done
with the hardest sort OF mental and ply labor and
was successful enough while IT. lasted, encourage
them 10 further cXcrtiOus writer's and pub
lishers Thrown into the world Robert had
been ,amOng all sorts OF quaint and original
A. WAS not stra .ge that his literary work should