New-York tribune., 1874-08-03
THE GOSSIP IN LITERATURE.

TuACxFRAY AND pICKENS-A BOOK OF NEcpoiho-
MODERN yERs DE soCIEIE-MPHERsoNs HAND
BOOK OF POLITICS.
NEw-BRIGuroN, Aug. 1.-The second volume
sf the Brio Brac Series, edited by Mr X H s'ouoru
"a abont 10 appear devoted TO "reminiscences OF inc
two authors who most others i've IN the 'e"uo'
remembrance OF the Engishreading world, and move
10 kindly and happy thought men of gentle WILL IhaeA
erav and Dickens, they who wrote otThomas Ne"0o"o
and Francis Esmond OF Sidney Carton aud Little Doil'
are always welcome under whatever presentation oy pcn
and pencil That precious fame that ickered and went
out with Denis Duval," seems TO burn again as ono
reads the loving sentences which those who knew well
..dear old Thackeray" have ever had for mm' Mr.
stoddard has carefully selected such personal reeo
lections by his friends would give the uuest picture
of the man. These full as might be- though ie"'
for as Holder says in speaking OF the future historian
OF his subject: -,
There is an exceptional difficulty in regard 70 Thack-
eray nasmuch as there were few whom he auoWeu ~ ~
know him. in the true sense oI eerTe se in his manner
accom- parsed at times by cod austerlty "hon iou ~
Social companion his lntimates often described
him 10 be- And yetit is well known 10 those VINO saw
nn~d he esSentaiiy "joliy "a favorte term of hiil
when humor suited hun, aud that ne wouu & GA % fi
cence formed part OF his vocabularyi WheItaS& ~ ~
ether times he would kecp hse hy eonosysbe or per
adventure by significant movement Q, the heaI d erect
Won iauntily; at another he would turn htb ilVh
Won With a peculiar waving OF the hand, when
Of eourse indicated that he had no desire 10
tak Men who were members OF the same eiuD WIN
him have been heard to say that sometimes nc ~ mOI h
pass them the lobbies unnoticed anu at o%tcI % he
would cheerfuiy initiate conversation, ana eane Ue
hind him impression that SuIennSss m ol ,aed how
wholly foreign TO his nature IL Should D r hecn
ever that his health for many years hau I often
entirely unlmpaired and hat ms acu Win his
feov.men In short, he was essentially OF uclsous
eitpossession which enables a TO shine IN pn3ile
assemblies; for II was absolute pam 10 nun W
non he shaved no particular desire TO hOd prOic'
place But the above considerations apart u W9ao Null NJ
he thoroughly to understand Thackeray IN the sane
number OF years Douglas Jerrold dating ms , NV
once xith Tharkery the time that tine Iater, w
some curious hazard, illustrated his Do0k OF Men @ Oi
Character" was often hear9 10 sly ,y hi,a yet Bnt
that the great novelist and satrst had generous anu
sympathetic heart can hardly thihk DO uispu'ou
Certainly no one would venture TO dispute
ing the opening paper in the little volume "fl'en ~
Mr. william b. Reed OF Philadelphia and originally
nrinted in "Blackwood." The Thackeray therein de-
seribed with most sincere deicacy and simplicity "S
The man we like to imagine him, frank, hearty true
merry, and kind and sweetnatured,
Gentle ALIKE BY accident Of birth
And gia Of courtesy and grace Of hove"
The paper Immediately following Mr' heeus An"oA-
erys Literary Career IS the charming one ever 10 pe
remembered by the reader OF the second series Vi
.sparo Hours" by that warm-hearted Scotchnlah' Dr
John Brown. There are eight other papers TAKEN wtu
nne exceptiou-a bit Of description by Blanchard Ser
Tho
rold-from Theodore Tayor's book on Thaekeray Ihen
follow the personal recOectons OF Mr. Shirley Broohs'
with those u James Hannay; and the IhacKery ana oo"
elude with Dickens's In Memoriam," and the Few
obituary poems worthy Of special preservation MI
stoddard IN his excellent preface, notes tins character
,s,,c anecdote related by the late Charles Sumner
when Thackeray was in this city Washington, we
visited among the earlier places the CaptOl rotunua
was beyond chance question. He took quiet turn
around the rotunda. aud IN few WORDS gye eST Grim po
tly raQ
hull IL your painter. he said never negIect
Other places of interest then seen after whlch We
started nomeWard He had not yet been at my house,
and my chief anxiety was 10 coach MN safely pas t1e
,,non art matters which made certain that was to
have trouble when should come In view OI that par
ticuar excrescenee We turned the dreaded corner az
last when 10 M astonishment, Mr.. Tnaekeray held
straight past the hideous figure moving hs head neither
10 the right left and chatting as amy a. ho9gh we
were strOling through an English PARK Now Know
that the instant we came IN sgn Iot ieSTors at
glance aud ID the charity of his great heart took All
pains 10 avoid having word said aIoutlt' An put he
was a man OF rare cOnsldelauOn'
one thing more mus, recall 10 you-Jerrolds fitting
sketch of the man:
Dickcns's strength was quick alert, and with the glow
OF health in it; it seemed 10 proceed ike that OF
mighty engine from inward fire. ThacBeIay's was
calm majestic by its and extent as the force OF
described "mOdesty grand" and the observation. y
occurs 70 me- applies e1aGtly 10 inaehetag & ~ ioevu @
must have affected society much in the same way and
by Ihe mental aud physical qualities Like Haw'
'"V'"'' "Wapdeted lonely as a cloud"
"A coud IL should iJS noted and rememDered, Wl.n
SILVER lining in their soiitdds when suddenly Observed
both bad SAD etsve aspect gu w, ~, .nn nov
a,,d ,h9I on Tss 1ss"sVnS onaitv W of Dckous's
cpiins "a il was of my fathers should ike to
Iietures OF Thackeray holding skein Of sllk Of emu
ar ronnders; of uawhO lying in the grass listening
10 the birds and duckng lest the passers by should IN
terrupt him; ana Of Douglas Jerrod 'ahinH pAi' IL
basiing the bear in his hentish orchard
MI stoidard has glvei much less than half his vol
ne TO anecdotes of Dickens, but in his selections mas
left ont little that good and fresh and pleasant lie
takes however extracts from Mr.. Forsters Lie on
Dickens" which, indeed he characterzes as narrow
unsatisfactory aud painful book. The greater portion
of the Dickens material he has derived from the WORK
OF MI Theodore Taylor, dgent collector OF reuiDis-
cences ot the novelist. Sir Arthur Helps ana MI Bi-
ohard Jerrod contribute their papers and thd l. re-
pripted from The Engliskio0mGH's NdJa-tne. Herein
one finds a girls description OF the stu younS boz
whom she meets at dinner party;
Twas first introduced TO bis wife in the sanctuary OF
BEDROOM where was arranflng my hair before tne
glass. / thought her pretty httle w0inab with the
ieavydded large blue eyes 30 much Sumired py mel
The nose was te rstrOusse, the forehead good mouth
small round aud red-lpped with Pheasant smiling
exuressiOu. thstan ng the sleepy OOs OF the SLOW
nSHIE snc relied TOO suddenly into tie throat she
took kindly notice OF me, aud went IVA with u nut
mai aasncd through me were Wnat tine character
istc face! What marvellous &c Aud what DofF'd'
lie wore his bar.ong in " admired disorder" and II
suited the picturesque style OF hs heSd Uut ne nad r
A slrtout with "A very wide collar, very much thrown
back showing vast eNpause OF wastcOd drab trousers
and urb boots with psteu leather toes ana the whole
effect apart ne head evidence OF load
taste u costume ana was not proper fOr evening dress
OF course 1 listened eagerly during dinner 10 catcA
The pearls Otner precious things That ie IOm his
lips aud watched rtverent admiration, every Hash
oi Ills clear gray eyes for was enthusiastic ard IN my
teens He did not speak much and his utter
auce was lOw-tOned aud RAPID with a ostain
tnckuess as II the tongue were too large Tor the
mouth fouud a1terSard that this was famIy char
scterlstic; aud had habit OF sucking bls tongue
xnn Ihlnklng md the same time running ms hngers