New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-10
BOSTON,.
LITERARY NOTES.

TWO VOLUMES BY MRS. GRACE A. ELLs-MhS'
BARBAULDs POSITION IN SOCIETY AND IN LITER
.ruRr-Two OF HER POEMS.
.ypou A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRrDUHE.I
Bosros Jan. 5.--The day after New Years
made my frs, neighborly call ]. r. Osgood Co., III
,her new quarters corner of Federal and Franklnss
for they are sti cornered, as You perceive Inc ou
Corner" Of Washington and schoo-sts. was rendered
iusrious by this hrm when IT was T1eknor' fle'us
Co-the corner Of Tremoutst. and Hamiltonpiace was
more "paatial" as they say about steamboats, anu
the same gracious management made il equally hospa-
HE and pleasant, whether the FIRM was oaieu
~Heknor a Fields" Fields. Osgood * Co.
er as at present, j. r. Osgood Co. Ana no" the
two former corners abandoned to Memory ana inc
Past while the Present and the Future hang out the
sign ct the third and aggresslvey new corner o
all For geographically, this new location Is In the
very of the burnt district The spendia Docks Oh
buldncs all about II new; the Sidewalks VIII De
new when they get any; and so Will MI Burts fOst-
sce when il done, and osgood Co can look out on
enc their windows, and see that their small
how does not drop any OF their letters short stones
throw he has 70 The very streets themselves
may thiuk they for they have been EXTENDED
and widened and reconstructed until they don't know
themselves Franklinst. leads now from Washington
~ straight to sea, aud If you follow federaisL
south VIII take you into the prettiest suburbs OF
Boston.
Here, on this corner OF magnificent possibilities. the
tsapsplanted firm have established themselves They
have a quarter than in Tremontst for their
Publishing business, besides great Heiiotype
Room, big all the rest, when is
not vet thrown open 10 inspection The
whole establishment. indeed. wears an aspect
lust now which reminds one Of NewYOrk ON Mayda
1t Is going 10 DO delightful, however. The entrance
the salesroOn. Ii has sort OF Crysa fdace Oh
effect for two sides OF 1t are all gass-naI
10 10 say with only solid work enough to frame III the
great windows OF which these TWO sdes are
composed IL will always be 1T least as bright here as
tits ourofdoors; and any one who is mt happy mere
would MT be anywhereif Dull Melancholy does Mt be-
gone II he likes his quarters TOO We'll 10 leave
them
You 60 up one flight, and there you find the Firm, 10
charming little Offices bright with all sorts oil pretty
things as well as with sunshine and they are twice as
glad 70 see you when they were on Tremonts, when
everybody running in al the time The EVERYBODY
about Frankn-st ia very busy and does not run ln,
though 1t stops a moment, now and then before
some lovely heliotype IN the great windows
and goes on i'll its hurried way the happier
Down stairs, in the basement story, are
the vaults and alcoves stOrsge-and they spa
tiOus that IL looked il all the publishers IN
Boston might easily store their books there But, as
Nj Oegood that they have to carry over sSocON
Of stock suppose the space VIII all be needed
The demands of this immense business seem to Inc ap
Ialug; yet nobody appears hurried aud general ar
OF hospitality makes you feel quite at liberty to re-
main as long you please. In this new Corner, all
sorts OF future pleasures preparing for the public
Anna Dckinsols nOvel-Of which you OF THE
heard so long ago that you must almost have
forgotten it's stn expected and Mr.. Adrchs Pru-
dence PafTey' will be Spring ISSUE and so will Nora
Perry's Poems New from the other side OF the
,ea are 10 reprnted and there will be plenty to read
"wben the swallows homeward hy." Meanwhile there
VIII be little doing, beyond getting settled until March
after the issue Of the three volumes just about to
appear.
Tie present seems TO be the season Of gentle ghosts
for bonored aud honorable women, who numbered
with dead, find life In the resurrection OF
biography. We have had Mrs. Maria Hare, and her
group OF choice and beloved friends; then Mrs Somer
,lnos long life Of goodness and usefulness blessed us
with its benign example; and Sara Coleridge, dauSh-
ter Of @ poet, charmed afresh win her sweet
craciOusness, and Mrs. Grace A. Ellis has
written, and j. Il. Osgood Co. are about
10 publish, Life OF Mrs. Bsrbauld with Sc
Rctions from her Works." in two volumes, which
shall make modern readers pleasantly familiar with an
who nearly fifty years ago entered INTO her rest
To me, Mrs. Barbaud is less interesting figure than
Maria Hare o. Mary SOmeTylle or Sara COlerdge but
she is not less worthy of attention. she noble
woman who did faithful work in her day and genera
lion and 10 build her this literary monument labor
Of love AS Mrs Ellis remarks the life OF Mrs. Barbauld
was long, fun of days and Of honors and not without
ts trials. Her character, as revealed i'll her CORE
spondence and her work. was pure and noble;
no unworthy thought suled her pages,
and her life to have been singulary free from
alonsy itteness. 1t perfectly rounded circle
Of duties well DONE sorrows patiently borne human
sympahies and warm affections. In the Of her
long career she formed friendships with three
generations of persons eminent in science and IN hter
tnre Her early youth passed among group Of
unusually intelligent and cultured people Dr. bod
drdge was for many years inmate of her grand
fathers house. Her father, John Akin, ID. d,
was one OF most learned dissenting clergy
men OF his time. BY such men she was inhu-
enced in her youth; and, III her early womanhOod
che formed lifelong friendship with Mr.-afterward
Dr-Josepb Priestly and his wife. In her full
maturity Of mind she met and knew, less inti-
Matey many of the most brilliant OF her c0tempOrs-
Iies Among TINS choice circle John Howard the
rblanhropst Dugald Stewart Sir Walter Scott, Han
nah More, Elizabeth Montague Madame barclay,
Joanna Baile COlerdge, Charles Lamb, Wordsworth,
Rogers and Maria Edgeworth. Few lives have been
richer in their friendships. Crabbe Robinson was one
Of her great admirers and to him are indebted for
many of those slight and pleasant "reminiscences which
serye To her character and show us OF what
manner OF woman she
Anna Lsetua Aiken (afterward Mrs. Barbauid was
born the little village Of Kbworth Harcour In Leices
tershre, England June 90 l743. Her father had
been forced TO give up preaching GU account OF the
weakness Of his lungs and had opened school for boys
at Kpworth. DR.. Aiken man OF profound and ex-
tensiye learning and be his daughter was an nest
mahe blessing and advantage to Letitia But dissent
was then as It always been Questionable IN Eng
land and confined 20 the middle classes SO that Miss
Aiken brought up in comfortable, mddle-cass re
spectabilty though descended on her mothers side
from an ancient family the Wingates OF Bedfordshre.
Her mother Of her, in letter which still
exists
j once, indeed, knew . little girl who was eager
learn her instructors could be 10 teach her. and
who al two years DID, could read sentences aud htte