Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-03-05
Charles Shirley Brooks.

caOlo d1epatCh from LONDON an
nounces that Shirley Brooks, the
journalist, novelist, aud dramatic au.
thor, is dead. Mr.. Brooks was born
in the year 1915, and was consequently
So years old at the time of his death.
After achieving his education he
studied for the Law, an avocation for
which his father intended him, and,
after passing with great credit to him.
self an examination before the Law
Society, entered upon the practice of
his profession. His tastes and molina.
tions soon led him, however, to neg
leot the law for the, to him, more con-
genial occupation of authorship and
journalism. He connected himself
with London newspaper, and while
thus engaged as = journalist he also
wrote plays, which were we'll received.
Tho success which he obtained finally
induced him to abandon the practice
Of Jaw altogether, and to begin that
literary career to which he ever after
devoted himself. Although best know n
in this country AZ novelist, Mr.. Brooks
success in London as = dramatic
author was exceptional. Several of
his comedies and dramas not only en-
joyed popularity when first produced
at the Haymarket, Lyceum, and Olym-
pic theatres, where they were brought
out, but also preserved their hold upon
theatre.goers and were often revived.
Among his best and most characteristic
plays may be mentioned q comedy in
two acts, marked with much humor
and dramatic appreciation of charac-
ter, called ''Our New Governess an
other comedy, equally successful in the
and intrigue, entitled "Honors and
aricks," and finally drama Of the pas
Tons, called ''The Creole" the scene
sif which is laid in Mauritius in the a.
mosphere of slavery: As novelist, in
which capacity he had secured his
widest repute, MI. Brooks produced
many works which display the possess
sion of that prime necessity in suc-
oessful writer of fiction-to-wit, the
power of portrayirg effectively the
stronger emotions of human nature.
His characters, also, are generally
vigorously drawn and stand out, as It
were, from the tableau of the scenes
depicted with vivid realism about
them which is apt to fmake them re-
membered when, perhaps, the memory
of the story itself may have passed
away from the readers mind. There is
usually tragic undercurrent running
through the plots, which, while not
sensational in the sense in which tho
word is generally used, seems to bring
into full play the power and pathos
with which the characters whose for.
tunes and misfortuaes are detailed are
invested. His works in this department.
of literature have given him . promi-
nent position in the second rank of con-
temporary English novelists. The best
known of his novels are The Silver
Chord" "Aspen Court" "Sooner or
Later" and g The Gordian Knot :"
Mr.. Brooks's labors as q Journalist were
varied and in some cases important.
For five sessions of Parliament
he reported for the Morning
Chronicle, with which journal
he was connected, the proceedings of
the House of Commons. At the pen
DDS when he was not thus engaged he
went at intervals to Russia, Syria and
Egypt az correspondent for the Chron-
icle, which was at that time treating
largely of the subject of "Labor and
the Poor" including in it's inquiries
the labor systems of foreign countries
as well as that of Great Britain. Sew
eral Of the letters referring to Russia,
which Mr.. Brooks then wrote 40 the
Chronicles special commissioner, were
afterwards reprinted in book: form,
under the title of "The Russians Of
the South" At the time of his death
he was editor of Punch, to the columns
of which he had long and constantly
written in the past and he was also .
regular contributor to the columns of
the illustrated London News. Mr..
Brooks as lecturer had also acquired
some reputation.