Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-11-09

LITERARY GOSSIFs-THE QUESTION or co bDt
CATIoN-TuE POLITICAL SITUATION IL
AASSACHI SETS.

y
MASSACHUSETTS.
BosToN, Friday Nov. > 1871.
To the Editor of the Free Press and Tines.
Already new books begin to eTy Christ
mass coming, Christmas coming" Miss
Phelps, the well-known author Of Gates
Ajnr." has just published "The story OF
Avis" and DR.. Holmes iayOrs Us with one
volume edition of his poems from the
greatest to the least" Here lies new vol
ume entitled The Scarlet Letter Again,
for the fifteenth time, turn over page al
ter page, eagerly absorbing the fascinating
story as though reading it for the hrst time.
1t never occurred to me before that The
Scarlet Letter" could be improved; but now,
after examining the excellent illustrations
of the artist, | wonder that the need oil
illustrations never occurred before. j, Ii.
Osgood Co. have truly contributed much
to the pleasure of the reading public by the
publication Of this attractive volume.
of Nathaniel Hawthorne writing. scarce
" anything new can be said. With his lie
we are all familiar, for there is not page
&C hi. writings but bears the indcible and
unmistakable stamp of its author. But
We often love to take step further ana
learn what were the surroundings oi one
who 50 thoroughly lived IN the
somhrc scenes of historic New England.
Less than week since, | visited the al
tique city of Salem, than which none Is bet
ter calculated to arouse and nOurish the his
toric spirit. Here Prescott, whose volumln-
Gus histories, in five languages, are popular
in all the civilized world, was born and bred.
Here Hawthorne was born, received his ear
" education. and woye the weird and pa
thetic legends of his native town into story.
Imagine a city of 10000 inhabitants. with
one long, narrow street lined on either side
by small wooden buildings, many OF which
are oyergrown with moss on each side still
narrower streets, Offering an approach to
numerous timc-honored DWELLING. Houses
of two, four and eight gables greet Us wher-
ever we look but The House of the Seven
Gables" is unique. In such city, on such a
side street, and in small two story house
which bears the marks of time, Hawthorne
and in small back chamber, with two win
doys overlooking foul back yards and ugly
sheds, he wrote 1.-The Scarlet Letter.
There still stands the church in
which Roger Williams preached two
hundred and forty years ago-a building
hardly large enough for rural district
school house there stands, on Essex street,
the Witch house in which those awful trials
were conducted on Federal street, stands
the Witch Jail, wherein the helpless unior-
Inmates were confined and there in the
Suburbs Of the city still stands Gall0ws hi!
whittier the guiltless men, women and chill
dren were led forth to execution.
These scenes furnished the foreground of
the picture which was always before his
mind, and from history and his active ina
gination the canvas was readily supplied
with a harmonious background. While his
subjects are unpleasant and oftentimes pain
full. his exceedingly graceful style and the
gentle humor which plays upon the surface
of all his productions make his writings
very fascinating.
The announcement was made last
Winter of an engagement between
President Eliot of Harvard University
and Miss Grace IIopkinson. At s
O'Clock, Tuesday evening, the marriage
ceremony was performed at Cambridge, IN
the presence of a very few intimate friends,
Rev. F. G. Peabody officiating. The bride
is highly cultured lady OF about thirty and
daughter of the late Judge Hopkinson Of
New Hampshire.