New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-25
A LITERARY PARTY IN GREAT BRITAIN
From The SATURDAY. Rerfcsc.

From The Saturday RcUtcD
There arc many people, for instance who read a
little, talk great deal and think scarcely at ALL
and vet imagine themselves To be literary and en-
terrain an ardent longing to get into literary set
After anxious and weary struggles they obtain the
acquaintance of an intellectual lion hunter ana,
by dint Of perseverance, induce this being 70 invite
them to meet some literary people. We VIII I'M
agine would DO member Of such clique going 10
dinner-party of this description. he cOngratuates
himself that the golden gates are at last 10 open 70
him and he feels that after ALL patience and dogged
perseverance are always rewarded in the end: lie ~
about to find himself among congenlnl spirits. ana
appreciated. Instead Of feeling that he is going
aongst strangers, he rather seems TO be returning
to his own brethren and his fathers house. 49, -.
On entering the drawing room the first thing that
strikes him is the ugliness of most of his fellow
guests. His genial host takes him by the arm, and
confdentially tells him who's who" AS each ce-
lerty Is pointed ont to him. he feels If astar had
fallen from his little heaven so disappointing are the
Heshly appearances of these great writers N CON,
formed Of them. He is sent in to dinner with the
daughter of o savant He tries TO say something
clever Oh the staircase. and tells an amusing inter-
ary anecdote as soon he s seated at the dinner
table; but Yes" No." and Really" seem to con
stitute the entire vocabulary of his companion As
he fries his other neighbor This is lady with q
long skinny neck, whose dress resembles iliinsy
yellow sack. He talks books and magazines ito her
Tor few minutes and receives little cold encOuT-
agement. She then smiles for the first time, and
quietly says, "YOu seem to havo read great deal
Of rubbish" After this he relapses into silence for
time and has leisure 10 observe the terah deyour-
There is famous poet at the opposite end Of the
table but all that he of him is that he is fat,
| and has q long gray beard. There Is red-whs-
| kered man and there is red-nosed. man, and he
knows that one Of them is writer and politician OF
from his hosts description before dinner whether
the nose or the whiskers belonged TO the genius.
| Immediately opposite TO him sits o well known
writer of articles in tho magazines, whom his host
told him he ought to know. This gentleman Is ap-
garently aclergyman ana does not look very clean,
word with him during the evening. famons nov
elist is in full view Her books are intellectual,
with o strong flavor of the romantic. There Ia a
spirit In them that yeqr1ss for tho days to come
when modern science shall have torn away the
wells of prejudice and superstition and tho now Cos
pei shah be fearlessly preached She wears false
front. and seems unfnterested in anything except
her dinner Near her sits the writer of some anus
ing but naughty novels. She has stern face, and
The idea of facing these yiragos when they shall
be let loose in tho drawing-ToOm 10 terrifying TO
mind when they leave tho room, and the men draw
mp 70 end of the table. He finds however. that
to say; 90 he might as we'll have saved himself the
trouble Of examining up all the leading weekes and
monthlies for tho occasion The whole party listen
| to the conversation of two men who talk like
| books,D as uniearned people sometimes gay. The
| most Ignorant man IN England who would hold bis
| tongue would have made an excellent member OF Q
literary party of this kind and Our novice begins To
DO conscious that no scarcely have been invited
on account of his prOdigOus talents. In the draw
ing-room hc finds that the guests break up into lit
tie grOups and converse cOntdentally, and he him
self Is left to his own devices At last charitable
4 sayant takes pity upon him and enters into con.
/ versati0n ON topics which he thinks suited to the
inferior intellect of poor creature evidently be
/ longing to the outer world. Although the expert
ence Is humiiatng, talk of this kind ig better
than none but it Is scarcely begun when silence II
| ordered that one Of the company may give q rccita
| tIon In French, and soon after that the party
/ breaks up As he drives home the aspiranf feel
tat his entrance into literary society has been fal
\ from marked success, and he owns to himself thai
he did during the last three hours. II this Is thu
vay Ia which the learned spend their evenings III
woSlld rather dine at his club and 1t seems probable
4 Chat fle men and women of letters whom he hAi
just left will offer obstacle to his doing So.