New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-20
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
ANTHONY rRoLLoPE, MAN AND NOVELIST.
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY By ANTHONY TRoLIoIB
az rTaHkin square Library; PIP II. Harper Brothers'

AN ssI library; pp II Harper Brothers.
al remember well when l was still the junior boy
I'm the school Dr. Batter, the head-naster, stopping
mn, in the street and asking me with all the clouds OF
love upon his brow and all the thunder IN ms voice.
whether il was possible that Harrow School was
disgraced by so dsreputably dirty little boy as l.
Oh what felt at that moment! But c"uld not
look nv feelings. do not doubt that was dirty
hut think that he was cruel" 1t is after this
fashion that Anthony Trollope walls through the
record of his childhood. There is something about
it of that same half-spiteful, half-senimcntal
whine that sounds through Charles DickenSs re-
membranes of his boysh miserics. Little Irol-
Homes eyperience was not much smoother than that
of little Dickens; and The sense Of injury that sur
yiyed was apparently equally keen, and the resent
ment displayed is in equally bad taste The eider
Trollope his son says, was man hnely educal'u'
of great parts with immense capacity for work.
physically strong very much beyond the average
of men, addicted to vices, carried off by n" pleas
ures atiectionate by nature, most anxious Tor the
welfare of his children born to fair fortunes, who,
when he started in the world may be said TO have had
everything at his feet. But everything went wrong
with him The touch of his hand seemed to create
failure. He embarked in one hopeless enterprise
after another spending on each all the money Il"
could at the time command. But the worst curse to
him of all was a temper irritable that even those
whom he loved the best could not endure II. W"
were all e,tranged from him, and yet believe tIa'
he ,youId have given his hearts blood for any OF u.s.
His life. as | knew It, was one long tragedy
He was a clever lawyer, but his outrageous temper
drove the attorneys from him, and cruel poverty
for his family was the result. Anthony went
"a school at Harrow and Winchester until he
was nineteen and during all those years suffered
ogonics of modification and loneliness His bills
were uppaid his clothes were ragged and dirty;
boots, waistcoats and Observation-Disclosures were
closed Injuries To him. ne was big, awkward ana
uriy. He became parah among the pupils at those
two aristocratic public schools boys and masters
Mike iccrrd AT and wounded him. OF the cricket
ground and rackct-court," he writes, was allowed
10 know nothing. And yet longcd for these things
with an exceeding longing l coveted popularity
with q cOyriouSucSS that was almost mean IL
seo,nrI Il, me tina. there would be an ElySium IN thc
intimacy of thos. very boys whom l was bound 10
hato hrcausc they hated me. Something OF ne o's-
grace Of INV schoel-dayS has always chung to ne all
through life. | feel convinced III my MN"
that | have been fogged oftencr than any human
heinz alive. II was just possible to Obtain I'VE
scoursiues in one lay at WinchcSt"T, and nave
often boosted that obtained them all As ior ms
acoufrf.Ii.1ts H. Sn'onply asserts that he mas no
recollection of other tuition except tha IN the o'tj
lauguaeas. When presently he entered the CiNh
Service as post-otice clerk. he did not even KNOW
the lpulGrlicatiu-tahe. His early experiences I'D
the pc,t-piiive was not much plcasmtgr than th'>'
OF his Childhood. His stipend was M first Ni'o a
ar.aal Ac,ras continually overwhelmed WIN at''
and yr.,I by a moucy-leudcr who day after day
would visit him at his Office and StandmgH Ike III
tle oil demon behind his chair, would whisper al
WAYS the same words: "Now wish you would pn
puuctnai. Ifyou only would be punctuaL should
like Won 40 nave anything you want Another VS.
itor even more unpleasant appeared one day. Ire
story mast hc given in the nOycSt's own words:
vouy,. woman down in the country had taken II
into her head that she would like to marry me- ana
a very foolish Young woman she must nave or'H u,
eptcrtaiD Suc wish. | need not tel! that part OF
tLe story more at length, otherwise than by protest
ing that no young man III N4cH pr>';;l't va TLc
much less 10 blame than had been IN ,liS 1'
invitation had come from her, aHd hdH IaGhg' j.
plucl to give il decided negative; DUJ n"a 10y ICY
the house within half an hour gong away "iSIu'
INV dinner and had never TCtuIhr" ~ - ~ yi
there was a CorrcSpOndencc-H that can ne cti,'u"
cnrTespuu1cucc in which all the letters cane from
ONE side Al last the mother appeared At the posi-
office Nv hair almost stands on my mead no" i'~ l
remember the figure of the woman walking mo me
big room in which sat with SIX OF seven o'!!..'
clerks having large basket on her arm ana an 'I,
Inenee bonnet on her head. The messenger ma
yaiuly endra vuTrd to persuade her TO remain n.y. the
anteroom She followed the man IN ana. "a.II,iiI
nm the centre of the room, addressed me u 2 loud
voice; Anthony lroii2Pr, when 4IT %9H I,a 10
moments, and that was one % my worst. In.u
through il, however, and did not marry the young
lady.
He did not forget her; there is more than rcGiI-
isccnce of this lively scene in the episode Of John
Eamcs's last visit to Madeline DemoinrS.
Mr. Trollope has INDUCED in the most cNpanNiy"
franlncSS not only concerning his father and moth
er but also in regard to his own literary methods
and their result. When he was twcnty->lN ycdo Old
he received an excellent appointment in Ireland and
thereafter prosperity never left him. When be
reached ireland he had never put pen to paper; and
when he was married. being then tweuty-nine, "a"
had ONLY written the first volume Of his first work,
This novel and the next failed to please the pula,
and it was not until ten years after that ms thTd
story THE Warden was published and became
moderately successful. His duties a. po,t-oto
surveyor made necessary great deal of travelling
and be learned 10 write in railway carr'ag". CON-.
posing i'm this way the greater part OF bHcAeol"'
Towers and the novels which succeeded H. H'
even wrote on ship-boam when going T. Egypt to
make a postal treaty, more than once leaving ms
papcr ON the cabin table while he rushed away to
be sick" in the privacy of his ,tate-room. Ia IN"
production of copy TrOllopc's brain was mil "srcH
never 50 long as its machinery was IN notion re-
ouired any repair. His own account OF ms fashion
of writing is worth quoting. / had arranged ne
~savs. "a system of task-work for myself winch !
would strongly recommend to those who feel, as ]
have felt. that labor, when not made absolutely
obligatory by the circumstances Of the hour should
never he allowed to become spaSmodic'
When | have commenced new book. have
always prepared diary. divided into weeks, and
carried il ON for the period which have allowed
myself for the completion Of the work. In TIN,
Ihavc entered. day by day, the number Of pa9", !
have written. that if at any time have sIpPrd
into idencss for day or two. the record 81 ihii
idlencS, has been there staring ne IN the iacg, ana
demanding of me increased Labor 50 that the de-
fciency might be supplied. According I" inc. CIR
rnmstonccs of the time-whctler nay other business
might be then heavy or light, or whether the book
which | was writing was or was not "'inlcu " ~
The average number has been about 10 1t has been
placed as low as 20. and has risen to H.. And aS
page is an ambiguous term, my page has bcrh maze
to contain $50 words; and as words, II not watched
will have tendcncy u strAggc, have had every