The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-06-15
LITERARY SECRETS.
Some Works that were Wrapped in Nystor,
PHILADELPHIA BulletinI

philadelphia Bulletin.I
Literary secrets have usually been better
kept than any others. In every library
there are works Of great excellence whose
authors are still unknown. Anonymity
has been the delight OF writer's OF every
grade, but usually it has been put on only as
a temporary mask. II the book succeeds
its author is glad enough TO have his name
known. From behind his screen he has
peered at the world, aud has watched the
reception OF his production. The chorus
OF the critics, friendly or uniriendy, he
has heard, and he has, perhaps, laughed at
the guesses which have been shot at the
name OF the author. Then. when his name
is known, be energies from bis obscurity
Into the warm, genial sunshine Of popu-
la~ity and fame.
But some men have not been coaxed out
oil their hidmg-place after the world has
showered its praises upon them, and would
gladly do them personal honor. There are
still some works whose authors are I'M
known. There are the Letters OF Ju-
MUS" for example, which caused tho
deepest stir in England when they appear
ed. Although the Ministers Of the Crown
were themselves most interested and eager
to discover the Keen satirist, whose thruSts
they could not repel or parry, he kept be-
yond their reach, and to-day, after small
library OF controversial works has been
written, no positive decision has been ar
rived at. "Junius" remains forever rnys-
terry, or at least a conjecture. At the be-
ginning OF this century there arose in Stot-
land great genius. For time he delight.
ed the public with descriptive poems in q
new vein; then he suddenly changed and
produced novels, altogether the hest Of
their kind that English literature pos
sesseS. "Who is the great unknown9"
asked thousands OF readers. At length
the fact was established that the poet and
the novelist were one-that the author OF
MarmOn" and Wayerley,' was Walter
Scott. The next literary cODundrum was,
Who is Boz, the author OF the 'Pickwick
Papers =" but the success OF that work
was so immediate and complete that Dick
ems was soon known by name. The write
who about the same time signed him
self "Michael Angelo Titmarsh" was prob.
ably well-enough known as William NJ.
Thackeray to the limited literary circle
which he then drew to him. Carlylc's au-
thorship OF "Sartor Resartus" was no Sc
cret to those who cared to inquire, but the
number was small, counted by hundreds
then and by tens OF thousands now. In
the following decade, "Jane Eyre" won
speedy triumph. but not even its pub
fishers could tell anything about "Cur-
rer Bell" When one day q irail. pale
faced little woman, dresser in black,
entered the pubIishing-hOuse, with Sc
cOnd manuscript for inspection, and intro
duccd herself rs Miss Charlotte Bronte, the
author OF "Jane Eyre" the story goes
that for moment the publisher was in
LOT,
held the readers OF two continents under
her spell. "Who is George Elliott" was
the frequent question. Some maintained
that he was q man; others insisted that she
was woman. The secret would probably
have been kept longer had not shallow
pated person by the name OF Higgins
claimed that he was George Eliot" and
az he was poor, subscription was started
for him. The real author, still desiring to
wear her mask, wrote to the papers suggest
ing that higgins should write q sketch and
that it should be left to the public to Judge
whether he could possibly have created
Mr.. GilnPS Love-StOry" and adam
Bede," but before long Marian Evans
Lewes decided to throw off her disguise,
and when she did so "all The world won
dered." Bulwer took pleasure in pub
fishing some OF his works either anOny-
mOusly or under fictitious name, in or
der TO display his versatility, and Troll
lope, in his Autobiography" tells how
he tried to succeed in a new style OF fic-
ton in some stories he contributed to
BldCkDOOd'S. More rece-tly" John Ingle-
SAINT" came out anonymously, but sec
ond edition OF it was signed by j. Henry
Shorthouse. Who wrote "The Bread
winners " and Democracy" is still mys-
terry. "Guerndale." one OF the best OF
later American novels, is now known to
be the work Of Frederick j. StimSop,
Harvard graduate thirty years OF age.
Within few weeks one OF the most IA
nous literary secrets OF the century has
been solved. In 1874 appeared book
called .'Vestiges OF the Creation" which
aroused a storm OF religious and scientific
discussion. In q measure IL was fOrerun-
ner OF Darwin's "Orlgin Of the Species"
Hugh Miller and other Mosaic biologists
and theologians attacked it. But although
its effect must have been gratifying to
its author he stirred not from his OBJ
security, and Only on the death OF Will
liam Chambers short time ago has
the authorship been acknowledged. The
work was written by Robert Chambers.
His wiie-who copied the manuscript; his
brother William; Mr.. Robert Cox, OF
Edinburgh; and Mr.. Ireland-the friend
OF Emerson and Carlyle, alone knew the
secret. All OF the five except Mr.. Ireland
are now dead, and he, after exactly forty
years, has put at resi- conjecture.
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