New-York tribune., 1884-11-16
A MAN OF THE WORLD.
v.rps,s RECOLLECTlONS.

Of the World by EDMUND AA'"'' Wy
& Brothers r r....r,
IT,. ;s an essentially modern class OF literary
.,.r vho owe their salient traits to their environ
,,.nt in n special manner. They represent 'i'o
mercurial restlcssness, the eager seeking ai,er
novelty, the bright. sparkling frivoU'y, '"o
pleasant superfciality of modern society. lhcs
ro everywhere aud know everybody lhey "i0
genial comrades shrewd men OF the worid Pos'o''-
ING what may he called the instinct oil the reporter
Quick aud keen of observation, wei ape 10 oA""o'
amusement from the most unlikely materials IN
short altogether of their century. true chiuien vi
tbe ace To this class il is disparagement to say
.h., Mr. Edmunl Yates belongs and the fact that
be beloncs 10 il has been and now is his man
.,rercth The child OF hisrlonic parents, naturally
introduced at an early age to the peculiar life when
circles about the theatre given IN his youth 'hof
pngh grounding in continental bonem'ah'sn'
Thrown aftcrward into intimate association WIN
The orld of literature. art aud Journalism III Lon
don. he has certainly enjoyed and as certaihiy
utilized opportunities for acquaintance Win
celebrities OF all kinds. temporary and permanent,
A bright story writer. n ready psrasraphS'' wiz"
/, s,eoal aptitude for that society gossip which is
malicious without being scandalous, he has lot
thirty years kept himself more OF less In the pupic
Eve and has finally achieved Journalistic success
NJ so novel n character that his contemporaries
besitated long before they made up their mihuS as
10 whether he should he apPlauded or conoehh'u
The public settled the question by showing us N-
ing for the wares he suppec. and after ten years
trial he is able to say confidently that his paper s
an assured success
His memoirs. as might have been expected reveal
very little of the man who writes them. some
what too minute record of his personal progress
ecrves as the thread on which is strung motley
array of recollections of other people III
e.. To
are well told. but il must be SAID that
they include far less of novelty and IN
terest than might have been expected. from the
RANGE of the authors acquaintance ana the scope
of his experience. Quite possibly the tact that All
his experience has already been availed OF Tor
literary purposes NAV have prevented hun from
usng il much in his memoirs: but II so ne mas naoe
a mistake in this respect nevertheless thero ~
plenty of amusing matter in his pages and if they
disappoint IL is only because one who has had snch
unusual opportunities ought. IL may he thought TO
have preserved more abundant ana especially moro
IN portant "reminiscences from thed.
There are some resrmblances between the careers
of Yates and Anthony rrollope. Both long held
positions in the Post Office. Both travelled Tor the
Department. Both wrote novels TO exc out slender
incomes Yates made tho Post Ohice the back
bone of his income. and when he left it retired on
pension. In his youth there Is nothing OF special
interest though he met many people better known
q generation ago than now.
Here ~ a story of his godfather, the Hon. Edmund
Tyng an eccentric old gentleman:
The old gentleman took great fancy 10 me- IN
yitei me two three times week 10 MS tab!r,
where he always placed me opposite TO hlr-a
rather trying position for lad of seventeen where
The gneSts were nearly all distinguished men -and
was always pleased If. after leaving my ohee,
would cal for Inn. aud give ln my arm Iora tour
of vi its or card-lcav He was somew hat try
ing companion On such occasions, for his outspoken-
ness aud rriiabillty were excessive. ] rccoiect
taking hun one day 10 the door OF very great
house ard knocking Her Grace at home y asked
Mir. Bync. Her trace has gone TO Chiswlck, SIR,
mean ST. burst out the old gentleman. DV teIllns
me Your mi>Ie SIS movements don't want 10
Know theml | asked if she were at home. and all !
wanted was a plain answer to that question.
Then, with a thump OF ms umbrella on Tue door
step he pulled me away. and We left the man gaz-
ing af og u.s. pctrihcd with amazement
And here is a story of Macready and brother OF
Sala. the author. whose stage name was Wynn.
For some reason or other Sala W mn was most
Objectionable 10 Macready. Possibly want of rcver-
ence had something to do with the feeling; but the
fact was tha; The great tragedan detested the ec1
centric actor. When at rchcarsals Wynn appeared
ON the stage. Macrcadys eyes were tightly closed
until be ds1ppe.red w9ep he w%nd ASK ,nf tng
on the revival of Shak espeaicr utnry VIII.
with Macrcady Cardinal Wolscy, tie part OF
Cardinal Cainpclus was allotted 10 Mr. wynn. III
had been represented to the manager that Mr.
Macready's costume would lie corrtrt and splendld'
more csi'Cclally regards hoilc mdPnlhc'nl punt
lace Which he INTENDED wearing, aud II had been
suggesied that something extra should be done l"
make the other cardinal respectable. lut Mr.
Mad OK thnrpht some old scarlet robes Judged mp
from lie wardrobe would suffice; and n g. point
lace, SILVER sSuc paper deity snlpped ana sewn
on would have much tde tanc appearance when
Macrca ly. cn'hroned IN chair ci stat, hah INC
various characters 20 pass before him he bore al
calmly until. clad in the scarlet robes Nord"led by
silver tissue paper and wearing an enormous red
hat WYNN approached Then. clutching both arms
OF hi. chair and CLOSING hi. eyes the great uaBc""n
caspcd ont, Mother ShiI tn, 10y --"
The following Is good specimen OF Mr.. iatcs's
descriptive manner. in which the perhaps uncon-
seious kcne.s to Dickens is marked. lie is giving
nn account OF the first house he lived in alter his
marriage:
Our house was in what was then called Gloucester
Place New Road. II immediate right angles .. but
having nothing in common with. Gloucester Iiace
portman Square. a far grandcr locality. lie New
Road has since been subdividrd INTO Mary i,hone
and Iustun Roads. hut 'bcn II was the New Road,
ttret hing from paddingtJn 10 lslington, amt our
lcuse was about mile from the Iaddington end.
IT was small. bnt 20 was the ieut, slNly pouhls =
year and Il quite large enough for my vile ami
ine aud onr two servants II had httle garden ~
front, ictwccn Il and hc road with straight line
of fagstnnes leading direct from the rnteto doni-
ttcps and bits of ilOWei-beis rs I'm witch nothing
ever gfcWl intorsected by little erayelpatl abuut
a foot wide This garden source Of great de
Iph, 10 my humorous friends Albert Smith
uoud hr s,en arciiilly pntthg one foot before TIE
other. IN order that he might not step OF the path
anu, t'fl Nili'lINh Ii hliN '"i t'' i,''',
lrHs wpnh frrn eyrcs-ivc fatigue on his arrival
~ the house. declaring he had been lost In The
thtnhlrfvn Arthur would sugres that We should
iatr riie on the srut o. shO0 visitors The nearest
rnv, while uUnrWOoi lhhpisun hUptl wr IN
tendth els inc sine outdoor ictts IN tlir summer
rssrilnr - that ihe l1nd oi the J ne unaiis
would i0ui splrnid un ilai" Pointing ~ a ~ ui
tuti ahnu, iir sifr ~ pnrhr, hanIl tighiri Nhen
niisgt,l ip hail sni w. eoIid Not " eel uni u ii
ninNr iabn duuii hui ilth ut rUrl. ~ triisp Al
sats tas. uri ilfunrl tle 9tnlt' Z luilr tinin
.ta d tl tt.ti
shat
iLiu Wasa t1it sNaii Ndyi ~ iip bach, nlnulAp
fH iNA sri nl RiAhps Nhirh had ltpt irai tnifanEe
in ihp mrWs, hUi Wg Wpip ruWpri W. cover Nil
Nnl iaph windows With Vuihj iAllal'p at ground