The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-17
AMERICAN ART In ENGLAND.
What the Editor of the London EArt
Thinks Of American Art and Artists.
The Story Of a Busy Life in Journalism and
in Art-The Black and White Art of Amer
lea According to COmyns Carr.
Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal.
RosETTI AND BURSE JONES.

maps best known In America as the English edit
or of LArt. while his association with the Gros-
venor Gallery, his editorship of the English
Illustrated Magazine, and his dramatic version
of Called Back" are his chief titles to current
popularity in London. Journalist. art critic,
dramatist the intimate friend of Rosetti and
Burne Jones, Mr.. Comyns Carr is an individual
ty in artistic and literary London, whose career,
work and opinions will be interesting to America,
all the more that he has not yet been made
literary interviewer
DO you know of any branch of literary work
more interesting than biography l asked him.
None" he said, there is no life, however
uneventful, that is not worth writing"
Then no false modesty will, hope, deter
you from telling me your storya'
Not at all. Have a cigar" he said, hand
ing me a box of excellent Havanas My life
has been sngularly uneventful, but full of very
hard work"
/ am not great smoker, but | pay tribute to
the sympathetic magic of a cigar 1t is as useful
an aid to conversation as TO reflection Nv host
was speedily in cloud of thought and smoke A
remarkable looking man. he leaned back in his
chair and watched a smoke ring until it dis
solved Let me sketch him in this attitude.
Slightly beyond the medium height, broad
shoulders, strongly built. trife too stout for an
athlete, he is English in his restful suggestion
or power. He has a large, intellectual head,
full brown beard, brown hair with curl in it,
calm, gray eyes, and his complexion is fair 1t
is the face OF a worker, and l thought as he sat
aud smoked and watched the dissolving ring that
there is physiognomy belonging to the journal
ist which his might illustrate. He was dressed
in loose, gray working suit, such as a couItry
gentleman might wear on shooting or fishing
excursion, and he sat at his desk among the tools
of his avocatiop 1t a small unpreten-
tious, plainly furnished room at the back of
his unpretentious house in Blandford
square. Books, pictures, cigars, manu-
script sketch by Burne Jones, a photograph
of a famous old master. few magazines the
morning paper, a big gazetteer, a painted model
of the principal set for the new drama of Dark
Days" an easy chair and couple of others may
be said to represent tools and furniture and
here We sat, and smoked, and talked, and Comyns
Carr, as hope to slow you, is a very good
talker
Il developed at school an aptitude for mathe-
matics he said, land my master wanted me to
go to Cambridge | ana thirtyslx now, and |
left school at sixteen. My parents had family
ften, and they could not afford to send me to
the university. / went into business-my
father was business man. From sixteen to
nineteen was on the Stock Exchange. l dab
bled in literature at the same time, but not sue
cessfully. My first appearance III print is an
amusing incident Among the papers to which
sent my copy was the Dramatic and Musical
Record, conducted by Arthur ONeil, brother of
the painter of Eastward Hor 1 had sent the
editor a review of new volume by Longfellow.
went to the Office and bought copy of the
paper. My article was not in. On
the counter / picked up a copy of
the London News, publication devoted
surprise found that it contained an article ut
tery out of place in its columns-my review of
Longfellow. Both papers, it turned out, were
produced by the same printer; the dramatic pa
per having too much copy for the week, and the
emigration journal too little, they transferred
my essay to the latter. After my three years in
the Stock Exchange did not like it. / induced
my father to let me study for the bar. l en-
tered at the London University took honors in
first examination, but before | got to the second
found that literature was absorbing all my at
tention; was called to the bar, went on the
northern circuit but finally resolved to ally my
self with journalism and authorship: went on
the Echo as dramatic critic under Arthur Ar
mold and with Barreree. the present French con-
sui who has made SO much fuss in Egypt, as
colleague From the Echo / went upon the
Globe, and wrote series OF articles on Paint
ers of the Day: under the signature of '.Igna-
tus," which led to my becoming acquainted with
Burne Jones and Rossetti."
Forgive me for interrupting you to ask you
about these two men, in whom cultured Ameri-
cans take deep interest L know you admire
them-tell me on what special grounds"
II think Rossetti' he said, ''one of the most
interesting Municipalities to meet personally
that ever knew, or am likely to know. He was
a vigorous and at the same time most delicate
talker, with more force and more subtlety than
almost any man can think of, and he had the
singular and delightful power of making young
men say the best that Is IN them, encouraging
them to talk of high subjects without fear of
ridicule or reproof. / remember him at C1eyne
Walk, Chelsea--his house was near Carlyles-
curling himself up his sofa after his days
painting was over, allowing me to launch out on
all kinds of subjects connected with literature
and art, and listening and talking himself in the
broadest and most catholic spirit. An idea pre-
walls that his nature was effeminate, but what
ever of this may be found in his work, it was
not reflected III the man himself. No man who
met him could doubt the masculine character of
his mind, and 1 think any man who knew ban
could understand the influence he exercised on
his contemporaries. Burne Jones said to me:
'Rossetti was the real pioneer in the new march
of art with the alliance of Norris IN the range
of poetry RoSsetti Inspired burne Jones In
a letter which had from Burne Jones he says:
'Rossetti was the first man who led me to trust
to my imagination
JOURNALISM HARD WORK AND POOR PAY.
''Thank YOU now 20 pick up the thread we
dropped when / interrupted your own story"
WELL he went on, Prem the Globe | went
to the Pail Mall under Greenwood And from
this time everything seemed TO come easy as re-
garded journalism; but ar income made by mere
Journalism is the hardest earned income in the
world One of the stral ,e things is that with
rare exceptions, increase of power and aptitude
in your work leads to little or no increase in
your pay. One OF the exceptions is some special
engagement. At one time, and during one year
in particular, / was writing for the Pail Mall
Gazette the Manchester Guardian, the Satur-
day Review and the World, and my income was
not more than some of you men who are novel
lists as well as journalists. make out of story"
MAY ask what it wasl"
about e 900 for the year." he replied.
'Mr Russell, the accomplished editor of the
Liverpool Daily Post" | remarked 'had a sim
liar experience when he was on the Morning Star
in London
AT one time" continued my host, Il was
writing as many as three articles a week for the
Saturday Review. wrote the series of articles
in the World on the London press. From that
time my work became intimately connected with