The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-04-08
LITERARY LEAVES.
Among the Bright Minds of
the Nation.
ABOUT looks AND AUTHORS.
Mrs. Burnett's Success-Authors and
Copyright-An Actors Liter
airy ExperimeE t-NOtes.
BOUT looks AND AUTHORS.
Special Correspondence of THE HERALD.
NEW YORK, March %

NEW YORK, March %
That many Of the most brilliant men
and women in American literature are
far advanced in years and cannot hope
for many more years of active work is
recalled by the death of Amos Bronson
Alcott Some of these are so thor
oughly of the past that by the modern
reader it is almost forgotten that they
are still living. Caroline Gilman, for
example, brilliant as novelist. and
whose love for Harriet Martineau never
wavered, is resident of Jamaica Plains,
Mass totally bind and bed ridden with
chronic rheumatism, befriended by
Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody, the edu-
Gator, who herself has passed the eight
ieth milestone. Elizabeth Oakes-Smith,
renowned in her day for her rare beauty
and superb literary receptions, at which
Poe, Willis, BRYANT, Margaret Fuller,
the Cary sisters and host Of others
were ever welcome guests, is now quietly
passing her declining years in the
obscure village of Hollywood, n. G.
Although nearly eighty-two wears of
age, she still retains much of the beauty
OF face and form which distinguished
her in early life, and her mind is still
remarkably clear. filled with anecdotes
of her celebrated husband, Seba Smith
major Jack Downingl, who died in 1868
at the age of seventy-siX. joel T. Head.
ley, Washington's historian, is now
seventy-four years old and q resident
of NeWburg, n. Y, where he lives re-
tired life, exhibiting to visitors the relics
stored at the Washington's Headquart
ers of that city on the banks of the
Hudson Benjamin P. Shillaber, whose
nom de plume'of" Mrs. Partington' gave
him national fame, is now seventy
FIVE, surrounded by an interesting
family at his Chelsea homestead.
George Bancroft, the historian. as all
the world knows is eighty eight years
old. Parke Goodwin is seventy-tWo.
Herman Melville, once delightful
marine writer, but now almost forgot
ten by the world, is seventy. Mrs.
Anna Charlotte Lynch Botta is nearing
three score years and ten land dwells in
fashionable residence in New York City.
Francis Psrkman, the historian. is also
far advanced in life, as are George Will
liam Cur is, Augusta Evans Wilson, and
Margaret j. Preston, while all the
world knows that DR.. Holmes and Mr..
Whittier are no longer young in years,
while young at heart. OF educators
Theodore D. Woolsey is eighty-seven.
Andrew P. Peabody and Noah Porter
and James McCosh are all seventy
seven, and Frederick A. 2. Barnard,
seventy nine.
AN ACTORS LITERARY EXPERIMENT.
Mr.. Richard Mansfield has tried an
interesting literary experiment with
considerable success, and which now
cumstances will allow. When the an
nouncement was first made that the
actor would present "Dr. Jekyll and Mr..
the authorized American edition of the
the book be used by him as the hbrettos
the theatre, Mr.. Mansfield thought
over the matter for some days &naa
hnally concluded that the experiment
might be made. He accordingly pur-
Chased a number of the books, and
when the play was produced several
young boys distributed themselves
throughout the theatre between each
act Offering the book for sale. It re-
quired but few evenings to show that
the publishers had shown a shrewd
knowledge, and what was tried as an
experiment became at once a success.
Since that time the story has been sold
at every theatre where Mansfield has
played, under his managers direction.
fhe result has proved most lucrative,
and the actor has already sold several |
thousands of copies, and the other day
[ saw an order from him for several |
hundred books to be sent to different |
theatres en- route. Mansfield gets q |
very neat margin of profit on each book,
and from this source alone his income |
has been materially increased. The |
Bandmann, who has lust
out version of his own of the
story, is following in Mansfeld's foot
steps. and is also selling the books at all
lis performances with marked success.
The most agreeable part of the transac-
ion is that on each copy of this edition
odd the author receives royalty from
he publishers. This of course would
lot have been the case had one of the
many pirated editions been selected.
MRS. BURNETT's SUCCESS.
Modern literature presents but few
instances of such pronounced success
IS the case OF Frances Hodgson Burnett
ince the happy thought of writing
Little Lord Fauntleroy" occurred to
er. No story ever written by her has
one so much for her. Mrs. Burnett's
equation as a writer was built upon
er clever story OF THAT Lass o.
owrie's" and she made thousands of
ollars from the sales of it. But
did more for Mrs. Bur
EFT than all her other books combined. g
! is only in rare instances that pub :
sher will be hazardous enough to pub
sh q juvenile book in the spring.
among publishers points to Z
lie fact that juvenile can only :
3 placed on the market with any de-
rec of success in the fall. Yet, month L
+ six weeks ago, the Scrlbners issued
Irs. Burnett's Sara Crewe," and, per-
APPS, for the first time in publishing
mails has such a ventura heen sucooos