Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-04-27
LONDON AS A LITERARY GENT

since Shakespeare came sup to to-
from the quiet of a Stratford not
made famous by his fame, London
been the chief literary centre of
world. 1t attracts, as by an irresis
gravitation, literary aspirants from
English-speaking peoples. EdinbI
still prides itself on being "the Att
of the North" the university towns
Oxford and Cambridge are centres
working scholarship, Dublin counts
quota of wise and witty scholars;
even these cannot resist fate and Lond
and sooner or later they give up t
men, at least for portion of the year
the all-aDsorbing metropolis. The I'd
of American writers are familiar on
streets. There are said to be $4,000
and women in London who earn t
living by their pens, although this
mate includes newspaper writers.
speak adequately of the literary side
many-sided London, so rich in hist
association, so comprehensive of pres
life, would be to essay history of E
fish letters. These papers have a N
modest aim-to tell the stay-at-hd
reader something of literary life in I
don, and to make known to him in sd
measure the men and women of to-
who are part of that life, whose Dol
he has read and whom he has loved /
bonored through their books.
The road to fame used to be Fl
street. This was the literary thorou|
fare of London long before DR.. Jo|
sons historic phrase to Bozzy, "Let
take walk down Fleet street," !
many struggling author has sorrow
over the grim jest of the streets nd
as he found the stream of success by
means fleet. Here, almost within ston|
throw of Temple Bar, the houses
alas! sites-famous in the history of
tiers are most to be found; and here
pilgrim Americans. tracing the steps
Dickens and of others of the past vi
that mingled reverence and transatlar]
eagerness and fresh appetite for Lond
which so perplex their English cousi
find most to stay them.
But as London itself has crept out il
the green fields, and surrounded witt
its circle the commons and High sire
of village after village, until that sa
circle has centres innumerable, so
London of letters has out-grown any s
gle centre. 1t is good two miles dot
with publishing houses, from Amen c.
ner, Paternoster Row, st. Pauls Chur,
yard, where booksellers used to cong
gate under the shadow of the church,
Mr.. Murray's shop in Albermarle sire
famous in Byron's verse, but TENN
radius would not compass the workshC
of London authors. Many of them,
deed, live here and there about
kingdom, but are annexed to London
occasional residence in chambers or 10,
ings. Most of the suburban villa,
have their literary residents. Han
stead, with its stretch of heath, has
home charm for Walter Besant; Ten
son lives at Aldworth, William Morris
Hammersmith, Swinburne at Fulha
even such a Londoner as Thackera
daughter now finds her home at Wimt
don Park; Mrs. Braddon-Maxwell Ii
at Richmond, Mr.. Blackmore in a nei,
boring Thames village, Mr.. Dobson
Ealing; and Mill Hill was for some We
crowned with the curious little corrug
ed iron building, adapted from a cha
to be storehouse of words, in which
Murray and his associates did their We
on the great Pathological Dictionary
fore its removal to Oxford.
OF the many thousand men and v
men In London who live by literary We
of one sort and another, good numb
some hundreds, are known to the readi
public as writer's of individual name a
importance. The most careful list Of
hundred would leave out many nan
which would at once spring to
thought of any general reader. Some
these have been distinguished by
government with the honors of pensi
on the civil list, ranging from twenty
three hundred pounds. 1t is interesting
note also that good many writers are
the civil service, devoting their pens
the public in one way by day, in anotf
way by night. To make adequate mi
ton of those really well known wot
be hopeless task r. r. Bowker,
Harper's for May.