Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-06-14
London as a Literary Centre.

Since Shakespeare came 'up TO town" from
the quiet OF a Stratford not yet made famous
by his fame, London has been the chief liter
ary centre OF the world. IL attracts, as by an
irresistible gravitation. literary aspirapts
from all Englsh-speaking peoples Edn-
burgh still brides itself on being "the Athens
of tue North" the university towns of Oxford
and Cambridge are centres Of working schol-
arshlp, Dublin counts Its quota OF wise and
witty scholars; but even these cannot resist
fate and London, and sooner or later they
give up their men, at least for portion OF
the year, to the all-absorbing metropolis
The faces OF American writer's are familiar
on its streets. there are said to be l40J0
men and women in London who earn their
living by their pens, although this estimate
includes newspaper writer's. To speak ade-
quately OF the literary side OF many-slded
London, SO rich in historic association, so
comprehensive OF present life, would be TO
essay history of English literature and
a general survey OF present English letters.
These papers have more modest aim-to tell
the stay-at home reader something OF literary
life in London, and to make known to him in
some measure the men aud women OF to-day
who are "A part of that life, whose books he
has read aud whom he has loved or honored
through their books.
The road To fame used to be Fleet Street.
This was the literary thoroughfare OF London
long before DIR. JOhnson's historic phrase To
Bozzy, ''LeL US take walk down Fleet Street,"
aud many n struggling author has sorrowed
over the grim jest OF the streets name IS he
found the stream OF success by no means
fleet. Here almost within ones-throw of
Temple Bar the houses-or, alas! sites
famous in the history OF letters are most to
be found; and here the pilgrim Americans,
tracing the steps OF Dickens and OF others OF
the past with that mingled reverence and
transatlantic eagerness aud fresh appetite
for London which so perplex their English
cousins, lind most TO stay them.
But as London itself has crept out into the
green fields, and surrounded within its circle
the commons and High Streets o. village aft
er village, until that same circle has centres
innumerable so the London OF letters has
outgrown any single centre. II Is good two
miles, dotted with publishing houses, from
Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, 81. Pauls
Churchyard, where booksellers used to con-
gregate under the shadow OF the church, to
Mr.. Murray's shop In Albemarle Street. IA
nous In Byron's verse, but a ten.mile radius
would no. compass the workshops OF London
authors Many OF them, indeed, live here
aud there about the kingdom but are annex
ell TO London by occasional residence In cham
beers or lodgings. Most OF the suburban viii
lagos have their literary residents. Hamp-
stead, with It's stretch OF heath, has the
home charm for Walter Besant; Tennyson
lives at Aldworth, William Morris at liam
mersmith, Swinburne at Fulham; even such
II Londoner as Thackeray's daughter now finds
her home at Wimbledon Park; Mrs. Brandon
Maxwell lives ut Richmond, Mr.. Blackmore
IN neighboring Thames village, MIR Dobson
1T Ealing; aud Mill Hill was for some years
crowned with the curious little corrugated
iron Gu lding, adapted from Il chapel TO be a
storehOuse OF worls, In which DR.. Murray
aud his associates did their work un the great
Pathological Dictionary before its removal 20
Oxford.
or the many thousand men aud women In
London who live by literary work of one sort
or another, good number some hundreds,
arc known TO the public as writers OF individu-
al name and importance. The most care
full list Of hundred would leave out many
names which would at once spring at the
thought OF any general reader. Some of these
have been distinguished by the government
with the honors OF pension on the civil list,
ranging from twenty TO three hundrd pounds.
1t is interesting to note also that good many
writers xe In the civil service, devotng their
pens TO the public in one way by day, In an.
other way by night. To make adequate
mention OF those really we'll known would be-
hopeless task.-R. Il. Booker, IL, Hdrper'i
MdQdziHe