Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-02

| supremest modeSty evinced throughout,
the words of wisdom uttered by both are
sure to be hung up in people hearts" bor-
ders OF gold with studs of silver"
A young physician of Philadelphia, TO
whom | had sent the two volumes of
Spare Hours, in remembrance of pleas
ant days in Havana, knowing my great en-
| thuslaSm for the man who wrote "Rab and
| bis Friends" and one or two other sketches
| IN those famous books, sends me this state
ment concerning him which will surprise
his admirers wherever these lines are read:
"On Sunday last | dined with Professor
Gross 1.-THE medical Sampson OF America,
and during the dinner l asked him if he
had ever read Rab and His Friends oh,
| yes, be said, n most charming book.
When | was in Edinburgh last summer
year, Professor Symme lof whom the
author OF 'Rao' said that he never wastes
| word, or drop of ink, or a drop of blood
called upon me and asked ME if I had made
| out any programme to be followed during
my stay. | answered | came only to see
Professor Symme and Or. john Brown.
Very well, said DR.. Symme, come and
dine with me-meuuoning q certain even
ing-and | will have John Brown there to
meet you | went, and at the table sat
the author of Rsb.' He was but lately re-
leased from an insane asylum, and by his
conversation gave no evidence of that
brllllancy OF mind that his writings so
everywhere display. l came away disap-
pointed with him, and so was Mrs. Gross
| and my son Halter" My friend adds:
rhus you see, my dear friend of the Moro
Castle, how different msn may be when
you bring him from the realms Of thought
down TO the every day level Of a dinner
table"
Had l not already overrun my space
would love TO jot down my thoughts and
some curious things | have from time 10
time picked up Of nearly all these writer
and these assorted little gems OF theirs. n
the volume l particularly spoke of. every
author is thoroughly known except it be
Benjamin +. Taylor-a ChiCss1 uau. if .
remember correctly, whose Grammar OF
Life is as bright and sparkling as the yer,-
best thing between the covers Old mer
who studied Murrays Grammar. who
reColleCt how firmly it was bound and tie
printers names, II. and +. Phuurv. ang
the year 1900 aud something, who can shut
their eyes and see every page O. 10 now
Just where the noun began, and the verb
to be, and syntaN with its terrible code o.
twenty-five, exactly twenty-five rules-wi.I
always read this marvellous little brochure
with emotion of some kind, some wit.
laughter some with tears. The coming
Sabbath you will hear nothing, dear reade-.
near so good as this: Al shall be and y
might have been ~ the former the music Of
youth, sweet as the sound Of silver bells,
fresh as
The breezy call Of incense breathing morn o.
the latter. the plant of age the dirge C
hope, the inscription for tomb. The one
trembles upon thin, pale lips, parched with
." life's httui fever the other swel!s from,
strong, young hearts, to Inns rounded and
dewy with the sweetness Of hope and the
tullneSs of strength. The one Is timed by
q heart that ilutters, intermits, hrtters, ana
wears out while that OF the other beats
right on, in the ." bold, stern march OF
life"
In one of the volumes is included De
Quincey's powerful description of The
Flight of Tartar Tribe, w hiCh the usually
careful literary editor OF the Christian Union
speaks of as founded on fact. whereas, Of
course, it is simply piece OF fiction. Han
dreds of persons made the same mistake at
the time Edward Everett Hale published
his Man Without q Country. Secretary
Seward having received letters, IL is said,
from all sorts of people inquiring whether
the story Of Philip Nolan was really true.
The Rise of ISLANDER ! do not think,
is in any edition of Disraelis works. 1t
was written in 1858, and is q tale founded
on the revolt OF the famous Scanderbef-
against the Turks in the fifteenth century,
Everyone is full of praises for the triumphs
of this mans later years, but has he done
anything to equas the story written when
he was boy of nineteen? I never see his
name, though, | do not rejoice ever Daniel
O'Connell's retort on the occasion, in 1885,
| when he grossly insulted that God endowed
| 1rishman: For aught | know the present
| Disraeh is the true heir-at law of the i'm
penitent thief who died on the Cross
| The readers who are unfamiliar with
! Neal Malone" are disposed to attribute il
TO the William Carleton who ground ont
"Betsey and | are Out" and other rhymes
The author of this perfectly hilarious piece
of humor was an Irishman, who died four
! or five years ago-a bitter enemy of the
English Government, and vet, on account
of his genius, came to be pensioned with
GOO per annum. He wrote so famous
book as Traits and Stories of the Irish
Peassntry." Most of his tales are pathetic,
yet here and there among the multitude
nous number we find stray witty ones like
The Misfortunes of Barney Branigan."
|. The brother of Gerald Gritfu-another
contributor to these delicious volumes.
scarcely known, lives in this city, and
with atfecronate care has recently pub
lished all OF G-rald's works in ten volumes.
He also was an Irishmau, ard died before
he came to forty. His most celebrated
work is The Colleen Bawn, - dramatiZed
by BouciCault He wrote that popular
little song, "A Place in Thy Memory Dear
est" Nobody seems to know much of any
thing of James Greenwood, TO whom is at
| tributed by the editor Night in q Work
| house which first appeared in the Pal
| Mall Gazette, and gave that paper its first
start toward success. 1t had the effect to
| break up the whole miserable work house
| system OF England. For publishing this
| sickening recital the collstor has been Sc
| verely criticised, yet it seems to me what
ever evil there is in it is more than made
| good by the touching little story told at the
end by the efficient member Of the Swear
| ing Club"
wanted to make some memoranda OF
| William Mudford, the brilliant contributor
| to BIdckVoOd's Magazine, from 1859; of
]. W. De Forest, whose Overland" Kate
| Beaumont" THE Wetherel Affair" are
ranked high among novels by even severe
critics; of the beautiful life of Emily c..
Judson, whose "Kathayan Slave sperhapg
| the most telling narrative in the volume
of The Little Classics" designated "Trag-
edy :" of Henry Mckenzie and both the
| OConnors. Possibly there may be room
for line about Francis O'Connor, whose
| name ought to be favorsbly known in
Albany, if it is not. A few years ago he
| went to that city to superintend the cree
| ton of Mrs. Winslow's vaults in the Rural
Cemetery, the fine carved ornamental stone
work of which was all wrought by his own
| hand. He is stone-Cutter. an Irishman,
poet but most successful as story
writer, with English crystally pure and
symmetrically strong, and destined to carve
| his name well up on the tablet of fame.
The Invisible Princess" which appears
in the last volume, is told with absorbing
interest and almost matches grace.
deem it no exaggeration TO say that
each one of these compact, dainty, easily
carried little volumes may be made, in the
words of Cicero, the food of youth, the
delight of old age; the ornament of pros
perity; the refuge and comfort of adver-
| sity; delight at home, and no hindrance
abroad: companions by night, in travel
ing, in the country" E. D'F.
SUPERIOR COURT.