Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-13

paper. The millionaire president OF "a very
prominent insurance company Is saiu 10
have been figuring at different times on
the cost Of practical experiment IN tne
Same direction. but the Indifferent for
times of his predecessors have probably de-
TERED him thus far from making the ven
ture, although he may be heard from any
day.
VARIOUS SCHEMES CONSIDERED.
A Vanderbilt in Park Row, however,
would be a yeritable sensation, and when
he comes he will have a rousing welcome.
He will be the first OF his tribe 70
embark on q sea that has more shoals
and ouicksands surrounding 1t even
than Wall street. Some time ago there
was talk of a Vanderbilt in connec-
ton with projected weekly publ
cation OF q character similar TO the
Epoch, but nothing ever came or ~.
Later still another scheme, having III view
the establishment of society journal 70
conserve the interest of Murray Hlll ana
Fifth avenue and the elite of some half
dozen other cities. was attributed 20 one
of the younger Vanderbilts, and tins pro
iect. too, hung fire. although II IS SAID not
to be altogether abandoned even vet. OIL,
There is. however. remnant OF NIL
lionairedom which finds is attraction IN
the love Of literature, pure and simple;
These men are not TO be found connected
with the daily press, but with o different
class OF publications, mainly Of the maya
zine order. When the late Allen Thorn
dixie Rice took hold OF the old togy Norm
American Rcvielr and forced IL TO the front
among American monthlies he demon
etrated what a literary millionaire could
do. In the same way Mr.. James Brisben
Walker, the wealthy owner and editor OF
the Cosmopolitan, by dropping. the. old
lines and branching out in bold and at
tractive fields. has plucked success out OF
what was apparently an impos5iblllty.
LITERARY Aston.
Easily the foremost among literary mi :
lionaires. il not. indeed. the most prOml-
nent figure in American literature to-day
in some respects Is William Waldorf Astor,
the picturesque author of Valentino"
lie is the sole redeeming figure i'll the plu-
tocratic array that can be said 20 be de-
voted TO literary work without thought
of ANYTHING but the art OF the writer and
the pleasure afforded by its exercise.
Nr. Astor's two novels are not the only
works his pen has finished hv any
means. although they are the only ones
thus far gwen 10 the world. He Is said to
have a number of manuscripts more or
less complete and which will see the light
by and by. Like Sir Walter Scott he has
been flirtive student and composer, steal
ing many of the hours tn at wealthy young
men usually devote to social relaxation for
that purpose. 1t VIII be surprising If Nir.
AstOr does not make more commanding
figure in the literature of historic fiction
than his friends have dreamed for HIM.
THE BRILLIANT oHAUScEY.
That brilliant cosmopolite Depow, too,
maucre his railroads and his CrRsus-like
surroundings, occasionally finds time TO dc
more serious work than the making Oh
after-dinner speeches, although IN these
as in everything else. ne IS unapproachable
He is far deeper student than he gets
credit for: and what IS still better he pre-
fers to conduct his boOkish researche:
himself instead of by proxy. IL Is fam
suggestion that if Chauncey NJ. Depew
hadn't been railroad president he
would have grayitated TO craftsmanship
possibly, but 10 authorship certainly. lie
has all the taste for il, the felicity of ex
| preston, the epigrammatlc turn, and the
salient touch that gave life and character
| to the work Of the pen. When he has writ
ten enthusiastically for publication M
has given evidence that strong and at
tractive personality was lost to literatur,
! when he bound himself down to railroads
saw him for moment on the day he sail
ed on the NOrmannia for Europe. liz
was speaking to the delegation of Indians
and COWBOYS, and the tone | hearC
were even more dulcet than of yore, before
his nose was reamed. What a sensation h'
will make in England when he rises L
sneak at the innumerable dinners and ban
duets that await him, and when the INT
metallic quality of his new voice peryade'
the room! How the dull and prosy British
postprandial takers, swamped IN thel
I NIL Nh
thing short of the pen OF Sterne can por
trav the admiration that will greet this IA
nous American, whose journey whereye
he Goes will, like that OF the trumpeter II
the Sentimental Journey" be turned int
q triumph-because OF his reamed nose.
TIE PRINCRToN's WILL PLAY THEM.
Football experts are greatly divided OF
the question whether or not the colleg'
teams will accept challenges from the bu
fish picked team which is expected TO ar
rive here shortly. The manager Of the for
eign team has already announced his nten
ton of irving TO bring about matches viii
Yale. Harvard, and Princeton. In order e
learn whether the college athletes careG
TO risk their laurels in a brush with TIM
strangers note Of inquiry was sent Il
the CAPTAINS of the football teams at thes'
! three colleges. Gill. of Yale, was silent
| Harding. OF Harvard. had no answer &c
give. Edgar A. Poe. the plucky little cap
! tain Of the Princetons and the nephew o.
| the famous poet. alone replied:
Il think" he wrote, " in all probability
Princeton would play the British team
| but of course the game could not he played
before the latter part OF October"
When it is remembered that the Prince
| TON team is the heaviest of all the college
elevens and that, until lately at least, II
was noted for the ferceness of its rushe
and the roughness Of It's play IN the field
il will be better understood what pluck Il
implied III Captain Poe's letter. In meet
ING the foreign team, the Princeton
ian giants must lay all their old tao
tics aside and play the British Asso
citation game. which bars slugging, wrest
linz. and scrimages of every kind. Thel
will play at a decided disadvantage. an,
lovers of the game everywhere viii watcl
the result of this peculiar match with in
terest. Meanwhile it looks as though tn
other colleges were willing that Princeton
should take the first whack at the Britisher
and don't care TO run the risk themselves
LITTLE JOHNNY THE AUTHOR.
It's current talk among the New. Yorl
politicians that the main portion OF Cabo
! Lodges bill for regulating Federal cleo
| tions. now I'D in Congress, was inspired b,
! ex-United States Supervisor Of Election
John /. Davenport. 1t Is even said tina
the active little man, who has been 70
many years thorn in the side OF certain
| politicians, has claimed the authorship o
a very considerable part of the bill, which
| together with the free silver-cOinage ques
ton. is now fairly dividing public atten
| ton.