New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-05
'"LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY."
MRS. HoDGSoN BURNETTS REPLY
From The st. Iames's Gazette HOndon).

From The st. Iames's Gazette Q4ondom.
few days before the occurrence OF the accident
which nearly fatal 10 me- ABOUT thire ihodtH9
81 James, Gazette containing Miss winthrop
curious statement concerning tle story OF Iauuer1g
mcnt which could be regarded seriously or one that
IL was necessary to answer. 1t seemed 10 me "a
statement which answered and explained itself
Both my English aud American friends nave on
silence on the subject. To have replied they say,
"would have been TO do exactly what Is Wanieu Oh
s sSStf has n S adyersed tse am perfectly
aware that in writing an answer ths IS eAaeUy MaV
"Wilfred" before the of the public shall 0y pc
too pleased, since it may give TO thinking persons inc
H q Sot likely " it6at have been indebted Miss
Winthrop for ideas. The sentences which are quoted
Ing 10 have been chosen 10 give point TO l9Ac II
Is grayely asserted among other proofs that me name
Fauntleroy was Cedric; that WilfIed was said to be
Ike his father, aud that Eaunteroy shared tae same
arrival at his grandfather's house played Win Two
little dogs, whereas the pagarized Faunteroy lay pc
fore the fire and strOked a cat. Miss Winthrops hero
was attired in cream cOOred flannel, and tauhtleIOy
took the liberty of pagarizng his very little trousers
Themselves though he endeavOIed to conceal his VII
any by adding a red scarf II seems 10 me 1hat
these are scarcely the inspTatiOnal ideas That an
author in desperate for want OF material would
seize upon Apparently the stories themselves are ell
trely disslmilar The motif of Fauntleroy the
contrast of guieless republican with surroundings 10
which he totally unaccustomed and its chlef dca
was the influence Of fearless innocence and trusting
sweetness of heart upon selfish preiudced, harsh
MoTldliness THE st. James's Gazette informs us
that Wfred had no such mOtif-that lis grandfather
was quite an amiable old person. The principal re-
Eepblance between the two stories / imagine TO be
that both boys gTandsOns of nObemen; but 1t Is
not uncommon, l believe, for little boys TO have
ears for grandfahers. II the situation entirely
original with herself as Miss Winthrop seems TO inn
sgne, she would be entitled to suppress Debrett's
Peerage7 for infringement Of cOpyrigt-it reproduceS
her brilliant idea SO frequently and with such sang
froid.
Hiss Winthrop herself tells us that on Wilfred's
being offered to my publishers the Messrs. scrDner OF
H. as Miss Winthrop insists, Fauntleroy was an
exact reproduction of her story it seems little odd
that these gentlemen should not have observed the
resemblance, and that they should gladly have pub
lished the plagiarism, decidedly refusing the original
AS for the rest if there is a shadow Of d rea-
son for denying a story palpably false and auda
ciOus though l can scarcely see there can be
one, can only say that never read Miss winthrop
book and that / know nothing about it beyond what
j gathered from the article in The ST. James,
Gazette have not a shadow of recollection Of
the lady's having written to me, and, but that
know her type and its habits WELL should say
at once that she never wrote 10 me at all. There
1t is true, modest and earnest strangers whose
letters asking advice always wishes to answer and
whom IL would be ones pride and pleasure TO aid in
their work il it were possible but they are not the
persons who, having forced themselves and their
literary wares upon hard-worked man or woman
afterward reward too lenient indulgence by making
bold use of it for their own advantage.
The weu-kn0wn type TO which refer (and an
hard workers at literature are acquainted with it, IS
that of the person who writes to one announcing
that he or she has written remarkable book winch
publish, and asking immediate Influence with
priceless boon and render the author
deservedy famous. We all know them and in those
moments of feebleness Of mind 10 which the persistent
presence of such letters ones desk reduces the most
discreet of US, we are sometimes goaded to nycntng
an answer which shall be at least humane. One
cannot be brutaly truthful in such cases. Who does
not know the WEAKNESS and evaporation OF It the
loss OF tne when means so much, the rachng OF
ones Wits which means much more and the consci-
OF evasiveness which is the wort Of all
tence Miss Winthrop innOcently quotes bein.
letter OF mine is so typical Of this humane evadng Of
the question that who has felt forced into the
situation can have read IL without ruefu smile
Of recognition 1t is tlis II have not had time 10
read the book but have glanced into it, SO typical
~ this rJnafk that feel as II really might have
written IL, because have been Obliged 10 do the same
thing before. IL is not improbable that, wishing TO
avoid unspariDg franlmess may have glanced into il
with some kindness, and then a refuge have
made the humane suggestion that children might like
Il. One can say that much OF any book intended for
children. 1t is civil and not untruthful
One is sometimes unfortunately guilty Of these in
dscretiOns Of civlty when one wishes TO dispose OF
tiresome subject; hut ii rather hard 10 have such
indiscreet hndncsses misunderstood and quoted
against ones self
The worst of such persons as these is that one has
no defence against them. ] only suggest 10
sensible persons that Miss Wintmop's statements wear
4 slight air Of impr0babty that II is hardly likely
That /. who have written stories since / seven
years old some Of them not entirely unknown should
ind Il necessary 10 steal material create As
easily as breathe. / can only ask that the state
earliest childhood and whose second nature IL is to
write them, should he entitled to much consIdera-
ton as that OF a woman who apparently has written
but one, which remained IN eptire Obscurty until the
ton occurred to her her extremely sharp business
sdyiscrs. am doubtless gidity OF additional indiS-
'oaeg d.