The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-22

Of the English mind. "A numocg o.
wears ago two Americans drew near
London door. TO which they had been
invited. Upon the steps they fourd
another Of our countrymeu,
poet of the virglnaI West. He
was Just then quite tke rage IN
English society as the untamed crestute
of the forest, the same that Colonel Zig
ginson represents his hosts a. expecting
to find him. The untamed poet upon
the London doorstep wore an ovefcoot
Of buffalo hide ard did not forget. even
| in the presence only OF Americans. thae
it was as creature Of the unspoileds
virginia. West he was - admired. II
say, ST. he shouted, recognizing the
Americans. how do you get into one OK
these places do you thump or yelll"
The poet Of the Sierras was type in
those DAYS. The eighteenth century
essayist living over to the nineteenth,
in Boston, was not.
The story by Rev. John Bradley Gil.
man. "A Frankenstein Family" pub.
lished in Harper's Bszar. May 20. ID
identical in motive with that in Ed
ward Everett Hale's late extravaganza.
''Susans Escort" The coincidence.
however. ends with the idea. The de-
velopment of both stories is entirely uu-
like. This coincidence Of ideas Is con-
tinually occurring in fiction. though
the stories containing them are publish
ed at such intervals from each other
that the condolences fail TO attract at
tention. One instance, years ago, nearly
brought Two authors into serious trouble
with magazine editors. The explains
tions which ensued prove bow readily
good motif il snapped up by literary
people. Both these writer's had been
at a dinner party when the story had
been told which was the germ OF both
their own. A we'll known literateur
OF Boston, who is also journalist, 10 q
very brilliant raconteur. but cleverly
cautious one. He is remarked 10 have
au especially rich fund of anecdote az
certain Friday afternoon lat homes.
where he is a welcome babltue. This
generous giving out upon that day more
than upon others is explained by the
fact that all his Friday afternoon anec-
dotes and coruscations Of wit aud
thought appear in one OF the next Sun
day morning papers, and are already
in type before he conddes them 10 So
ciety.
The C,.tic tells Of lady wis.
reads manuscripts for "A publishing
house and who lately read one, not sx-
actly immoral. but that affected her up>
pleasantly. When she returned II to y
the publisher she said, Il can tell you
lust how the author of this siory
looks. then went on to describe her as
a woman of forty, smelling strongly OF
patchouly and going into detailS
which the Critic RETAINED from repeat
ing. The publisher was amazed and
could scarcely believe the reader had
never seen the wriier OF whom her
Iescriptipn was so exact. A novel
lately reviewed 10 The Tribune Is
adorned with portrait OF its author.
A keen observer could not help be-
ing struck with the face as typica! OF
the women who write such books.
Without being a coarse book in the
least. ora low one, it il an ideallzAt'onf
Of carnality. pure and simple, that same
carnality atmospheric with glowing
poetry, with delicious sentiment aud
fine art. which was the "humanismn OF
the Italian Renaissance, and its reac-
ton from the gloomy mysticism " the
Middle Ages. The portrait accompany
ing the novel is markedly q
Renaissance face. Scores like u
of courtesau. prince, preiate ana
duchess look from the famous canvases
of the sixteenth aud seventeeth centu-
ries. A face like it would not have
been counted foreign or strange IN tho
MedIcsau circles. IL ia not an acciden-
tal coincidence that portraits OF the
author. of The Feet of Love" and Of
The Quick or the Dead" are OF one
character. although the first Is OF
mature woman aud the other OF giri.
Roth are Of the "Humanists.' ana be-
sides them the Prudences and Prlscillas
of our Puritan blood would look likeice
maidens.
These women. readers in large. maya
zine offices must be a race apart, d race
of subtle munitions If not uncanny
movers of occult divinaiion. Once
mon time | sent three manuscripts
10 n leading American magazine. They
were entirely different in character. the
handwriting and other features OF the
Mss. 1 made as different as possible.
and one was to be credited to an ait
dress in Paris. one TO a London address,
one 10 New York. In the course OF time
came a letter OF acceptance Of one OF
the MSS. The letter contained also the
amazing words: I'VE have received
tyyo other MSS, mailed in. London and
New York, hich, although signed by
different names seem 10 Us by the
same hand as the Que herewith nc-
cepted. Ii they ale not, tive similarities
of style and penmanship are most Won
derful. Ii the three are by three dif!er.
emf hands we will never trust our ecI-
rorial instincts again. Now what pre-
,erpsturally "intuitiye" woman never
will | believe her q man j Tad found
ma ont among the tens of,thousands who
sand MSS. 10 the CT IL actually gave
me a creepy feeling. like the mans who
tried 10 escape his shadow aud could
not. For a while that significant ex'
narieuce quite get aside my share IN tho
popular superstition that MSS. are not
read ia the great publishing cmcts'
But since then, when my sketches III
photographic form, uproariousy mas
culine in spirit and Ia adventure ~
flood aud field, have been returned 70
me with miss or Mrs. prenxed 10
nv ncn-commi.tai initials, know that
INV masculine story has not been read
and only my infinitely deceptive PEN
manship been glanced at.
London Truth is what the Pa 1isisns
call Journal des boulevards, Il fires
into private affairs, il tattics, II sneersss>-
ike LADY Caudour' = dear four hundred.
This is what Truth .hinkss should be the
treatment OF women who talk politics.
A liberal lady once came to tho con.
cIusion that She could wcrm out Of
Lord Beaconsfield some indication o.
his contemplated course OF action' See
sat by him at q party Sno
talked poitics, and little By llttle
she approached the matter. Lord
Beaconsiield raised his eyes and pi e~iax
her hand remarked. Pretty DARING.
which, says Truth. is the answer every
reasonable man ought to make to every
woman bent upon proving that tie rule
of the Amazops u better than ne
nrssent state Of things. Ifpoor Beecous-