The sun., 1890-11-09
SOME NEW a0oKA
Sir walter sestps Jour.ss.

Sir walter Scstts Jourrsl
YIRsT ARTICLE
The journal Of ST. Walter Scott now first
published from the original manuscript and
reprinted In this country By the Harpers, COW
srs the last seven years Of the authors life,
from 1876 to 1882 During I'VE Of those years
tho powers Of his intellect were little II at oil
impaired, and the whole period Is one Of psou.
liar interest. since IL is oontemporansous with
his bankruptcy and with his Titanic efforts to
Day OF bis creditors. Scott was "a years old
whom he began to keep this diary. and he then
supposed himself to be a rich man. although
- q matter OF fact tho firm OF Ballantyne &
Co. Of which he was partner. had really been
insolvsnt twelve years before and had only
~sen saved from insolvency through ad-
>snces and kite-raising transactions BY
she publishing house OF Constable 4 Co.. in
whose ruin they wore subsequently, In
volvsd. How much Scott actually earned
BY his writings 10 one OF the most
difnoult problems In tho history OF literature
since the proceeds Of his books are almost In
extrieably mingled with the results OF other
publishing OPERATIONS for which. as . partner.
he was responsible In any calculation It
would be necessary to dissociats the profits
which SCOTT received as author from those
which he received as publisher. the latter being
by far the more considerable Upon the whole,
however, his experience will scarcely encour-
aRe other authors to publish their own works.
Ono other fact connected with Scotts pecu-
MARY resources should be borne In mind by
tho reader OF this Journal He was by profess
sion an advocate. o term which In Scotland
corresponds to the English barrister, and since
1912 he had enjoyed the emoluments Of the
ofIlee Of clerk OF session, besides those Of
the post Of sheriff -depute Of Selkirkshire.
which he had obtained in 1903. His income
from those sources was $4,000 a year, and he
could live UP to his favorits maxim, that litera-
turo should be o stan, not a crutch.
This journal was, OF course. used to some ex-
tent by Loushart in his well.known life Of tho
poet and novelist. but for reasons that will bs
obvious to the reader Scotts son-in-law could
only avail himself OF it spsringly aud warlly.
Tho authors feelings ana opinions are set
down with too much candor to permit OF pub
llcatton during the lifetime Of the persons men,
toned. II We look only at these marks OF sim
csrity we should infer that this was q vsritable
Journal kept In good faith for the exclusive
benefit Of tho writer and his children and In no
wiso intended for publication. But Scott was
peculiarly man Of moods. and there are
Indications that in his desperate COM
putting OF the means available for the pay
ment OF his creditors he sometimes reckonad
the publication Of this diary among the pos
slbls future resources Of his legal representa-
tivsa But II suoh y thought came to him Il
was ct rare intervals and most OF the entries
IN this journal are truly confidential. or, a. the
motto prsaxed to the diary puts 1t. the utter
ances OF . man talking to himself For that
reason they cast copious and searching light
upon Scott's character and mode Of life. his
AAAl III L..
ideals. and his religious principles. They
abound also In "reminiscences aud anecdotes OF
his literary contemporariss and OF dlstln-
guishsd persons In the social and political life
Of the period
In the very hrst entry In this journal made
Nov. 40. 1925, Scott refers with interest to his
rsoent visit to Ireland. whore he had bssn ro-
oeived with enthusiasm aud unbounded hospi-
tslity: Il Was In ireland last summer. and
hadIs most delightful tour. 1t cost mo upward
OF x6O0. including G100 left with Walter and
Jane, fox We travelled large party and
in style. There is much less exaggerated
about the Irish than 10 to be expected. Their
poverty Is not exaggerated; it la on the sx-
trems verge Of human misery: their cottages
would scarce serve for pigstles, even In Scot
y
rag shop. and are disposed on their bodies
with such ingenious variety OF wrstchsdncss
that you would think nothing but some sort Of
perverted taste oould have assembled so m any
shrsds together. You ore constantly fearful
that some knot or loop will give. and place tho
individual before you In all tho primitive SIM
pIicity OF Paradise. Then. for their food. they
have only potatoes. and too few OF them. Yet
the mon look stout and healthy. the women
buxom and well-oolored"
He returns the next day to tho subject OF this
tour. which evidently had loft pleasant memo-
ries: "Once more Of ireland. 1 snid their
poverty was not exaggerated; neither ls their
wit. nor their good humor. nor their whlmsi-
cal sbsurdity nor their courage.
WI gave follow shilling ON some oc-
easion when sixpence was the fee. Rsmem-
ber. you owe me sixpsnce, Pat May your
honor live till pay you!' There was
courtesy as vol as wit In this and all tho
clothes on Pats back would have been dearly
bought by the sum In question,
GOOD Hunor.-There Is perpetual kindness
In the Irish cabin; buttermilk. potatoes, a
stool 10 offered or stone Is rolled that your
honor may sit down and be out OF tho smoke,
and those who beg everywhere elsa seem
dssirous to exercise free Hospitality in their
own houses. Their natural disposition Is
tutuoo 10 GRyety ana happtn0SS; while q
scotchman Is thinking about the torn day. or.
II easy on that subject, about hell In the next
world-whlle an EnGllshman is making lli,ls
hell OF bis own In the present because his
mufhn 10 not we'll lroastsd-Pat's mind Is always
turned to fun aud ridicue. They are terribly
exctable. to be sure, and will murthsr you on
slight suspicion and ind out next duy that It
was oil a mistake. and that II was not yourself
they meant to kill at all ut all"
We find In this journal good many refer.
snces to Byron, for whom, as poet, 1t Is we'll
known that SCOTT had an unstn.ed admlra-
tion. 1t Is not true. by the way. that Scott
took to novel writing bscauss tho superior
vogue OF Byron's poetry had lesscned tho do
mand for his own verso. The fact Ia that
waverlsy" WAS begun immed lately after the
com mpletion OF the Lay OF tho Last Minstrel"
which was the arst Of scott's noteworthy ro-
nsntio poems We subjoln most OF ths allu-
stons to byron: "On comparing notes with
Moore was confirmed In one or two points