Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-06-08
LITERARY FOOT N0TES
John Burroughs. Author and Frusi
Caltssrist
GsAess the Asssrafisn Author ssA Feet
MARX Twain and nis FortheeAans
Depsrtare-A Friend of w ais
Whitmau's-ososr Wi lds.

Whitman's- Oscar Wide
toorrKIoHr. 1891. BIT BAoaKLIss . seHssosll
Mr.. John Burroughs, the charming
anthor of six or seven books upon nature
and bird life, lives at West Park. Ulster
County, n. y, on the Hudson River. de
Is = born coantry-iivsr, and can abide the
city no longer than actual business de-
tAins him there A few days ago lie arrived
in New York fer the first time in over six
moaths. aud | had az hours pleasant
chat with him De Was on his way with
the artists connected with enc Of cur
leading magazines To do up" together
with them, = picturesque reglonsn an ad-
jAceat State. His literary work, Of late.
has not been abundant; fer he has about
fifteen acres Of grapes TO look after, aud
lis hands, instead OF being coiored with
the stray ink-spot. were a trafs tnged
(as he showed mel with the metslie sola-
ton with which be had been spraying
the singular bat formidable "blaek rot"
that has lately proceeded over the vine
yards Of this country from west 10 east,
and which has only recently reached tho
vicinity Of tae Hudson.
Mr.. Burroughs when Ire writes has .
seeinsion OF his own. which he finds In
bark-coyered cabin on tho slope OF his
dooryard, overlooking the river. Ii is
much more picturesque house than
Thoreau'S CT Walden Pond fame; and,
being among the trees fifteen roSs awsy
from the family house, Is well fitted for
silence and communication with nature
The birds, the butterflies, an! all winged
things md il; and, presume, the col
ony of hornets nest, among
the shelves OF books, could live
amicably with their owner, whose
secrets he would be SURE, however,
to share, and, if they were of Importance,
communicate 10 tho public This coy
study, il it were round instead OF square.
would look like q section OK one Of the
Yosemite trees-such a oas Gs the Chi
cago people hope to put ip at the great
Colum bian Fair.
Mr.. Douglass Sladen, the distinguished
Australian poet who, with his family,
has been living in New York during the
winter in pleasant fat, has lately left
for Europe and win make his home, for
year or two now, in London Mr..
Sladen is very genial cosnopolitanized
Englishman. who has los: his insularity
by extended travels through China,
Japan and India, as we'll as in other
parts-which countries he pursued with
an authors purpose, on behalf Of the
magazines and their eager readers. He
IL a graduate Of Oxford, is about thirty
hve years of age, has dark brown hair,
very black eyes, and . short mustache
and beard. He is said to resemble to
some extent Mr.. r. w. Glider of the
Century; In other words, is an Arglf
cized copy of him. He has a brother who,
as the English express it, ''has a good
living" near Rochester, England. Mr..
Sladen's best known works here are hts
own poems, Tho Australian Poets"
Literary New York" and Younger
American Poets" He will write next
about literary London.
The gayety Of our country Is soon TO Be-
eclipsed for season or longer by tho
early departure Of tho humorous Mark
Twain for an extended residence in Eu-
rope. His home on Pennington avenue,
he described in the Galaxy" after the
lightning rod man had exploited it.
though not in the same way. He told me
once, when had its hospitality. that he
found it difficult to write in the winter;
but when summer and the birds come,
and vegetation is lush and boom
ing, then his mind Is fluent, and
he can unravel strange stories of
the death OF Kings" or anything
else. He will be missed from Hartford
and Elmira, where his society is most fire.
quently 10 be had: for in New York, he
rarely fingers longer than imperative
business demands As he has long got
past the necessity Of playing the literary
pan for pay, it is doubtful II he will
favor the world with any very elaborate
work during his absence.
One Of the prominent and close friends
Of Walt Whitman is Mr.. J. H. johnson, OF
New York. who has himself impressively
poetized the Rocky Mountains He has,
in his library, more and moro various
editions Of the Leaves OF Grass" than,
/ think. anyone else In the world can
boast. lie does not speak fsvorably
fust now OF the health OF the Good
Gray Poet" who Is too weak even 20 ride
in his wheeled chair with advantage. Mr..
Johnston Is soon, with his wife, to join
the stream o. literary and other tourists
who. ifor this season, will visit the far
shores of Alaska.
Julian Hawthorne is vigorously ~ work
on an exhaustive history Of Oregon.
which will appear in two volumes. lie
ought 10 discover some romanticaily
colored facts in his studies that can he
made avaiiabls for future exploits in
fiction.
Gross Currents Is the title OF . story
from the pen OF May Angela Dickens.
daughter OF Charles Dickens. which 10
very appropriately to appear by and by
in the popular English weekly once
edited by her father.
Oscar Nilde, who has lately Joined
some English reforners. who advocate
what they call reformed dress for
women, is 20 bring out book soon.
titIsd Intentions 1t is serie. Of
essays, and il announced for publication
in New York, Robert buchanan. the
EBglish poet, who il a good fault finder,
titles his new volume 81 essays. soon to b.
offered, The Coming Terror Thi.
also is % be published IN N-v York and
its spiclness eaa BE safely predicted
Tia RN.4hel1 Ihrarx Feak anosfo, q