The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-12
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
E4VORITE BOOKS OF AUTHORS
Robust Genius lit to Crspplc With Whole
Libraries Literature GlitterinS Lie
fn the Opinion Of Carlyle.


IA for actresses to iudorse complexion lotions,
or for writers upon domestic economy To ado
the weight OF their approving word to some
absolutely pure baking powder. Yet the
! publication OF the articles first mentioned is
warranted by the interest taken in them by
the reading world. Though il would not be
safe to formulate such a saying as by their
books shall We know them" we feel that in
learning something Of the works which have
! been instruments VI pleasure Or improvement
10 great author, we approach a knowledge
| Of his inner life. Certain minds, nOticcably
those IN which the creative gift IS vigorously
! developed are the reverse Of ''boOkish." Such
| was the case with Dickens, VINO was a man
| Of action and loved contact with humanity.
| in early bOyhOOd travels and works OF fiction
| attracted him, but we are told that he was
mo great reader in the days Of his author
! ship Dickens contemporary, Leigh Hunt,
mas LEFT record Of bis delight ia certain poets.
| He kept Sponsors poems always about him,
! and preferred that bard 10 either Milton or
| Shakespeare. Any literary heresy might have
| been expected from one VINO considered
Shakespeare ''oyerFated;V so il is not wonder
ful to read that Byron--whom Leigh Hunt
tried 20 convert 10 a better way of thinking
| declared he ''could gee nothing In SpenSer"
| Perhaps, as liant suggested, the reason for
this lack Of appreciation was that Spenser
was "tOO much out OF the world, and Byron
too much in it,"
Dr. johnson was "robust genius fit TO
| erappie with whole libraries" When he
entered a room containing a bookcase he
grayiiated naturally toward that piece Of
furniture, aud was not satisfied until he had
| Investigated its contents. Douglas Jerrold
was one OF those readers who do not only love
| looks, but treat them ienderly, whereas
| De Quincey's carelessness in that respect was
al - Ia.
that C0leridge = mind, in childhood, nOurished
Itself upon imaginative literature, or that
| Charles Lamb had little relish for works upon
| political economy or the exact sciences
! Otherwise his taste was catholic. He admired
| Shakespeare and Milton, but did not therefore
| despse Pope and Gay; he read the works OF
! his contemporaries and was deeply yersed in
| old English literature. Among his fayOrite
| works were the novels OF Sm0liet and Field
| ing, Bunyan's Holy War;" kullers "Wor-
| thIes," and BurtOn's ANATOMY OF Melan-
| choly." With so much that was dark and
depressing in bis life, and the 0nstant shadow
| That must have hung over him, one cannot
marvel that Lamb sought constantly TO lose
| himself In other mems minds" As ne said
| himself, "Wnen | am not walking | am
| reading. / cannot sit and think books think
| fOf me- Lamb was bOOk-lender as well as
| a DOOk-lOver; and Thomas NestwOOd. whose
| garden adjoined his, tells something Of his
| whimsical habits: "a Leigh Hunt would
| come skimung 10 my feet through the
branches Of the apple trees, or Bernard
| Burton would be rolled down stairs after me
/ from the library door. Marcian COlOnna !
remember finding on my window Sill. damp
with the night fog, aud tue Plea OF the
| Midsummer Fairies l picked out Of the
| strawberry bed"
In an auecdote Of Macaulay's childhood
/ there is evidence that befOe's famous tale
| a "A :
| fantile Imagination. Meeting Miss Hannah
| More at the door upon one occasion, he told
| her that his parents were absent, and asked If
/ she would not take "a glass OF old SPIRITS
| The scandalized lady asked MIN what ne
| kew about old spirits; but ne could give no
| better answer than that "kObinsOn CrusOe
| often took some" With this promising be-
| ginning it is not strange that he became
phenomenal reader. One Of his cOntempOra-
/ res said that he read books faster than other
| people could skim them and SKINNED them
as fast as other people could turn the leaves,
seeming 10 read through the skln"-a yalu-
able accomplishment in view Of hie's breyity
and the multiplication Of hooks. By virtue
of his tremendous memory, which worked
like some powerful and perfect machine, he
was able 10 quote from any department Of
Observation-Disclosures from the Greek and LatIn
Fathers or the latest number 81 Punch. Mrs.
Browning was another omnvOrOus reader.
Living, for the most part, the retired life OF an
invalid. with little to distract her from in
tellecua pursuits she made swift progress
through the fields Of literature. Not satisfied
with the Hebrew Bible, from Genesis 70
Malachi, the Greek poets aud Plato, she SAYS,
herself. ~ passed as thoroughly through the
Hood Of possible and impossible British and
foreign nOyelists, with slices of metaphysics
laid thick between the sorrows OF multitude
nous Celestinas.v cOuthey must have been
an engine Of oppression" 70 his friends for
be had habit OF reading his own terrible
eyicso TO any one who would listen. Shelley
once found himself 30 yictmized; but he
slipped noiselessly away, and when Southey
raised his eyes he found himself entertaining
the empty air Sucn was >Outhey's persis-
tence IN quoting that Hogg called INN "a
living commonplace book, a talking album
filed With extracts from lOng-iorgotten
authors on unimpOrtant subjects"
Carlyle shows the negative side Of the
question by telling us what he does not like.
Literature was "a glitterlng lie,' and although
ne had written a novel himself-a very poor
one, too, a. its recent publication proyes-he
SAID some very scOrntul things about the pro-
ducers Of fiction and poetry, calling Walter
scott "a iOOthless retailer OF Old wives
fables" and referring 10 Colerdge a talking
N maudlin sleep an infinite deal Of nothing"
More than his, he spoke OF Wordsworth
STOPPING 10 extract spiritual catsup from
mushrooms which were little better than toad
stools Widely different were Charles
kingsley's literary opinions. lie considered
Wordsworth mot only poet but preacher,
and prophet Of Gods new and divine pniOsO-
ply" fennyson's poems, then recently
issued, filled him with delight, and Carlyle was
another tayOrite. "Amuse yOurself-get
poetry and read ill., he wrote in letter to
friend. Kingsley said that he had Learned
immensely from Rabelais, and recorded the
fact that be was reading, at the same time,
Rabelais Pierre LerouX and Ruskin--a COM
hination which reminds one somewhat OF the
group Of siatuafy mentioned in The Groves
Of Blarney.r Kingsley was one of those
readers who assimi.ate the good aud reject
the evil, OF tbe books they read He needed
no Index EXpurgatorOus--bUt such purity OF
mind and purpose IL not given 10 al.-New
Orleans Times-pemOcrat.
Carlyies Novel i'm Court.
The first suit under the clauses in tue new
copyright law guaranteeing the rights Of for
eigners has been brought in the United States
Count by y. Appleton a Co., who seek to re-
strain Henry Dexter, As president Of the
American News Company, tom selling Car
lyle's NV OttOn Reinfred."
They state that the work was first sold TO
Archibald Grove, of London, and that in
August, 1891, they purchased from him the