The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-07-31
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
DEATH or ROSE TERRY COOKE.
FOR Several Years She Had Been In Bad
ueaith-sucoupsb TO Pne"monis-in
Her Teens She Wrote Poetry.

Mrs. Rose Terry Cooke, who died at her
home in Pittsheid, Mass, on Monday, July
"a Is the arst to pass away Of the Twenty
ImmortelIesr elected by the readers Of The
Critic in october, 1890. For three years she
had been IN feeble health, following an at
tack Of pneumonia, but her final illness
reached an acute stage only week or 80
before her death. Mrs. Cooke was born at
Wetbersdeld, Conn, on February II, 1877.
Her education was begun by her mother,
and carried on after she reached the age OF
ten at the Hartford Female Seminary, her
family having removed TO the capital OF the
State. There was more discipline than de-
light ia the young poets home life, anu al
sixteen her professional work began WIN
the task OF teaching. She had genuine
and ardent love Of nature, and natnfal
gift for ysrse-makiDg. In her teens she
wrote poetry for the Tribune. The Times
gives the following account OF her lile rom
that time on:
Mrs. Cookies first magazine work was
done for Putnam's Magazine before she mad
reached the age OF twenty. From TINS ana
other publications her name became known
90 the readers Of The Atlantic MonthlyI
Harper's Magazine, Our Young Folks ana
the old ScTibuer's Monthly. She Contrib
uted 10 nearly all the leading periodicals ID
the country. besides publishing seYerai
volumes Of poems. sketches ana snort
stories. some Of them numerous, mainly
describing New England life, and novel
called "Steadfast.w which is a story Oh
Colonial times. Many persons consider
Freedom Wheeler's Controversy" her best
short story, and "Ihe Two Villages" her
best-knOwn poem. she published poems
by Rose Terry" in 1860 "Happy Dodd" in
1879, 'SOmeO0dy's NeighDOrs" IN 1881, anu
Root BoundV and ''The SphinX's ChildIen"
in 1885.
Rose Terry married Roliin ii. Cooke, Of
WiDsted, Conn, in 1873. Mr.. and MIS-.
Cooke lived at the Cooke homestead IN
Winsted for several years and then moved
u Pittsheld, Mass, where Nh. Cooke has
private banning business, and Mrs. Cooke
followed her taste for books ana pens.
Their home is shaded by double rows OF Old
elms aud contains a tine collection OF BOOKS,
prints, old china and antique furniture.
In personal appearance Mrs. Cooke was
slightly above the middle height, OF slender
figure and had dark, brilliant eyes, broad
forehead, regular features and dark hair,
sprinkled Win gray.-New York Critlc'
The collected edition Of DR.. Holmes
writings. pleasantly printed at the Riverside
Press, and issued here with the imprint OF
Messrs Sampson Low, will be welcomed by
q large and sympathetic pubic. DR.. Holmes
is a causeur who has sat out more than one
generation, and we of to-day have by no
means tired OF his chat. An urbane, good
tempered old gentleman he has always been,
with all the pleasant qualities OF interesting
elderly people who talk. writing or print
Ing" he tells us in the "AutOcrat," "Is like
shooting with a rife; you may hit your
readers mind, on miss IT.; but talking is like
playing az mark with the pipe OF an en-
gine-if il is within reach, and you have
Time enough, you can't help hitting IT," DR..
Holmes has talked in print for more Than
thirty years; he has aimed az mark which
has been quite within reach, and. having
had plenty of time, he has certainly hit it.
Politically inclined DR.. Holmes has
always been, aud by no means without
certain accomplishment Of verse, but with
him metrical writing has been a sort Of
accident. 1t is significant that in one Of his
latest books we find him saying:
81 find the burden and restrictions of
rhyme more and more troublesome as l
grow older. There are times when 1t seems
natural enough 10 employ that form Of ex-
preston, but il is only occasionally; and
the use OF it as the vehicle OF the common
place is so prevalent that one is not much
tempted 10 select il as the medium for his
thoughts and emotions"
That, with all its truth, could hardly have
been written by poet. " His is the
art Of suggestion, and his special kind Of
hum0r is a roundabout, abusive variety,
delicate intellectual humor, which has MOTH
ding In common with that VIVID and eXplO-
siye yulgarity which is the typical Ameri-
can product Sometimes trivial and a little
thin-spread, 1t has none Of the obuusiye
virtues Of vices. 1t is the humor Of the
clever and amiabe old physician, smiling
alphabetically over the illusions that he
respects.--1he Athenmum.