Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-10-30
WITH WILLIAM JAMES LINTON.
Poet, Engraver, Printer, and British
Republfcan-Hfs Life and HisWOrks

Republican-His Life and His Works
His Home-Hfs Appledore Private
Prcss-R emf niscenees of Mazzini
and Opinions ON Literary and Art
Subjects of the Present Time Given
by Him UnreservedIy.
Yesterdays New York Times says of our
noted townsman, Mr.. W. j. Linton, and
his career, as follows:
There is no other face like his. The
skin is of lilies and roses; the mouth is
thoughtful; the eyes are limpid, humid,
brilliant, and the abundant hair and beard
arelong and Immediately white.
Linton is one of the eminent men of the
century. He was republican militant in
England when it WAS perilous not to be
royalist. He is the poet to whom Landor
addressed the verse, "Lauder of Milton,
worthy of his 1andl" He is the artist upon
the shoulder of whom the mantle of Bewick |
has fallen. The books that he has written |
are treasures of book-lovers, trebly famous |
because they are often inaccessible to other |
collectors than the little number of the elect |
about whom Massillon preached fervent |
sermons. |
Some of these books, as the volumes of |
the ''English Republic" which Linton be- |
gan to edit, and, in fact, to write almost |
entirely in 1851, were long ago absorbed in
Englsnd's libraries; but the purely artistic |
work, written, printed and engraved by
the author for love of art, have the imprint
of the Appledore press, private press as
famous as the one which Agrippa d'Au-
bigne hid in the caverns of monssteries,
and the Appledore press is at New Haven.
The roads of New Haven are paved with
good Intentions, principally. After the
rain the road to Appledore is in mud, but
it Is quite strait to the Bishops gate of
East Rock. There 1t curves slightly and
becomes the New Haven turnpike. Both
sides of it are studded with pretty cot
tages, but one who knows that in one of
them Linton lives need not inquire. APP
pledore is graceful, elegant, original with
out being eccentric, simple without being
plain.
The fence lie low and latticed. The roof
has magnificent slope of narrow, regular
| shingles. The square pillars of the YER
anda are hollow, latticed, and vines creep
| on them. There are red flowers st the
| windows. Tall trees are in the front. The
view is enchanting. The high, slanted
| forest of flowers and leaves violet, blue,
| green, yellow, orange and red, in the back
| ground, Is part of East Rock park, but
the Limitation of fantasy which, 1t may be
supposed, precise knowledge of the land
scspe which was planned by Donald Nit
chell effects, is only nominal The forest
is transparent. It is like a veil which &C
centustes the beauty that it covers. 1t is
| q sumptuous curtain, but symbol of the
infinite.
The window of Llntona printing room
opens on this spectacle In this little room
were printed Nv ind Falls" memoir of
the authors Chsrtist friend, James Wat
son; trsnslations of poems of Victor Hugo
and Beranger; Golden Apples of Hes
perus," collection of poems from Dunbar
thirty-two different versions in English of
the eptgram by Catullus, "Nulli Sc dict
muller mea nubere masls'; ''Lova Lore, u
lyrical poems of the printer; "Famine; A
Masque," and three copies, forming the
first edition, Of 'srhe Masters of Wood Ea-
craving" There were only fifty copies
printed of 'Love-Lore," only twenty-five
copies printed of SIN Dlspraise of Woman,
but there was special element In the mo
tive for printing three copies only of "The
Masters of Wood Engraving" The others
were lsbors of love, and they were pre-
scented by the author to his friends. "rhe
Masters of Wood Engraving" was a labo1
r of love, but of fairy fsstidiousness also
: | the author desiring to give to the Chiswicl
= Press an example of his work as 1t should
| appear in the luxurious publications o
| Whittinghsm.
There are many other productions of tn
i | Appledore Press, and their value Is intens
4 because they have each separately excel
q lent qualities, and because, collectively
they prove that al artist may be woo'
engIaver, printer, poet, politician ii
an elevated sense, and an able critic of ar
a and literature in our time as in the time o
a the italian Renaissance. With collection
of the books printed at the Appledor
y Press it would be easy to refute the argu
o ments of those who have derived system
of criticising from theories of specializing
10 But the individuality of Linton, it is tru=
!, | Is exceptional.
The drawing room is an artistic pei
l. nell of books and pictures. There is
/, superb painting in water colors by F. q
,. Wehnert. 1t represents a little girl and
y white bear in an armchair, the forme
reading from book, the latter listenin
II with an amused air. There is prett
little picture of Edinburgh castle in waite
- colors by W. I. Leitch. There are pain.
E ings by Homer Martin and w. J. Henne,
u sy, prints by Houbracken, two drawing
by Thomas Gibson, one representing i
). mssterIy sketches ga School in the Tim
u Of Alfred" the other depicting on parch
. ment, with types of Hogarth, the inc
l
cravings after Turner, engravings by Liz
= ton, photograph of Vedder's "Msrsyse,
= portraits of great men, pictures of japan
the death mark of Oliver Cromwell, an
stuffs in colors delightfully."- faced, sn
10 ancient boxes with locks and clasps Learn
eddy ornamented.
The bookcase is in three compartment
= without doors. 1t would not be Linton
- - If Its holdings were not exquisite. 1t COT
80. e., 6 T t,,ko E., I.
10 marked with the Appledore imprint. Their
are books of poems, historical works, ii
, works of intimate friends AS GiusepI
l. Mazzini, in English, in French and in Its
I. ian; they are not classified or effectivel
20 displayed. They are not details in
~ scheme of decoration. One of them Is
x. duodecimo, badly printed on coarse pspsl
=; Its value in money ia very great. 1t is, j
" the view of book collectors, an extremel
9. scarce copy of the FIRST edition, printed b
u Renduel in 1884, of an enthusiastic, in
u. mortal work. 1t is, in the view of NJ
y Linton, who has not the least idea of 1
"a value in money, even more than this.
e is paroles wan Croyant," one of the fir
" " books which placed him in contact wit
VI the religious, political and social problem
40 of his time. Its author was Lamennai
20 whom he knew.
" at is not at Appledors that one ms
as find the works of Linton" his visitor sail
L. "But this is the book by which shall
81 % remembered, if l am to be remembered
e. Mr.. Linton replied.
~ He pointed to copy of his "Europea
40 Republicans-Recollectio of Mszzni ar
- His Friends" He was one of the lit
= band of admirable men who sacrifice
" everything save honor, under Mazzini
rs leadership, in an effort to make Eurol
~ republican.
" "You admire the American system
he government" said the visitor, with Il
AL touching confidence of youthfulness.
,,r "Systeml" Mr.. Linton exclaimed. g
al republic implies order and reverence. TIL
o. is a anarchical democracy. See the BEL
ste."
at Mr.. Linton was twenty five years o.
~ when, in 1887, he met Mszzini in Londo
IN He Is eighty one, and talks of Mszzini wit
ir the enthusiasm of his earliest writing
ar In 1874, when letters of political e1il,
ly were opened at the English postofice,
ne was Linton who called public attention
the fact and protested before the house
u. commons. He and Mszzini were in CO.
az slant companionehip for several years.
ed Mr.. Linton knew Rufini; they we
h, friends at the university, and until Il
lstter's imprisonment and exile separate
t. them they lived ss brothers. He four
ed Lamennais in 184S in Paris, Tin a plsi
scsntily furnished room, which served hi
for .ditorisl cfsoe and sleenino roono