The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-20
Highest Of all in Leavening Power-Latcst I. S. Govt Report
@za!a!!. R BsMasr


| and the thoughtful reader cannot help wish
ing to know something about the author.
Jonathan Sturges is a young New Yorker,
very wealthy by inheritance, and unfor-
tunately a cripple, going about in a wheel
chair. At present he is in Paris, where he
has been since early last umIner and where
he will remain for some time. But before
that he was a familiar figure in New York,
and much liked and respected for his quiet
unassuming intelligence and kindly, though
sensitive, disposition. He lives with his
father in a fine house on Park avenue, and
spends his summers, when in the United
States, at Newport and other fashionable
resorts. His stories have been published
chiefly in Hurper's Magazine, and extend
been most carefully elaborated. b trans
lation Of De Maupassant was made in the
same careful way. He is a writer from
whom thoughtful people expect q good deal.
In connection with Bret Harte's account
of his first novel there Is q sketch of him
from life by A. S.. Boyd, which shows a
quiet, dreamy looking man, with thick,
snow white hair and darker mustache, speak
ing eyes of a dreamy sort, and a head set
close to the shoulders. His first book was
not one he wrote himself, but q collection of
California poetry, and his quotations OF the
reviews of such well known California
papers as the Red Dog jay Hdick, attack
ing his book for the omission of the verse of
their pet poet, is decidedly amusing Unlike
the other writer's in the Idtef he tells of but
one first book.
The author of "Dodo'' asks an interesting
question when he inquiries it Sergel OF
Chicago has a right to claim copyright on q
pirated edition of "Dodo' because of various
misprints in the book and the substitution OF
''Keewahn for "Halma."
The editor of the Critic has a very anus
ing programme of a function which is, no
doubt, new to American readers. 1t is the
outline of proceedings on the occasion of a
Literary party" given by an English author
to sinaugurate the publication OF a new
work" The affair seems very formal and
very fashionable and very correct, SO we
suppose it is all right. But who ever heard
of an American author -"inaugurating the
publication of a new work. with a literary
party" The Anglomaniacs had better wake
up.
The failure of D. Lothrop & Co. in Boston
is thought by those who know to be very
serious. Since the death of the elder 10th
rop the firm has been managed by Mrs.
Lothrop and her ~sons-in-law, who did not
always agree. 1t is thought that the pres
emit embarrassment will settle that difficulty,
and that the firm will no doubt be reorgan-
lied and continue business.
T.. b. Aldrich recently sent a copy OF the
new edition of his Mercedes to a young
journalist whom he had never met, but who
had spoken kindly of his play when it was
put on the stage last May. There was a
formal dedication on the title page, but the
amusing thing about it was that on a certain
page a comma was inserted in Mr.. Aldrich's
careful chirography, and on another page, a
proof readers substitution of q for g was as
carefully corrected.
The New York Sun has some witty re-
marks apropos of the following lines from
the poem by Richard Hovey at the Dart
mouth GoI1ora linnor. in ROcton. tH 4
s'Midnights of revel
And mondays of songl
Is il so wrong?
Go to the devll!"
The Sun remarks that Mr.. Hovey couldn't
revel in Boston after eleven o'clock. Another
New York paper says MI. Hovey IS visiting
his parents in Washington just now and will
soon return to Paris, where he has spent the
last two or three years. As a matter of fact,
Mr.. Hovey is in Boston, and has been there
for some time, and is not going to Paris, and
has not spent the past two or three years
there, if indeed, he ever visited that city.
The account of how Henry Pettitt, the
English dramatist who just died, began his
career is interesting. At thirteena domestic
disaster threw young Pettitt out of his home
on his own resources. He began life as an
actor at Sadleris Wells Theatre, but failed.
He took to writing and won a microscope as
a prize for a story, but pawned it to continue
d UfGdUl OI tflIIlScll dlu LIE CIt at OlO
Strand Theatre. For two years he was a
clerk to an express company, but was dis
missed for inattention. Then he taught
school. At last he wrote a play which he
sold for $25. Having made a success Of
British Born which he wrote conformity
with Mr.. Paul Merritt, he took the play on a
tour through the provinces, where he began
his study of the tastes of the great public for
which he has so successfullyycatered since.
Walter Blackburn Harte says he believes
the way to success for the author nowadays
is to appeal chiefly to the rich. Some day
he will write a book and sell it for $40 a
copy, edition limited strictly to 1000 copies.
Norman Gales privately printed books in
England are now exceedingly valuable and
Mr.. Gale is much sought after. The same
principle is being put into practice by Cope
land & Day, a new publishing firm in Bos-
ton, and Stone & Kimball, of Cambridge
and Chicago. Richard Hovey's ssSeaward,"
a short poem covering little more than fifty
pages, was published in a volume at a dollar
and a half and sold well, the high price
seeming no hindrance to the sale OF the book.
London nov has a society of Illustrators
like its Authors Society. The art of illus
tration is now SO important that it seems
strange such a society has not been organized
in the United States. But American Illus
traitors do not at all like to aecentuate their
distinction from painters, Illustrating is
their business; art for painting), their ambi-
tion. ALPHEUs SHERWIN CODY.
New York., Jan. 16, 1894.