The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-02-16

ONE OF the newest lights in the liter
airy armament is Mr.. Stanley j. Wey-
man, author of THE House of the Wolf,
and "a Gentleman OF France" How
much of eight" he is destined to be,
it is yet too early to determine. Certain
it is Mr.. Weyman has shown extraord-
mary gifts in the writing of historical
romances. A discriminating critic has
pronounced "A Gentleman of France"
the best historical novel since Scott pub
lished his masterpieces. No higher
praise could be given than that. His
stories are what may properly be called
intense. They are full of life and color.
of incident and adventure, without being
over strained and sensational. They are
quite the opposite, in fact, Of the society
novel of the day, and so are refreshing to
a degree.
Mr.. Weyman's first success was the
story THE House OF the Wolf" which
appeared as serial in 1887. The in
spiration for this story came from DR..
Russell Baird's Rise of the Huguenots."
In speaking of the origin of this story,
Mr.. Weyman says: Blood al d thunder
being the fashion, l thought the histori-
cal story might be revived with success
if the characters we're treated SO far as
possible 'modernly,' and all the old prop
erties-the alack-a-days and the CAD
zookses-were discarded" This is, in
brief, the plan upon which Mr.. Wey-
man has constructed all of his historical
romances. "a Gentleman of France"
was a decided improvement upon The
House of the Wolf" and upon this
second work the authors fame chiefly
rests. He has written several books
since, all OF them excellent in their way.
the latest being my Lady Rotha."
Mr.. Weyman was born at Ludlow.
Salop, England. in 1855. and is the son
Of Thomas Weyman, Solicitor and Cor
oner for the County Of Shropshire. He
went to his first boarding school when
seven years old, at fifteen to Shrews-
bury school, and to Oxford at nineteen
years of age. He took his degree OF b.
A. at Christ Church in 1878, and after
ward was classical instructor in the
Kings School, Chester, and then read
for the bar. being called in 1881. He
went the Oxford circuit and continued
to practice until 1890.
In the autumn Of 1885 he started for
year of wandering. often on foot and
"without any Spanish" through the
south of France. the Pyrenees twhere he
was arrested by the French as Ger
man spy. Spain. Morocco and all the
Barbary States. In 1890 he visited Egypt.
Italy and Sicily, but The says) "this timeI
had more money to spend, and was older.
and went the ways OF other men," In
his boyhood he had been good walker
and at college he had won several long
distance races; so his foot wandering
came easy to him, and he went in varied
ways, Winding men and customs. Hels
about five feet eight inches in height,
slender, pale and short sighted.
Mr.. Weyman still lives at the home
of his birth. the beautiful old Shropshire
town where Milton wrote "Comus' while
staying with one of the famous Sidneys.
who was at the time Lord President OF
Wales. The castle. too. has its memories
OF Hudibras. and the town is famous for
its magnificent old red brick mansions.
The country town mansion OF pre-rail-
way days can hardly be better seen any
where. In many ways it is an ideal homo
for a writer OF the romantic school.
Mr.. Weyman is undoubtedly one OF the
most promising authors who has come
to the front in recent years. and much
good work may be expected OF him.