Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-26

| hiHfeli II - quite poStlDlf, nc Taf
in his preface. that have unnecessarily
| amplifed TO the extent OF half a
dozen pages events which might well have
been dismissed In az many lines; and that
have exaggerated beyond ali rational
measure things OF very trining moment.
| The only apology that 1 can make In this
last respect 10 that ] have written fuily
| on subjects which have interested me, ana
| continue stu to present interest 10 my
/ mind" That IL a very good reason, GER
| talnly why he should have written. but
| is hardly one for his having published
1 for others 20 read. IL takes about one
| half OF the first volume for Mr.. Sala
TO get from infancy through his teens.
| and az he Ia now nearly 10, ana mas
| during manhood led very active life.
we are surprised that the two volumes are
! not ten or twenty. Justice 10 the man.
"a well as 10 the boy. we think, required
more liberal measure.
| Mr.. Sala first saw the light as ne
| originally puts IT, on the 24th OF Novem-
| Der, 1893. He was the last OF a family OF
thirteen children. The superstitious may
derive comfort from the fact that only
five OF these survived the tenderest years.
His father was MORALLY sick at the
time OF his birth. and died few weeks
afterwards. His mother was through Ire
connected with the stage. He Is OF Italian
parentage When 6 years old he lost his
sight, on account OF imDrudent exposure
after an attack OF measles. Though he
recovered his sight sufficiently for practi-
cal purposes. he has since always been
nearly half blind During his youth. be-
fore entering journalism. he was student,
painter trademarks assistant, etcher, and
publisher. The narrative OF his various
pursuits is interesting, with 1udicious
skipping. Whole pages are filed up with
totally Irrelevant matter. He was
miserably poor. lie lived in a garrett,
and at 20 "dned for a week on bread and
cheese-sometimes on the bread without
the cheese; and yet, at the same time,
INDUCED his lifelong fad for collecting,
among other things, fashions and fash
ion books, and especially cookery-books!
He claims to be an excellent cook him
self. 1t made him half sick, he says,
when he went into tavern "for half
a pint Of porter. to see a staggering
customer throw down n sovereign and
rattle in his hand the shining change
which the bar-maid handed" him. and
yet. on coming into a legacy Of TO on his
2lst birthday he treated himself TO
trip TO Paris and spent it all. Soon after
he received another and more substantial
legacy and having also earned some
money ne determined to start a monthly
IldBslLiltf Ol Niliil bi4lF OA4t IhlAiHNl was
ever issued. In company with an ac-
quaintance, who had an "infaliible sys-
TEN" for breaking the bank" he then
went over TO Brussels and got rid Of the
rest Of his money He did this at various
times Still another legacy came, which
mostly went up" in a balloon, or In
a balloon speculation, rather. Not long
after this he took part in an actual bal
loos ascension. and came very near TO
being killed, and which adventure, strange
to say, was the cause Of his entrance into
Journalism.
Having gotten to this decisive point, we
do not propose TO follow Mr.. Saa's SUBJ
sequent career step by step. His first
real journalistic engagement was with
Dickenss Household Words. Though az
various times he was connected with
other publications, his chief attachment
Of this sort has been, and still Is, with the
Daily Telegraph as special correspondent
though he has contributed innumerable
articles Of all kinds-leading articles,
dramatic criticisms, book reviews, etc
T. its columns In his capacity Of spe-
cial correspondent he has travelled over
most Of the known world; has reported
many OF the most important historical
events OF the past forty years, and has
written up state occasions and high
social functions without number. We find
suficiency of mention OF royal person
ages and other titled emintnces, but only
meagre glimpse is given us OF he-tO
cultivated Americans, at least-more in
terest!ng figures Of Dickens. Thackeray,
ct id omne genus, with many Of whom
Mr. Sala has been acquainted His con-
nection with Household Words termi- |
mated in a quarrel with Dickens, in which, |
we think, on Mr.. Sala's own statement
Ill
crously, In the wrong. though Mr.. Sala |
himself does not think so. The quarrel |
was eventually made up. Besides being |
a prolific and industrious writer @or the |
press he is also the author OF many |
books, including several novels.
The student Of modern manners and |
customs can CLEAN much valuable in |
formation from these volumes, especially !
of modern Bohemia. where Mr.. Sala |
lived a considerable time. and to his par
TALLY for which he owes the cleft and |
rubicund nose which be has been Obliged |
to have herald his coming for the |
ence. lie is quite frank about himself |
at all times, and evidently has no desire |
to pose as q saint. We cannot, however, |
think that he was ever guilty of any |
very serious wrong-doing. He confesses
to a pronounced love for the gaming |
table in his younger days, but reformed |
in time, and after marriage seems to have |
lived fairly exemplary life. lie has been |
married twice, the second time about |
four years ago. after his first wife had |
been dead about the same length Of time |
IS has been said, in his capacity as |
special correspondent Mr. Sala has |
over a very great portion OF |
the earth's surface. He has made two |
visits to this country, and is especially |
kind In what he says Of the South. lie |
was here last in 1879. and visited Rich |
mond. He sympathized with the South |
in the civil war, and in consequence was |
made much Of by our people. When he |
came to Richmond he brought a letter |
of introduction TO the Governor. His |
EXcellency at once asked US 10 dinner, |
and invited a large party TO meet us: |
and the next day we were free Of the |
best society In the whilom Confederate |
capital-a society equally hospitable and |
refined" His first visit TO America was |
made in 1868, while the war was at its |
height. He seems not to have gotten |
his bearings" exactly, judging by his |
remark, that Fort Sumter was fired on |
by the Confederatcs, and in an instant /
the States from the Atlantic TO the Gulf |
Of Mexico were ablaze." An interesting |
statement IS that. with the exception |
long defunct-the North had very few
friends among the organs Of public opin-
ion in the metropolis" Mr.. Sala wrote
US up extensively. as IL was his business
TO do, and in America Revisited" pub
ltshed, we think. by the Funk & Vaginal |
Company, may be found the narrative
Of his second trip TO the States. 1t makes
NEST excellent reading.
We have not attempted 10 touch on Mr..
Sala's views and opinions in general;
they are not always conventional. but
are invariably entertainingy given. He
IS great gossip and rattles along
,heerfully on all sorts Of subjects and !
about all sorts Of people One OF his
literary opinions is. however, sufficiently
startling to reproduce. Il deliberately |
place Edward Arnold" he says. "as
poet next after Algernon Charles Swim
burne; next after him Alfred Austin:
lext. Lewis Morris. and next William
Norris" The remainder, he says, are 10
ais mind. only so much leather and
What some other English
poets, who are esteemed by the world
rs such, will do TO Mr.. Sala for this
iictum IL is hard TO say. Perhaps they
will weigh his description OF himself as
the dullest. hardest-headed OF prosers."
and do nothing.
Notwithstanding the length and fire.
luen. RESPONSIVENESS Of The Life and Adj
'entures," We have to thank Mr.. Sala
or an, on the whole, interesting and
ntertaining work. The most serious crlti-