The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-01-16
Genrge Augustus sala.

Sala was essentially a Bohemian of
the old school as ii existed in his early
days, and SO he remained to the last.
Although he no longer lived the erratic
life of his youth. and want into good So
ciety and enjoyed doing SO; although he
no longer resided in humble lodgings,
but in costly flats and seaside man
sions, he was still the ioviaI. careless.
unconventional free lance that he mad
always been. His conversation was
even strongly favored with the old Bo-
hemian tone, and he loved nothing SO
much as to recall the bygone days
when he foregathered with other bril-
liant men of the pen in the hands Of
Fleet street and the Haymarket, in
oysters shops and eating houses, and in
the minor literary clubs.
Sala's powers of conversation when
he was in the vein were fascinating,
and he was brilliant after-dinner
speaker. He could not argue, but he
could narrate; he could not build up an
Grafton, but he could gossip delightful
ly He had pleasing, somewhat high
voice, which gave great effect to his
good things" and there was always a
twinkle in his one seryiceable eye
which showed his enjoyment of his own
drolleries. Here are a few recollections
which / string together at random, and
which / think euriously illustrate his
character ] met him one day, when a
personal sketch of him just appeared in
a popular periodical, and asked him
what he thought of 1t. oh replied
Sala, 'I don't care what they say of me
SO long as they say nothing about my
red nose and my white waistcoat." I
asked whether the article was written
by -. NO. he said, mo. AS a mat
ter of fact it was done by ----" I ex-
pressed some surprise at this, as the
writer he had named had become very
rich, or, at least, had married into a
very wealthy family, and | thought he
had severed his connection with the
press. mo" said Sala; "he writes
sometimes, when he is tired of playing
with his millions"
Sala for many years wrote the crit
iques of the Royal Academy for the
daily papers TO which he was attached.
At one of the "press views" he ex-
presse his satisfaction that there were
such reserved days for journalists. 1T
used to be a great nuisance" he said,
when one had to do the show at the
private visw. I remember being chiv-
led once all round the place by a
wretched woman, who insisted upon
looking over my shoulder as I made my
notes on my catalogue. At last | wrote
on it, Dreadful old maid following me
and reading my notes. She didn't
trouble me after that
He was a man OF very variable tenn
per- but though he was subject to occa-
sional fits of violent rags, these never
lasted long or left any bitterness be-
hind. They were summer storms and
soon passed over One day he entered
the room of q. colleague, full of grie-
vance and fury. II must speak or
shall burstr' he shouted. "Then by
all means speak, my dsar Sala," replied
his amiable friend. Sala again gave
way to "a, torrent of wrath and re-
proach, and when he had fairly eX-
hausted himself he observed, ''rhera,
now 1 have had it out" Nothing was
ever heard again of his anger and it's
cause. In the passionate correspon-
dence he once had with another friend
there was far more humer than gall
His antagonist mad accused him of pla-
giarism. II steal from you, you VIII
lain?n wrote Sais why, ii would b.
as bad as rohbiug Judas of his thirty
bobr' 1t was not long after this that