New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-06
GUESTS OF THE ALDINE.
DINNER FOR J. NJ. BARRIE AND DIR. w.
ROBERTSON NICOLL.

ROBERTSON NlCOLlh
THE SCOTCH NOVELIST PAYS COMPLIMENT TO
THE: AMERICAN COLLEGE GIRI-pR NIcoLL
on THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THIS
COUNTRY AND ENGLAND.
More than one hundred and TWENTY-FIVE we'll
known publishers and authors assembled at tie
Aldine Club last evening. ut a dinner given IN
honor OF j. NJ Barrie. the Scotch novelist. ana
DR.. W. Robertson Niroll. Editor OF Ine bri''sn
Weekly" Mr. Bsrrie and Dr. Nicoll have been
In this country some weeks OH pleasure nent ana
will sail for England tomorrow morning
The members Of the Aldne Club did their pest
to secure al air OF Scotch local color FOR their
clubrooms last evening In difference 10 inc ma
tivity OF the author Of THE Little Minister Inc
table decorated with thistles. furze. nea'her
and other things supposed to be emblematic Oh
Scotland the bill of fare enlarged beyond
the usua. limits sufficiently to include "Hagsis
la Tfrums." dish OF which everybody ATE
little. while. at the instgation OF j. Kennedy ioo
the official piper Of the ST. Andrews Society. Nv
ing monument to the virtues Of oatmeal ana Scotch
whiskey paraded the entire building during the
dinner and played all the plaid tunes he could
think Of while the guests covered their ears. The
menu ornamented with picture OF Mr. Bar
rie to various copies Of which he affixed MS Sig
nature. whenever he had a moments leisure.
Hamilton w. Mabe presided over the dinner. hav-
Ing his right Mr. Barrie and on his left DR..
Nicoll. About the tables sat many men with whose
names the reading public Is we'll acquainted Among
them James 7. Harper. William ID. Howels,
J. Kennedy Tod. John Reid g. s. Mcclure w. w.
Appleton. f. D. Appleton. Frank Ii. Scott. W. W.
Ellsworth, Charles Scrbner. Arthur Scribner, T.. u.
Burlingame. Frank Dodd, the Rev. DR.. Henry
Van Dyke Robert Bridges. Francis Lynde Stetson.
Richard Watson Glider. J. B. Glider. DR.. Albert
Shaw Frank Munsey, J. Cleveland Cady Cephas
Brainerd NJ H. Mallory. w. +. Clarke. A. w.
Drake George w. Gable. Or. 8. Weir Mitchell.
Charles Dudley Warner. Thomas Bailey Aidrch'
Thomas Nelson Page and many others.
In introducing Mr.. Barrie Mr.. Mabe said that
In the last week had settled to our satisfaction
certain domestic questions Of our own. and were
now ready to resume international courtesies
I'VE have all been in Thrums. gentlemen. said
Mr.. Mabie; I'VE have all been In the little school,
house there and In the little Westinghouse; We
have all heard the literary club there debate the
question to whether literature is really immoral;
have been there in summer days. too. and at
the great siege Of Thrums Nothing now remains,
therefore, except to introduce the man VINO createo
Thrums"
Mr. Barrie was greeted with the most cordial
applause as he anguidy to speak. The
Scotch novelist Is little man In inches and In
general physique. His features. too. are small.
and his eyes are deeply set under his black brows.
He speaks quietly; almost monotonoisly the words
run He makes no gestures whatever Last
evening he kept both hands In his pockets through
out his brief but pungent speech. He said In part:
MR.. BARRIES REMARKS.
I wish were not so terrified the sound Of my
voice. that | could say how much we value
the honor you do us this evening. But there Is no
denying I am a dumb dog-have been all my life.
This Is the only dinner that ever was given TO me
Gaughter), and have but just now experienced
passionate desire to get beneath the taoe maVg
have actually wished that the silver candidate woud
be elected for then none Of you mi9nares wUa n,,
are all mionares | have had 10 give up many pre-.
his one about mIonsires still stick TO- asked
publishers here il the authors weren't al. mill
but t hey ali ought to be- The authors opinion
Of the publishers ! have not asked -,
a reporter for my views on the money question;
but I referred my questione. to my publisher :r l
but the commonest one; think what were the
s r a h s prH! aas
Sa WITH from nv al Of the Bey
said he was very kind to say So put pr MieOt'
CO orse him s s as when
found that that was also a mistake ne declared
that what he rsay IN hs and called
s ssiv Tom Tommy Another reporter asked me 4
nH,ss like @" h %y re'"rn % DIXON had
Another thing that my questoners nave gsr%a
girl but have told one that; and shall tell
II TO no except the American gri nerse" i-,
thing that has struck me most OF az about your
your colleges nnS hey are the
splendid things in America The ones l mKea o s
Of ali colleges for girls and S, the College fof
GIRLS sSG s Mass OF the smith girl liked
all 81 Smith c tns Uny an naee the smith girls
made me promise not to ADDRESS any more co''ese'
What impresses me especially about this gather.
ing to see So pS1sSsy air Times h%ys
Changed Chang since certain author was executed ss for
his Th hey ss ' soUdSy %
minister and to the reporters and then he saw
some publishers sitting In the front row. below;
and to tem se ne YOU later S thank you ali from
the bottom of my heart for this kindness: ana l
live.
Mr. Mabie introduced DR.. Nicoll' as IAN editor
rs we'll known any who has to do with the Eng
lish language.
DR. Nicoll declared that he was no speechmaker.
and added that he In a peculiarly difficult po-
s,,on being the proud proprietor Of all anecdotes.
M one OF which he dared repeat. because Mr..
Barrie was familiar with them all. Those same
anecdotes he said. mad taken on canonical form.
They could not be added to nor subtracted from.
lie then went to give some pertinent impress
sons he had formed Of the conditions of literature
in America AT time when new books In Eng
land were exceedingly expensive In England he
said your authors could be published more cheap
w. because there was no copyright The cause
was wrong. but the result was that Longfellow
was more read in England than Tennyson and
Emerson than Carlyle. l don't defend the piracy,
bnt 'V don't know that altogether sorry to
have lived In less ethical times than these
that poetry and history and criticism had been
ect,on and Journalism He closed by referring to
the kindly spirit that existed D., in Englahd toward
rcrentiv meddled In England's affairs the hand OF
every Enslishman could almost be Be seen feeling
President Clrveland's message the Venezuelan
question. there existed the discrimination ., that.
means rather than come to combat with America.
~ do not see that WEAKNESS Is in Englands heart.
or iana,ior on her brow" said the speaker. but
Il failure or death should come. we should have
-, We shoul1 be of hay