The times., 1897-08-01

USED. feii1bit even IN HUMOROUS ludiity,
as well as in piomptitade- II Is called
The Quest of The GIlt-Edeed Girl by
Richard &c Lyrienne. The feeble effort
at fun iu the title is the weake ST thing in
the satire. One has but TO read inward
half a dozen pages to realize that Look
and title are QualitativeIy distinct and on
different planes of wit.
There is only oEe regret at the finish.
Il is that the iGentity of tie clever pen,
which concocted 50 much fCn, is veiled
and unidentifiable. reIhaps some day
il wIll come cut that ii is Max Eeelbohin.
We oaght a. be lei into the secret. The
fun is ha rInless. Even LIE Ggllienne himself
couldn't take umbIage at the compliment
paid ia being made fun of by so skillfnl
humoiist, and lie deserves tfe little sprig
OF LAUREL readers of fhe tooklet would like
TO stick behind his car.
The writer is evidently an Englishman,
aud much cf his jesting is Greek to Us
who dent know that a 'blade" is a
sport '.bacl green" is black yard
take is '.plunder' and stays" are
''corsc.s." besides many other British
proviDcialiNns, but even removing these
slices of fat there IS a plenty left in the
bone.
be Lyrienne is poet, a good-looking
poet with a picturesque name, picturesque
hair and necktie sui generis Inspired
by Byron and a desire for an adventure
which viii make copy for the publishers,
he decides TO go on quest. A quest for
what: Ifhe had been up CA Ane ricsn argot
he nEoald have said, ''oh, ans old thing.
he ISM, however, and he must, moreover,
stick 10 his tide, so he goes in quest of a
gilt-edge girl He plunEed his gaitar and
it reminds him OF = bunlhle lee dying
under a rhJbarb leaf
Tie account OF tile quest of the de-
sirabIe girl, with the thirty THOUSAND
pounds aud the strawberry mark ON the
LEFT shoulder, is rambling like the quest L
self, but it is full OF trenchant irony, adj
Imrablv exaggerated snnilation of the in
ventor of the iron lilies OF the Strand
and capTaliy executed jabs at Corelli,
| BeerbollIil. Barrie, James and Others. It
bears the same relation the the satiriZed
original as does one of the New York an
nual reviews TO the reviewed play.
| It's a whirI of nonsense stepped in the
literary quality.
IN that other beautiful satire, THE
! EattIe CT the lays" there was the same
] ring which characterizes tie nest skillful
element CT the present bit of irony, that Is.
the poetry Does this point 10 an Identical
| identity in the Two anon yms? Say from
| the following, you viii carryaway as much
fun only as yoa are limited 10y your knowl
| edge OF Swinbbrne, of Davidson who trans
! lated CGppees Pour La Cuuronne,' Of the
haunts OF Austin, of Willy Watson, and of
lie Gallienne himself: MY heart is filled
with ineffalIe content. In twenty min
utes' stroll this afternoon counted thirty
portraits Of myself and only two of Alger-
non. Let me see
hnere STe they, my rhyming brothers,
Have they sought another zone?
| what has happened 10 the others,
That poor hickey chirps aloneg
| Why tins sad obliteration?
Is the good old SwInburne swing
| Closed up Tor ALTERATION
And repair until the Spring?
Davidson was disappointed
$50 tile scHbblerS say IN town
| when the Laureate was appointed.
sun, he's written For the Crown
| Alfred Austin has been chary,
And his output sadly small.
| But lie Il Work for his Canary
AT the SeNagesimal
| Watson damned at A bdul daily;
But the Public turned at last;
/ Dobson drummed out verses gaily-
Then their little day was past;
| /, alone, with glory covered,
rover above the played-out band
| /, De Lynenne, who dlscoy cred
| Iron lilies in the Strand"
But if che cannot in usual limitations
| subscribe TO all the fun in that, surely
nothing hut dull wit will refuse gleeful re
| sponse 70 such happy hunlor as that with
which the anonyIu has charged these lines
on THE Compleat Angler" which he has
| interpreted because one must FIJI the book
and It's mighty good filling:
How doth the angler, blithe and gay,
+ rom morn TO twilight hour
Gather rheumaUics all Une day
rom every passing shower.
How cheerfully upon the hook
lie threads the Wngeling bait;
The number of the fish he took
lie muluplies by eight.
What makes his comely face so bright?
Why does his basket clink?
Because, although he gets no bite,
He's certain of drink.
| And though he be of manners mild.
This traitin him is odd:
lie certainly won't spare the child
Who may have spoiled the rod.
| His sense of etiquetteis fine
Politeness is his whim
| he always drops the fish a line
| To come and dine with him.
| Actuated by spirit of romance, De Ly
| rienne on his quest ''bags a pair of stays
from a back green,'' but he is ARE sted
and witnesses are summoned. Henry Har-
land for The prosecution, deponed that
glie accused wrOte poetry for the Yellow
| Book, and witness understood that he
taccusedl had dedicated a poem to him
/ (witness), Int on oss-eXamina ton he
admitted that he bore no animus. Max
| feerbohm, cautioned to tell the TRUTH"
| Said ne ha written works" THAT
| VIII do said the judge. Next witness,
! please
Tnc blade of poet visited a college
for golden girls and lectuIed ON '.Litera-
| ture.'' He said: Literature (applausel
The subject is vast, but the followers are
few. The literary profession, all the same,
is the easiest in the world. Witness the
success of Kipling, Barrie and Bla ok. The
| prodigai abundance of luridness is, take
| it, and assure you, the secret of Mr.. Kip
ling's success. Passing On to Messrs. barrie
and Black. fin d that the subject-mattcr
| of the wo writer's S similar. and that Bar
RE differenGates him mself from Black by
avoiding the phrase: 'Heech, mon, what
effer,' the meaning of which / do not
know. Then Hardy. Hardy is on the
down grade. He writes tales with moral,
nowadays Never write tales with moral
Rest assured the critics Will find you out.
Affect the wildly irresponsible and free
Consider Beerbohm He tolls not, neither
does he spin moral yarns, yet the moral