New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-13
LITERARY NOTES.

Enthusiastic OVER Tic pioPVscu
the poet. One Abcrdeenshire laird prophesics
that the time will come when Aberdeen will be
ashamed Of this Byron agitation" The poet
father, Captain John Byron. having married
Miss Gordon OF eight. an Aberdeenshire heress'
had proceeded forthwith to squander her fort'
une. In this he succeeded speedily and most
thoroughly; and ultimately. everything else hav'
Ing gone Gight had to be sold. IL now belongs
TO the Earl OF Aberdeen. says THE Pail Mall
Gazette" After the sale of the estate John
Byron with his wife and their son. aged TWO
years-thc future poet-removed 10 the granite
city" Their household there was not a happy
one. BY and by husband and wife separated
and John Byron went IL France where he died
the first benefit he ever conferred upon MS wile'
Mrs Byron was left with an income 81 100 a
year She herself was utterly incapable OF
training her boy but as ne was old
enough he was sent to school. At the age or
five he became a pupil of Mr. Bodsey Bower. an
old man. a mixture OF Ignorance and pedantry,
who kept school in the Longacre of Aberdeen
1t was a filthy hovel-Professor Blake has de-
scribed II as low in the ceiling. with small III
glazed windows dust-begrimed roof and walls
and unwashed floor worn here and there INTO
holes" The scholars who attended Mr.. Bower
English School"-so II was Acknowledgement
to a rough class and only by a vigorous use OF
the "tawse" was order. semblance or order,
maintained. But young Byron was not long
under Bodsey Bower. on his removal from inc
school In the Longacre he was for little while
under tutors; and then at the age Of seven ne
was sent to the Aberdeen Grammar School. me
principal school then as II is now. in the city.
OF his progress there little is known. lie
may or may not have been diligent student
bu; IL is pretty clear that he was not d!stin-
guishe1 one The school itself although OF
higher class than CIR. Bowers English School.
was almost as rowdy. Being Latin school,
Latin was tic only language used by the boys
except. 1t is said when fighting. But hShtinS
occupied q prominent place in the daily life OF
the place In fact. the school was absolutely
notorious for it's rowdyism. and had been from
tine immcmOrial
Queer are some OF the letters addressed by
STRANGERS TO literary men and women An old
man." said Mime. Sarah Grand recently, sent
me n very abusive letter the other day. He said
that if went writing should make mar
ricd life impossible. lazy Wr"'c ~
me some little time ago saying that she wa7 III
poor circumstances. and that, judging from my
face. which she had seen in photograph, she
would not have 10 appeal 10 me In vain. Her
appeal was that should send her fur-lineC
cloak and some other articles Of apparel.
Another good woman--a titled lady-lnIOrnleu
me through the rost that she had read my books
with vast interest. and that she was very badly
off. She added that If she was started in
poultry farm she thought she would succeed
Would help by lending her money!
Mr. Hugh Thomson has for the moment de-
serted his quaint Illustrations Of English cias-
sizes to ornament in cOlors series Of old fairy
tales Jack the Giant Killer is the first OF
the series. 1t has full-page plates, and every
page of text is decorated with border illus
trating incidents Of the tale. The Macmillans
the publishers, and they are to be ccngratu-
lated on having secured so felicitous an inter
prefer Of nursery classics
Mr.. Rider Haggard has written a new move!
round the much-disputed question Of vaccina-
ton Tho hero is a ply stefan who has been vac
cinatcd himself. but doesn't believe In the
process. He makes a crtsasc against Il. and
his efforts end in visitation Of smallpox and
the defamation Of his town.
,o Mrs. Gertrude Atherton has paused in the
writing OF novels to prepare boys book which
ia announced under the title OF The Valiant
Runaways"
The Cars genial invitation to the nations to
disarm and be happy was from the first re-
ceived by Englishmen with dubious enthusiasm.
Little by little the reaction has told. until now
the Journalists and other writers have decided
to treat the manifesto with something like dis
dan. Mr. Kipng is one Of the unbelievers. and
In this weeks number OF LITERATURE he puts
his political ideas. usual into picturesque
form. THE Truce Of the Bear is a long poem.
with a short. share significance 1T expresses
1oF, yiicl,
men who have keen appreciation of fine ideas
but an equally keen sense Of what is due to the
honor and dignity Of their own nation. The fol-
loving fragments will show the essential drift
of this spirited production. a poem which only
Kipling could have written
Yearly, with tent and rife. careless white
men go
BY the Pass called Mutiianee. to shoot in the
vale below
Yearly by Muttianee he follows our white
men in
Matun the old blind beggar bandaeed from
brow 10 chin.
Eyeless, noseless and lpess-toothless OF
broken speech.
Seeking dole at the doorway he mumbles his !
tale each
over and over the story. ending as he began;
make We no truce with Adam zad-the bear |
that walks Ike a man.
There was flint in my musket-pricked and
primed was the pan
When went hunting Adam-zad-the bear that !
stands like
looked my last on the timber. looked my last |
the
When went hunting Adam Fad fifty summers !
ago,
1.-TWO full marches to northward. at the fall Of ,
the second night.
I came CT mine enemy Adam zad all weary from |
his fight.
There a charge in the musket-pricked and I
primed the pan
My finger crooked on the trlgger-when he '
reared Up like man.
Horrible. hairy. human, with paws like hands +
In PRAYER
Making hi, SPECIFICATION rose Adam-zad the .