The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-06

gave the people a talk upon Italy.
where she had been for several months
collecting material for her last novel.
As a speaker Miss Adams says that
Mrs. Ward seems to suffer somewhat
from shyness and reserve. Her mann
ner is more or less hesitating and re-N
strained, and her delivery lacks that.
splendid fluency of diction that car-i
rieS one along so tremendously in her
books. She did not talk to the people
of the beauty of Italy, to which she is
so sensitive; Of its nature or art, of
which she has such grasp; but of the
everyday life of its everyday people.
The meeting of these two ardent
later-day sociologists was Immediately
followed by an invitation to Miss Adj
dams to dine with Mrs Ward in the
usual formal English manner. two or
three weeks from date. 1t was for
tunately, however. not at too distant
time for Miss Adams to accept.
Upon her introduction into this mag
nificent home. rich in works of art, in
books, in rare collections and in the
very atmosphere which generations Of
culture bring, and being met by her
hostess in a vivid yellow satin evening
gown. Miss Adams had a mOmentary
fear that she might be in for an ultra
fashionable dinner. Nor did this feel
ing perceptibly diminish upon being
taken out to a suDerbly laid table.
Hardly was she seated, however, be-
fore all stress of formality utterly
vanished, and a rafting fire of brill.
liant conversation began, which lifted
one upon a plane entirely above and
beyond the sordid or fashionable. Be
sides Miss Adams. the guests of the
evening were James Bryce and Angus
tus Berrill of "Obiter Dicta'' fame. Mr..
Bryce took Miss Adams out to dinner
and was forthwith easy. natural bril-
liant, informal and delightful. Mr..
Ward, a man of extraordinary learn
and culture, could be nothing less than
a charming host, while Mrs. Ward,
though outwardly the natural expon-
ent of her conventional English train
ing. is, according to MISS Adams, the
real prototype of the impulSive and
emotional Marcella-her enthusiasmS
and sympathies as easily kindled. Nt
one moment she is the self-represseA
woman of the world. and the next
breaks into the conversation with the
unrestrained impulse of a child.
Miss Adams was, for instance. talk
ing most earnestly of the condition of
Kansas, whose peculiar hardships and
limitations she has very much upon
her heart. While acquainting her Eng
lish listeners with some of it's specially
hard conditions, Mrs. Ward, greatly
moved interrupted her with the excla-
nation: 20, Miss Adams, must peo-
pie in Kansas be wretched. too? Lon
don seems all that we can bear!'
OF the other guest, Augustus Berrill,
Miss Adams says that his converse
ton was so distinguished, so brilliant,
so shimmering with wit and poetic
flashes, that she felt inclined to stop
him at every sentence and implore him
to preserve it in permanent form. That
it seemed a sheer waste of splendid
material to talk such phrases instead
| of keeping them to adorn one of his
delightful books.
Altogether Miss Adams counts her
evening at Mrs. Humphrey Ward s
home as one of the most interesting and
memorable occasions of her European
trip which was replete with significant
experiences. ID. I. ID.