The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29
Mrs. ELEPHANTS Autobiography.

II is a pathetic and deeply interesting book
which Mrs Harry Coghill has given us in The
Autobiography and Letters OF Mrs M o. ".
Oliphant Dodd. Mead & Cos. As the editor
says in tho preface writer that ever lived was
so little given to explanations or to any personal
appearance as was the subject Of this volume
Her work, enormous in volume and mulufarious
in kind. given TO the public her life was given
to those Immediately dependent upon her, and,
after them TO the small circle OF intimate friends
who surrounded her. OF these many in the last
darkening years OF her life, had passed away,
and with one exception. il is only in these years
that her writings afford any personal revela-
tons. When she wrote the fragment OF an auto
biography which occupies the earlier pages OF
this volume, she was worn out with bodily and
mental suffering, and imagined that she felt in
herself the beginnings of failure As a matter
of fact she had never written moro brilliantly than
at times during the concluding year of her life;
but she had never, since the death of her last
child been conscious OF the happy mastery of her
work which had supplied many Of the plensantest
hours OF the past 81 am behind the fashion,
she said II have no longer the place or the value
had. She felt certain that the difficulty of
producing good work must increase for her. as,
indeed. at 90, it well might, and she greatly
longed 10 be released from the necessity of daily
toll. and to be allowed 10 Join those who had gone
before her. OF lasting fame she had no hope:
all her life she had sacrificed herself, first to an
invalid husband. and then to her three children,
and, in order to support them, had worked from
hand to mouth Her utmost hore was that when
shall be out OF the world will get little credit
hut not much now, there is so much of me- Who,
indeed during the forty five years ending in 1897,
had written so much? great deal OF her very
best remains as yet anonymous: biographical
and critical papers and others dealing with an
extraordinary variety of subiecta Merely TO
divide her books into classes gives some idea
OF the range OF her power Her novels long and
short scarcely numbered less than a hundred,
but these for a long time before her death were
not her works of prediction. Next in numerical
importance came her biographies, those, for OK
ample OF Edward Irving. Comte dc Montalembert,
Principal Tulloch, Laurence Oliphant and
number OF smaller ones. some OF which
involved, however much labor and research;
her last book OF this class, the two volumes
comprising the History of the House OF Black
wood, occupied two years Of her life Then there
were the papers on the rCign Of George H. and
that Of Queen Anne; the painstaiing II not en-
tirely successful Literary History OF England"
and "A Child's History OF Scotland" THE Max
crs Of Florence began fresh series in 1875; 1t
was followed at intervals by The Makers Of
Venice, " Rome" and Jerusalem, each Of these
books imposing immense labor and all except
Rome" having had its materials carefully collected
on the spot There remains sngularly attra,t
i've set OF writings, that which began with
"A Little Pilgrim" and went on through various
Stories o. the Seen and the Unseen" eliminating
in ~ Beleaguered City" and finding fitting end
in THE Land OF Suspense"