The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-02

versed it observantly and fondly: and
many d reader Of them, do no. doubt
envied the writer the delightful days
and nights which they fancied must
have been his lot. The fancy, if it oc-
Cured, was very close to the fact IL
has fallen to few men in this work-a-
day world to have so l0ng stretch CT
good reading as has been allotted TO
Mr.. Addison P Russell. the author IN
question; and today, at the age OF -
he is still in the full enjoyment of his
lifelong pleasure.
This has not been, however. a mere
stroke of good fortune. Mr.. Russell got
the thing he particularly delgEted il
by striving for it and carefully shaping
his life to that end. de began life as a
printer in the office of a country news
paper. In time he became the editor.
and, perhaps, the proprietor OF such
newspaper; and this led, by easy steps.
to his taking some part in politics. and
achieving finally the office of auditor
of the state of Ohio. At the conclusion
of his term he was appointed nnancldl
agent of the state of Ohio. resident in
New York City This was a special Of
flee, long since rendered unnecessary
by new financial arrangements and
machinery, and abolished. 1t was
rather profitable to the incum-
his friends is that while filling it Mr..
Russell was able to lay by the small
capital which has sufficed him ever
since. His way of life has always been
a very simple and even frugal one; he
had the good fortune to find out early
what he wanted, and the character to
keep it when he got it. Yet he has not
been simply man of the study. He is
a large, rudy, clean shaver man of
ctr iIriv Will n n a CT
toned courtesy and a real gife in con-
Versation; and in the days when he
went more from home than he does
now he was a distinct social and intel
lectual influence through a conSidera BILE
section of country. The same aff1uence
Of good reading that enricheS his books
also appears in his talk, but never pen
dantically or oppressive; all tends to
good fellowship and pure entertain
ment. Thus, through many years, he
has been a pleasure and inspiration to
his personal friendS.aS we'll as to the
public, and his life ought to afford him
great satisfaction in the contemplation.
He lives at Wilmington, pleasant
county seat in southern Ohio. He has
never married. and for the last twenty
years has made his home with sister.
Mrs. Mary Mapes Dodge has leased
for the winter her pleasant apartment
in Fifty-ninth street, overlooking Cen
trail park, and gone to Europe. She has
been, for some days before she sailed,
confined to her house by an attack of
grip. In her absence the conduct of
"St. Nicholas" is shared between Mr..
Clark and Mr. Tudor jerks. They are
used to being left alone, however Mrs.
Dodge often takes long absences; and,
indeed, even when she is at home, she
does much of her work at her house,
and leaves the Office and its routine
mainly to her assistants. [ fancy, if
the truth were known, a desire for more
of such arrangements would be found
prevalent in editorial offices; under
them, probably both chiefs and assist
ants would work in much more COM
fort TO themselves. What the effect on
the publications would be is, of course,
another question; but I don't believe it
would be harmful.
The fact that Mr. Watts-Dunton, for
many years before the publication of
the novel which is just now making
him much-talked about, Mad been. per-
haps, the most weighty and influential
literary critic in England, is rather Gu
rious. 1t shows how completely a writer
may be buried under unsigned contri-
buttons. All along, people of the strict
~ literary or journalistic circle in Eng
land have known in a way of Mr..
Watts-Dunton; but over here, even for
1.-The profession" he was practically non
existent until he brought out book of
poems last year. Though curious, Mr..
WattS-Dunton, however, is not a Soli-
taTy instance. The other day Mr.. How
els writing of Amt rican literary crit
iciSnl, mentioned the name of John
bennett as that of one of the most
important of our literary critics in the
recent past; and, although for not
few years ] have been following such
matters as closely as most people, had
TO confess that the name was quite I'M
known to me. 1t was another case in
which the writer was hid, as Mr.. How
Of the journal"
Perhaps Mr.. Howells' mention of
bennett has interested other people in
him as it has me, and that some of the
readers of this letter will care for one
or two facts regarding his life. He was
a native of New Brunswick, born in
1887, and he died a resident of Massa-
chusetts, in 1874, at the early age of 81.
He was already distinguished for his
literary taste and talent at his gradu-
alton from Harvard and fproduced
class-day poem that won the special
praise of Lowell. His critical writing
was done mostly for the Nation, of
which he was in his latter years one of
the editors. He was at the same time
assistant professor Of rhetoric at Har-
ward. E. G. MARTIN.
Piles Are Universal.