The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-15
THE
LITERARY
OUTLOOK
lRv Herbert Brewster.N

(By Herbert Brewster
Of George Douglass (Brown), au-
thor Of The House With the
Green Shutters" it is literally
true that he not only awoke one morn
ing to find himself famous, but he also
came suddenly to have his desk piled
high with letters from all kinds Of peo-
pie in all parts of the English speak
ing world. 1t is said that women es-
pecially write long screeds to him about
what he must have been thinking when
he wrote his first book; ministers of the
gospel have demonstrated with him for
the pessimism in his view of Scotch
life, and men in various .Occupa tions
have praised or blamed him for his
work. 1t may be little satisfaction to
these unsolicited correspondents TO
learn that Mr.. Brown pays little atten-
ton to their letters. The particular in
difference Of the author is given to
newspapers requests for information
about himself He prefers to be let
alone. 1t happened, however. that the
editor of Saint Andrews, the official
publication OF the Scotch Established
church, was an old friend of the au-
thor, and when the editor insisted upon
( sketch OF the authors life, the fol-
! lowing reply was given:
You ask for some details Of my
/ life. tbs a clean sheet, sir; ] have alb
sOlutely no past. / am clothed with
/ mine own innocence as with garments
] Of exceeding brightness.
L was born on the 18th of January,
| 1869. 1 have only the vdgUest recoIleC-
! ton Of that happy nom. But tradition
hath it that I gave particularly Wig
orOus squawk when I first set eyes
| upon the beauteous world.
Il was a cheTubic child, and thereby
/ hangs a tale. Returning To my native
/ village after a long absence, 1 was met
by an aged crone, who remembered,
when
Trailing clouds of glory did l come
From my celestial home
Mercy upon u.s. she cried, with the
! engaging familiarity of the Scots peas
/ ant; can this be Geordie?' 1 grinned
an assent with my usual modesty.
Eth, me- she said, in sad reminis-
! cence; 'eh me, you were a Draw wee
boy, but Gade kens you're anything
/ but thOt now.
That's not the only gag that has
been worked off at my personal APP
/ pearance. l happened to meet FrOude
I the historian, once in the house Of an
] Oxford Don. It's astonishing he said
to me, it's astonishing! You're the liv-
/ ing image of my dear friend, the late
| John COnington.'
/ L said I was glad to hear l was 50
! like the great authority on Virgil For
1 a moment the old mans thoughts
. seemed busy with the sacred past
! 'COningtOH,' he said, dreamily was thu
/ ugliest man I ever cIapped an eye on.
i was a pioUs child. 1 remember
I being bribed with shilling to read
/ Baxter's Saints Everlasting Rest
/ often wished the book I'm everlasting
rest with its author, but I won the
shilling.
The first thing I ever read on my
/ own account. however. was death and
I DR.. HornbOok,' spelling it out by the
/ light OF a great kitchen fire. I blum
/ dered at the word -scythe. pronounc-
! ing il 'skyth.' and wondering what on
/ earth it was. ca Z heuk and gang
/ on, said a grinning ploWman. As %
! reading in general can read any
/ thing I ever came across except alge-
/ bra, Elements Of Logic and the speeches
/ of the late Mr.. Gladstone. For the
rest, be they 'pOme. tome or rome las
/ a friend Of mine calls poetry, history
and romance), they are equally accept
I able TO me. As Charles Lamb says
/ Bless my stars for a taste so catholic
/ so unexcluding.
I What other details can 7 give you?
/ In my green, unknOwing youth I had
already injured my eyesight for exam
ming too closely with lighted match
| the properties Of gunpOwder. II went
/ on and I went up, both Of us rather
suddenly. How long I pirouetted on the
summit Of explosive flame like a berry
| Destuck with pins at the end of a pipe
I stem, when a boy blows through the
/ bowl, ] can scarce remember. IT
I seemed to me that I was projected a
I considerable distance into the empy-
rean. What I do remember With most
painful and distinct recollection is that
came down with a tremendous bump
on one end Of my body and very little
skin on the other. The powder had
been stolen, and good folks said it was
a judgment. I shall wear goggles for
/ ever in memory of that soaring hour
I L was nearly 10 before was sent to
/ Ayr academy-to which / owe every
! thing 1 am. That mayn't be much, of
( course; I may be a bad debt, as the
4 Tvi-t,,,,,-, .-54 %, g -. mr. 49,
/ by, the n. p. You know the story
/ Yes, gentlemen said the orator, with
a falter in his voice. all that I am ]
owe to my wife Poor old woman.
I said Pat from the gallery. That's one
I bad debt on ner book
From Ayr academy I went TO Glas-
gov university, from Glasgow ia OK
ford, from oxford to London. And
that's about all 1 can tell you"
It CHANGED to be the writer's good
fortune to be in indianapolis a few
days ago during the gathering Of the
/ Indiana authors for the benefit Of the
+ Harrison monument fund There were
collected in that one city during the
I two days Of the exercises more well