New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-21
GEORGE GTSSTNG.
4 Sketch by His Feuo1c NoueIist,
II. O.. Wells.

CufluLSEe1 ~ MS death Vera uilGa.'' he
accompa1-sd when il appears n print as has
been expected. by an introduction from the pen
Of the authors friend, Nj H G. Wells It
seems -hac hat Mir. Wells wrote did not satisfy
G.ssing-s executors. Mr.. Algernon Gissiug the
novelist and Miss Colett. and they have inter
dIcted The publication OF his essay with the
book The latter VIII have predxed TO Il, there
fore a historical paper by Mr.. Frederic Harm
son on the Byzantine Empire the subject of
"VeranIdA" Meanwhile. happily. we may read
MI Weiss tribute TO his fellow novelist in the
August number Of The Monthly Review"
Il opens rather unfortunately Mr. wens IS
scornfuI OF those who looking simply to Gis-
sings novels Of sordid life In London. have
called hin the master and leader Of the Eng
nsh realistic school" The fact that he had q
passion for antiquity cannot deprive him OF that
title, no matter how dogmatic Mr. Wells
chooses 70 be on the subject But the latter
soon becomes interesting, telling Us OF his
friends boyhood and youth He could draw In
those days with great skill and vigor-i, win
seem significant TO many that he was particu-
larry fascinated by Hogarth's work, and that
he copied and initiated it, But especially was
he IN love with literature, reading even when
he went out 70 walk On the whole he cared
little for games. Theatricals at school how
ever, strongly appealed TO him "Gissing-
writes an old schooEeuow. was our shining
light He vas at one and the same time stage
builder, stage manager. instructor leading act
or and prompter. as wei as our chief reciter-
Among his books he was a prodigy. he won
prizes AZ school and later at Owens College but
he suddenly abandoned his academic career.
Re crossed 70 America and was for a short time
classical tutor In Boston He threw up his place
on some forgotten ground and went in the vaguest
more clearly that practical incapacity. that curious
INABILITY TO 90 the sane. secure thing, which is
8 no hat he
vas Z careless man. he a most careful one:
almost rnor6idy the reverse Neither was he mas
rose or eccentric n his motives or bearing; he
had some sort OF blindness toward his fellow men
everyday life so tha; he Who was so copoIsv y.
hts-gsnt n he things Of the study. misunderstood
spasInOcic in common affairs, in employment and
terco1rse he did not know what WouI5 o n
and he do not know what would please. He irri-
social nerve In Chicago he came near 10 absolute
st2ryeton And there il was that with some jour
= IeLoLl' e-ltt ost 10 the world ms career
O pri2t began though, Of course, he had written
vas nearly twenty.
Returning 10 London. he threw himself into
the composition Of those novels by which he
ultimately won his rePUte- Mr.. Wells thinks
that the story Of Balzac's indomitable indus
Try must have had singular appeal 10 him
He would n those days say Of So-and-So. How
car be write? He has never starved More or
less deliberately he set himself 10 the scheme OF
an English Coincide Humane II was
surely the most unhappy and presumptuous of
undertakings" This. we fancy. is where Gis-
sings literary executors objected TO Mr.. Wells's
essay. They may well have resented the patron
ling tone lie takes toward the dead mans real
istc novels. Mr.. Wells Is far more useful when
he writes Of his friend il this vein:
Il VI 2 atePt , s0s picture q him at this
nd he a
youth, vgOr and promise He was OF rather more
than average stature finely proporticned and. save
Tor crOOp q the shoulders and that slight failure
ron grace that neglect OF exercise entails, he
carried himself well His head finely formed,
and, Though ne spare. his skin was wei
seeming and ne had n his flushed moments the
rudy English color His features were clear cut
was brown wiki a pleasing reddish unge flowed
bacE from his forehead very handsomely de mao
quite distinctly q presence His voice was SOUND
and fulL and a youth in which books had over
book-sh ard rotund than is common He was at
nTsl little shy in intercourse but then intelligent
Eel1-forgetful tnaggressive and enthusiastic He
must have seemed. he did seem TO those who met
nm u those days. man Of the richest posslolD-
Yet The same insidious weakness al the point
where Imagination and thought pass into acton
hac already. behind this front Of promise contr1ved
near REGENTS Park. and he moved IN cultivated
society. He had such friends Mr. Frederic Har-
Flson whose he instructed IN Greek and who
vas asslCECus IN his interest. He entered spheres
IN which bishops wives unknown and he
mas CescrIbe1 TO the present writer conversation
upon the decay OF buffers with OF these ladies'
she asked him how he managed. But indeed, he
dispensed with a buffers attentions. II Will be
n ever level mir Ied