The San Francisco call., 1904-06-26
London Literary Folk.
snecisl Correspondence.

few DAYS ago ] had no idea. as proDaply
was the case with most Americans
who read it, that Richard Whiteing's s
story, THE Yellow Van." which at
tracted so much attention on both
sides Of the Atlantic. had largely to
do with existing things. 1t seems, how
ever. that there really is a yellow van
and a Land Naturalization Society in
whose interests the van travels about
through rural England and that the
experiences Of those who inhabit this
vehicle are quite as exhilarating as Mr..
Whiteing made out
This I discovered when the Land
Naturalization Society held a meeting
in London the other day. The society
was founded in 1881 by a distinguished
committee, which included DR.. Alfred
Russell Wallace, who hit on the theory
Of evolution simultaneously with Oar
win; Miss Helen Taylor, who is step
daughter Of John Stuart Mill, and A.
c. Swinton, but the organization s
propaganda by means Of the yellow
van did not begin until 1890. For four
teen years straight, however, the orig
inal van (the society now owns two
others) has perambulated the country
and its presiding genius, whose name'
is Hyder, preached the gospel, The
Land for the People and the People
for the Land" In this time some TO-
600 miles have been covered and meet
ings innumerable held. The van, like
the bicycle in the song. IS built for
two Mr.. Hyder, who is the society's
general secretary, and his assistant.
They live exactly such a gypsy-lile
existence as Whiteing pictured. spend
ing the night in fields Cwhere inquisi-
tive cows occasionally made things
lively for them), buying their food from
the farming folk and cooking ii inside
the van. In most districts the yellow
vans speaker and his leaflets are re-
ceived good naturedly enough by the
country people, though seldom by the
representatives Of the landlords. In the
most rural parts. however, where
sQuirearchy still is supreme. stones
and rotten eggs propelled in his direc-
tiOn frequently leave Hyder in no
doubt as 10 the attitude Of his hearers.
In such districts, in fact, determined
attacks on the van are by no means
rare occurrences. In one county an
onslaught was made by a mob of stable
boys armed with stones and headed by
the local parson. In a Hertfordshire
village, Hyder and his companion were
locked UP in the stables where they
were tending their horses, and had to
escape by means Of a skylight. Else
where, the creatures Of the lord Of the
manor tried to throw the yellow van
and its occupants into river.
Shortly after ''Sir Richard Calmady''
vas published, Lucas Malet'' (Ars. St.
Leger Harrison) began another novel.
and up 10 a few months ago worked on
fl continuously. Then, however, ma
ture kicked, and the authoress was
ordered by her medical man 10 20 down
TO BournemOuth, by the sea. to take it
easy for a while. Mrs. Harrison did so,
and it was only a few days ago that
she returned 10 London, feeling a lot
better for the holiday. At her cozy
little home in Egerton Crescent the
authoress has taken up her pen again,
and hopes to finish her latest romance
before many weeks have passed. While
81 ADOAA A4ELliOlAAAs ~ the way LGIdS
Malet' was not so far from Hall Caine
who. since his return from the Riviera.
has been at Cromer, making final cor
rections in the proof-sheets Of The
Prodigal Son"
When Miss Braddon published her
new romance, "A Lost Eden" the
other day, she made the total Of her
books correspond exactly with that Of
her years-67. This new novel deals
with life in the London district Of
Camberwell in the middle Of the last
century. It was in this not very fash
iOnable suburb, readers may remem-
,ber, that William Black laid the scene
Of his "Madcap Violet"
American collectors should warn
London agents not to miss the sale Of
the manuscript Of Burns "Cotter's Sat
urday Night" at Sotheby's next month.
Tor this is the most valuable of the
autograph copies Of that poem. 1t has
continued till now in the family of
Robert Aiken, the writer in AYR to
whom ii was inscribed, with an accom-
panying letter, by the Scottish poet,
and is in a perfect state Of preserva-
ton An early copy Of "The Cotter's
Saturday Night" is in the British Mu-
scum, and the printers manuscript Of
the Kilmarnock edition, 1856, is in pos
session Of the Burns Club at Irvine.
George Moore reluctantly came from
Ireland 10 London, the other day, TO
confer with his publishers. Admirers
Of Esther Waters" and Sister Teresa"
VIII be interested in hearing that this
author brings with him the manuscript
OF new novel Of what he calls gen
eral life." The scene is laid In Ireland.
This is not the only new volume by
which Moore soon viii be represented
for ne is planning to publish his be-
wildering Literary AVowals''-which
have been appearing in a London
magazine-in book form about the
middle OF the summer.
Il G. Wells was as far as ever from
being commonplace in the lecture
which he delivered on Literature and
The state" at the Royal Institute the
other day. He began by explaining
that his definition Of literature included
good preaching. good letter writing and
even good conversation, and later dwelt