Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-12

The author who in Little Stories of
Married Life" and recently in Moro
Stories of Married Life" makes US so
familiar with amusing types Of subur-
banites, IL one of the few who insists
that her readers shan know little OF her
personality or her appearance. Mary
Stewart Cutting has never permitted a
photograph OF herself to appear IN the
newspapers or magazines since she at
tanned literary fame. and stoutly re-
sists all attempts on the part of her
publishers and the press to make hei
forego her decision. This Is all the
more unusual since her kindly counte-
nance would surely furnish one more
reason for reading her charming books.
Progressing through the literary p..
RODS of Chaucer Shakespeare and Mil
ton, Tudor jerks comes down to the
nineteenth century with book describ-
ing events I'm the Days OF Scott" II
IL the fourth volume IN series called
the Lives OF Great Writers. and II alma
to give a running sketch Of and critical
commentary upon the enlivening and
dramatic incidents of SCotts life and
times. IL happens that Scott lived at
the crossroads of British history
whence he could look I'm many dircc.
lions up and down the picturesaue
fields of Scottish and English romance.
HIS was, as Mr.. jerks aptly describes
Il. a borderland that extended from the
days Of the eighteenth to the nineteenth
century. with him, In Imagination,
we cross the reign OF George I'll to that
OF william ". from the American colo
MES to the presidency OF Andrew Jack
son, We see the last Of old methods
90 q. ~. he 10, F... n.
which We still live; for during the years
Of Sir Walter Scott We're made those
discoveries and inventions which. de-
veloped and applied have transformed
the conditions OF civilized life. Steam
and electricity became mans doclle SER
wants In those years, and 90 these agen-
cies primarily Is due the amazing
change that makes our outer
world different from that unto which
Scott was born"
Mr.. Jonks' account Of Scott and his
time Of course contains nothing new
and original. It's principal merit being
succinct and straightforward presen-
tatlon OF entertaining facts. After Civ
ing view OF Scotland IN the days pre-
ceding Scotts birth. and Of the sur
roundings OF his boyhood and youth.
ne surveys step Dy step MS daDDllnRs
In the law. his progress in literature.
and the unfortunate business ventures
that were directly responsible for the
rapid succession of the Waverly Novels.
In an appendix he gives the chief his
torical dates bearing upon SCOTS life
and works, a list OF the Waverley Nov
els IN chronological order, and brief
photography, Here and there we have
glimpse OF the curious literary GUS
toms OF the day. 1T was the fashion
at this time" he says ito publish such
poems as these of Scott's In form
that is practically never seen at pres
ent, that Is, In quarto size, about four
times as large a page as Is now used
for the rage book. These enormous
volumes In large print sold at some-
thing over $40 a copy so II will be
seen that when 10000 copies OF The
Lady Of the Lake were disposed Of IN
a single year. IL is not surprising that
Scott should have made from that one
poem az much as $4,000 for himself,
That such prices were paid by so many
buyers seems surprising to us, hut the
public were accustomed to this form OF
publication, whereas today an even
greater poem might readily fail OF
wide market at such a price
The Willlamsons' literary and geo.