The Washington herald., 1906-12-23


yourself in such reverend company" I
do, answered Gilbert. I feel lion in
a den Of Daniels"
There ought to be an enthusiastic vel
come among literary people for a new
book by Mrs. Brookfeid. who. with her
husband. was the author Of the finely
successful Mrs. Br0Okneld and her Cir
Gle, which appeared last year. The
new book is 20 be called, THE Cam
| bridge Apostles" and II viii deal with
that astonishingly brilliant group OF
young men at Cambridge in the early part
OF last century. which included Tenny-
son. John Sterling, Arthur HaIlam.
Charles Butler. Archbishop Trench. and
Lord Houghton, Mrs. Brookfeld has had
full access 10 her fathers papers-her IA
Their was the BrOOkheld old Brook" to
whom Tennyson addressed more than Ons
OF his pOems-and she has written an en-
PERTAINING account Of the disputes, per-
sOnalities, opinions, and adventures Of
these men, which Is made up largely, OF
course. Of quotations and extracts from
their letters. The pages Of Mrs Brook
| fields book will be filed with witty and
| amusing anecdOJe. which on its literary
side alone should have much value as
well as interest.
book for which there ought 10 be
more than a little local demand is The
First Forty Years Of Washington So
| ciety,' which has just been brought out
by the ScTibners- It is portrayed by the
family letters OF Mrs Samuel Harrison
/ Smith (Margaret Bayard}, and these have
| been edited by Gaillard Hunt The writer
| or these letters was the wife OF the found
| er OF the National Intellfgencer. and was
thrown into the best social life Of her
/ time. Her father, Col John Bayard, was
| a Revolutionary officer, speaker OF the
/ Pennsylvania assembly, and member OF
/ the Continental Congress- After her mar
| rage Mr.. Smith moved TO Washington.
and here he issued the first number OF
| the National Intelligence. on October 81
1850 Later he rose in the public serv-
| ice TO be Secretary Of the Treasury ad
/ interim Mrs. Smith by her social pO-
/ sitiOn. knew every one worth knowing and
| she early developed a facility in writing
about what she saw Of the diplomatic and
| political world. and was one OF the early
contributors TO GOdey's Magazine. She
was one Of the brilliant women Of her
| day. and wrote what was probably the
| first Washington novel in two volumes.
/ entitled a Winter in Washington; or.
| Memoirs Of the Seymour Family" Il was
/ published in 1875 the characters were tax
en- from real life, and through its pages
| are scattered anecdotes Of Thomas JeffeT-
! son, who was her close friend for many
years.
Mrs. Smith died in 1874, but It Is only
! recently that her grandson. J. Henley
Smith, has permitted the voluminous cor
respondence Of his grandmother TO come
/ to light. The letters are very valuable as
Ar-fr-f
| ferson, Madison. and Henry Clay, who
were iRtimates of the family. and Dolly
/ Madison, it IS said. fits in and out Of the
pages Of these letters. The burning Of
/ Washington by the British Is here de-
| scribed with the vividness Of personal
| feeling. written by a woman who had TO
| fee the city. Among the literary people
/ who appear in these pages. most prom
! inent, perhaps. is Harriet Martineau.
/ This strong woman OF rather terrible in
/ sight appears in these pages as a re-
/ served and altogether gentle tea-drinkins
| EnglishwOman. who sits and chats with
/ Mrs Smith in the usual feminine fash
/ ion. In short. these letters are filed with
4 delightful Washington gossip Of nearly a
| century ago, and they are said 10 be no.
| where dull.
In her book, Dixie After the War"
| Mrs Myrta Lockett Avary tells new
| Lincoln story. in connection with Cen
/ Pickett, who led the charge at Gettys-
/ burg. Mr.. Lincoln had taken a warm in
| terest in young George Pickett as q ca
/ Diet at West Point. During his hurried
| sOjOUrn in Richmond, LincOln's carriage
| and armed retinue drew up in front Of
| the Pickett mansion. The generals young
wife came out with her paby in her arms
nd IL 80
| Madam replied Lincoln, 7 am
/ Georges old friend. Abraham Lincoln"
The President Of the United States2"
/ she asked
! No" he answered. with a smile. only
/ Abraham Lincoln. Georges old friend
The baby reached out its hands, and
| when Lincoln took him In his arms the
| child kissed the President
Tell your father" softly said Lincoln
to the baby, that I will grant him a spe-
| cial amnesty-if he wants it-for the sake
OF your mothers bright eyes and for
| your good manners"
| Few poems informed with deep religious
| feeling have had wider or more popular
| acceptance than Kipling's "Recessional."
1t is "a strong mans hymn" as some
| writer characterized It. In his latest
I
other poem which seems likely TO take its
/ place as the "RecessionaI' Of the young
/ sters. He calls il, The Children's Son
It begins as follows:
Land Of cur Birth. we pledge to thee
/ Our love and toll in the years 70 BE-.
| When we are grown and take our place.
/ As men and women with Our race
The last stanza Is:
/ Land Of our Birth our faith. our PRIDE
/ For whose dear sake our Fathers died;
! o Motherland We pledge to thee,
| Head, heart, and hand through the years 70 be-
| To Washingtonians in search of gifte
books may safely be commended the new
book OF verse by the WashingtOnian,
Thomas Nelson Page. which is published
| by the Scribners, and whose title is THE
| Coast of Bohemia" As a maker of pO-
/ eticaI prose, Mr.. Page is well known, but
as a versifier his fame rests chiefly on the
volume of poems. "Befo' de War" which
was written throughout IN negro dialect
| The present volume is made up Of lyric
poetry Of a high quality, and Of nature
/ poems. which haunt one with the beau
~ Of their descriptions Throughout, the
poems show an un1nistakable and unfaiI-
ling sympathy with life. Notnlng, perhaps,
/ could give a finer taste Of Mr.. Pages
fine quality as poet than the sonnet, To
a Lady at a Spring.
| Long asOns since. in leafy woodlands sweet,
| Diana, weary with the eager chase,
/ Was won't 10 seek fun oft some tTysting place
Loved OF her rosy train some cool retreat
1 OF crystal springs. deep-verGured from the heat
! OF sultTy noon. wherein each subtle grace
! OF snowy form and radiant hower-facc.
| Nsrcissus-like. goddess and nymph might greet.
| Diana long hath feeted 'yond the main;
| The fOunts which eTst she loved are al bereft;
! No more mid violet hanks her feet are SCI;