New-York tribune., 1906-06-16
MISCELL4NY.

II IS a pleasure 70 welcome the reprint Of the
Autobiography Of Anthony Trollope' which
Dodd, Mead & Co have added. in uniform shape
to their excellent new edition of Trollope's
novels. This book is as frank as was the man
himself, and If 1t cannot stand among the few
in the front rank Of works Of sefrevelation II is
nevertheless a record which deserves 10 remain
among the survivals Of nineteenth century lit
erature. We believe that long life, too, may be
predicted of a goodly number of Trollope's
novels Their claim to this was once accurately
expressed by Hawthorne, who declared that
they precisely suited his taste. They were "just
a real" he said, 'as if some giant had hewn a
great lump out Of the earth and put 1t under a
glass case. with all its inhabitants going about
their daily business. and not suspectng that
they were being made a show of. . I
should think that human nature would give
them success anywhere He who in days to
come would know what English life was in the
last half Of the last century must perforce read
these novels. Therein will ne find not only
faithful transcripts of English manners and Gus
toms in the Victorian period. but. in large
measure, the soul Of the people Plantagenet
Palliser and Mrs. Proudie and Mr.. Crawey and
Lady Luton and the iniTnitable Archdeacon-
these are among the types that social his
torian of the future can afford to disregard
An amusing testimony to the fidelity of his
portraiture Trollope found in the review of The
Warden" and of "Barchester Towers" published
in the London Times" 1t was a gentle rebuke
to the author for indulging in personalities. the
personalities question having reference TO
somebody on the Times" staff This was the
great Tom Towers" of course whose smashing
articles III the Jupiter Trollope set forth with
great effect. AS a matter Of fact, the novelist
knew none of the Times staff, did not intend
TO represent any individual. and had merely
created journalist for the purposes of these
novels as he had created archdeacon. Con-
cerning the question. not of borrowed person.
age, but OF a borrowed plot, it is worth while
TO quote what Trolope says bout it apropos of
his statement that his brother, T Adolphus
Trolope, sketched for him plot for his novel.
Doctor Thorne':
mention this particularly, because the
only occasion n which AaEe had recourse 10 some
other source than my own brains for the thread OF
adopted incidents from what I have read-ei,her
from history or ron U wokS & ol 6 6ne ,ba agi @ I'm
ployed / have been must do so. But when doing
II ! have NOT been aware that I have done it. /
have never taken another mans work and de-
liberately framed my work upon II. l am far from
censuring this practice IN others. Our gre1tesl
masters in works OF imagination have obtained sucA
ala tor themselves s Jus 4uI gu " StcI
quarres whenever ne couId mo them. zen JoIso
with heavier hand, built up his structures on his
hinaie5 hi@ 10 0i g s Nfh9at dir drect ackso~edsmeni
whole pieces translated both from poets and his
Inent was usual Plagary existed ana was very
common but not known as sin. 1t Is dit-
ferent row. and ] think that author, when he
uses either the words or the plot OF another should
own as much demanding 10 be credited with no
more of the work than he has himself produced
The novelist duly mentions the only instance
In which he incorporated the words of another
In a book Of his The legal opinion as to heir
looms in THE Eustace Diamonds drawn
out for him by a distinguished member OF the
English Bar. and il has become. We are told. the
ruling authority the subject.
THE Commuters Wife" in whom are
permitted 10 recognize Mrs. Mabel Osgood
Wright has brought out in The Garden, You
and T. uhe Macmillan Company another agree
able volume OF garden talk. ipterspersed with
slin,nses OF domestic romance and human char
acter Her instructions in flower gardening
prartical and tasteful, any industrious
teur viii quickly perceive-es specially the
teur who has been deluded by what one OF Mrs.
Wright's characters calls garden goozle." One
valuable lesson may be drawn. and over
again from the pages OF this book and that is
the wisdom of following wild nature much
as possible in gradually making the landscape
surroundings of a country home For the pro-
fessional flower grower this book will have lit
tie interest: but to the amateur who has delight
in garden beauty achieved by personal labor IT
viii he a useful companion.
Women" (Cassel & Coz Mrs. Henry Fawcett
has gathered brief Biographies OF women whose
strength OF character and whose influence upon