The Washington herald., 1907-03-17

There was an auction sale OF BOOKS ana
autograph letters at Boston on Friday OF
last week which was enough TO make the
mouth Of the poverty-strieken booklOver
water. The collection Of autograph let
ters was the property Of a member of the
Grolier Club. OF New York. MN noted
for his devotion to Napoleona. His collec-
ton embraced 157 interesting letters, in
cludlng six letters OF Napoleon and four
Of poor Josephine. One OF the letters
from Napoleon is addressed to Massena.
and relates TO raising an army Of $4,000
men with which to subjugate Bohemia.
But it was in the literary autographs that
the collection most appealed, for there
were letters sold from Byron, Shelley,
Coleridge. Gladstone, Hawthorne, Whit
tier. Bryant. Irving, Lowell, Holmes,
Leigh Hunt, Mary Lamb. and others.
a fine letter OF COIeridge. dated Kes-
wick. 1900. tells what the poet thinks Of
some of his contemporaries. He writes;
From the commencement Of November next l
give myself exclusively TO the life Of Lessins-lH
then occupy myself with volume Of letters froIa
Gemany-Jo the publication Of which my poverty
but not my viii consents. The delay in copy has
been owing In part 20 ne a writer Of ChFStObel-
Iangs. abandon poetry altogether. ! leave the
higher and deeper kinds 70 Wordsworth. the de-
lightftl. popular and simply diguihci 10 Southsy,
a1d reserve for mys5lf TIE honorable attempt 10
make others feel and understand their writings. as
they deserve 10 be felt and understood.
The Byron letters were most interesting.
One Of them was written by Lord Byron
TO Shelley, scarce q month before Shell
ley's death. The noble bard writes:
Murray writes disc1uragingly and says nothing
published this year has made the least impression.
The QuarsrlyeTs CONTRARY - your friendly auguryl
have attacked me You see what It Is to throw
uearlS 20 swine. However II Is NJ that ! should
pay the penalty Of spelling the herd-as man
mas contributed more than me in my earlier com
positions 70 produce that exaggerated and false
,aste
Another Of the Byron letters was to
Leigh Hunt, and at the same time Byron
transmitted 70 him his poem on Napo-
leon. He says:
send You a scravI in rhyme which If you uSs
Il. would wish % BE- inserted anonymously II
certainly does not contain your political sentiments,
nor, indeed, my own altcgether-but ! have en-
deavored to adapt them to the person speaking or
singing
There was one Of the Byron letters
which was very intimate and personal It
contained these words:
Cowell is and always was a fine fellow I don't
ike anybody much. but him well as most. OF
course, except all my old friends from this moping
sway OF Cynicisn You viii Ike Augusta
much. She is as sAv as an antelors but the best
hearted. gentle. mOfcnsiyc being IN the world And
one Of the children is a beauty, and the rest fine,
bat damuably squally.
There was also sold letter OF Southey
demonstrating with Clifford upon designat-
ing Lamb as "a poor maniac" There was
a letter from Mary Lamb trying 20 coax
her brother into a Mondays excursion,
and altogether the collection was such
one as makes poor beggars who love
books long to be millionaires.
The new movement which has been at
tracing wide and profound attention in
England TO show complete harmony be
tween science and religion has now begun
to attract wide attention in this country
as well. Clergy and laymen are alike in
terested in Il. The leaders Of the move
ment are approaching the subject In
new way, with new arguments and new
" iIluminative logic, and from this comes
the popular idea of its being new
thought as the popular fancy expresses
it. whereas 1t Is a reverent harmoniZing
OF difficulties, and is based on careful rea-
sOning. The most prominent OF the lead
ers in the movement is Sir Oliver Dodge
D. Sc, IL D, and it is of interest to
know that a book written by him as
brief and clear exponent Of the beliefs OF
himself and his followers viii be pub
lished by the Harpers some time this
month.
As if the poets needed any encourage
ment! And Yet Francois Coppee. a mem
Der of the French Academy Of Immortals.
has given the academy sum yielding
5000 biennially as prize for young poets.
IN letter to the academy which ac-
companied the gift. NJ. Coppee expressed
regret that poets are so little encouraged.
while the rewards for prose compositions
are often so great. He said: The poets
share viii hardly be increased by this
new prize. which is modest. like my
means, yet DO ME the favor OF accepting
II viii give me pleasure In thinking that
my name. when 1t becomes that OF a de-
parted immortal, and is doubtless quick
ly forgotten, viii yet be heard from time
10 time with pleasure by young poets to
whom ] offer this sprig of golden laurel"
\ graceful tribute from one who has left
his mark on the literature of France
TO those who have yet their mark to
make.
Just forty years ago it was. in 1867
that Thomas Hardy relinquished archi-
lecture. in which he had already made
name far himself. for literature though
up to that time his only publication had
been a Short Story" issued in 1850 But
soon after literature became his vocation
there appeared Desperate Remedies, "
followed soon by Under a Greenwood
Tree, "A Pair of Blue Eyes, Far from
the Madding Crowd, and. thick and fast
thereafter. a host OF excellent novels.
Hardy has left his mark on the world
but he is not writing much now. though
he is said TO be engaged on the second
part Of his heroic drama, The Dynasts %
the first part Of which was published in
1901. Thomas Hardy lives IN retirement
I'm charming home In Dorchester; he is
sixty-seveR years old. That his books still
retain their popularity Is evidenced by the
fact that a firm OF Philadelphia publish
ers announce a new edition Of his works
which IS 10 begin with Far from the
Madding Crowd" this will be followed
by "A LaOdiCean-" which was first pub
lshed in the early SOS.
An interesting book. soon TO be publish
ed by Henry Holt & Co.. of New York,
IS "As The Hague Ordains," the journal
Of a Russian prisoners wife in Japan.
Other Holt publications that are to be
issued shortly are: Leading American
Soldiers, by r. II. Johnston: For and
Against Darwinism,' by Vernon L. Kel-
logg; The Kingdom Of Man." by E
Ray Lancaster; Julie de Despinasse, -
bN Ma rusrie 4 CpergsFs q lgfpo, Name
paper" by John l. Given. and "One
Hundred Great Poems" by r. J. Cross.
Sars the British MeekIv. ..It rnas rn,.-