The Washington herald., 1907-04-14

riQus other isins undressing 10 me- nave fs-
stored them all The personal creed. politics, or
literary taste Of a manager Of books should not
be allowed 10 play car TO the users o. books
!. over the recent illness of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle much secrecy was main-
tanned, but it Is understood that at one
stage the life of the famous author OF
Sherlock Holmes" was almost despaired
Of Since then, however, the welcome
news has come that he IS well ON the
road TO recovery. and this IS now confirms
ed by the announcement that he viii pre-
side at a literary dinner TO be given in
London on April %. The gathering will
celebrate the 2G0th anniversary Of the
birth of Henry Fielding the author of
J Tom Jones" and VIII be given by the So
ciety of Somerset men in London, Of
which Doctor Doyle is one of the
most prominent and enthusiastic mem
bers.
Marie CoreIi comes 10 the front again
in the collection of autograph letters
formed by John D. Crimrnins that is to be
sold at Anderson's. in New York, next
Monday. She is, o8 course, the same Ma
RE CorelI that has kept herself in the
limehght ever since Queen Victoria help
ed 10 make her famous with one of those
extraordinary literary judgments that
added to the gayety of two hemlspheres.
''rO begin with" writes Miss COrelli. Il
, am that goiden-haired beauty 7"* am
not the daughter of Charles Mackay and
never was. but simply his adopted daugh-
ter, adopted under peculiar and extreme
ly painful circumstances. / am Of
Italian extraction no relation
whatever TO the Mackay family. I
beg you not TO enter into any details
such Is where or when you saw me first.
for that cottage was e source Of misery
to me- She goes on Indignantly
to deny a report that she is married; Il
have made already . an ample fortune
what do I want with hus-
band? Happy are those who
live obscure and all unknown. they
} are spared jealousy, spite, rancor,
hatred, malice, and all unchaTitableness.
Check ali overoficious details
about me in the American press" In an
, other letter she speaks of London as "a
den OF quarrelsome. fighting. pushing,
struggling human kind" and observes
1 love seelusion more than fame"
The record for book popularity at the
, Public Library during the past week
shows that in non-fiction the books most
2 called for were Myers Human Person
ality" and Bryce's THE Holy Roman
{ Empire" In fiction the greatest call was
for Mason's Running Water and Edith
! Wharton's Madame dc TTeymes," while
among the Juveniles the demand was for
LanG's Orange Fairy Book and
French's ''The Junior Cup"
At another interesting autograph letter
sale that was held in New York last week
some of the most interesting items were
] rrrr
Blessington The letters are copies. made
by Lady Blessington's niece for r. n.
q Madden, and in a note appended to the
f cover, by Madden. that worthy states
e that ThackeTay peremptorily refused TO
allow him 10 publish them At the time
the letters were written Thackeray had
! been trying to get a post-ohice commits
sion. He writes: Il feel relieved at the
S turn affairs took in the post-odice case
e Fancy being told, You shall go to Alders-
1 gate street every day of your life No
more liberty, no more rambler's saunter-
ing; but be a slave until death do you
claim-it is not such a tempting thing af-
ter all. See the Fable OF the Fox and
Grapes as recounted by Aesop." OF Bull
wer, he writes: There are sentiments in
his writing which always anger me. big
words which make me furious, and a pre-
meditated hne writing against which
can't help rebelling. and what
cause had to select Sir II. Bulwer of all
mel in the world for these OdiOus conf
denCes? 1t was very rude. / am always
making rude speeches and apologizing fOI
; them, like a Nuisance to Society.
In six weeks time I viii do the first
number Of "Pendennis. % Vanity Fair
is doing very commercially, I'm happy 10
say. at last They have sold 1900 of the
volumes, which is very well in these
times of revolution and dismay.' Another
: time, speaking of the pOst-Office. he says
Il should be sorry 10 give up my old
. vagabond way of life, and my honest
7 friend "Peudennis.' though he is not born
yet. There is d fellow by the
Is name of Dickens who is bringing out q
rival publication, and who has written
/ beautifully. Bravo Dickensi,! Davy Cop
J perfield has beautiful things in it-those
sweet little inimitable bits which make
Z one so fond Of him. I think he has
been reading a certain yellow covered
book and with advantage too; for he has
simDlfed his style. kept out the fine
words, etc"
In yet another letter We have an ex-
S preston. which was perhaps the begin
e ming of the use of the word yellow as
s designating something harsh or depress
y ing. It VIII be remembered, perhaps, that
Z the monthly numbers of his serial stories
, were ISSUED in yellow covers. In one OF
these letters he declares that he is going
j to change the covers for a color more
cheerful, for the world Is not so bad a
s place, after all"
There has been a great growth Of inter
est recently in things Persian. and. more
4 particularly, in Persian literature One
r Of the signs is the advent of curious
e little book called. ''The Testament Of Omar
g Khayyam-the Waysiyyat" translated by
e Mr.. Louis Alexander into quatrains. II
r an Introductory note, the author says:
Omar Khayyam was a man Of lofty
yet humble piety; but his independence OF
mind and contempt for mere dogma, his
open disbelief in astrology, his strong
leaninss to Greek literature and phioso-
ply brought upon him bitter and active
hostility. Most OF the quatrains collect
a ed in the 'Rubaiyat properly considered
e Were almost obviously of the nature OF
r satire or rejoinder or counter attack. Il
S The Testament Omar Kayyam says: Nc
+ more wine shops FOR ne: no more that
disgrace: nor false lips TO kiss-nor lips
d false to speak; nor half gay despairs.
+ uncover my face. The marked mask
d wore it is time that I break. I leave
Z this note with these lines and the ma.
! jestic figure Of the real Omar Khayyam-
{ the astronomer, poet philosopher, and
+ saint-stands revealed"
Henry c. McCook. d. D.. SEQ. LID.
; author of that book Of remarkable inter.