The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-20

Mr. Aldrich'S chief publications in
verse. aside from the collected editions
Bells ''Pampinea and Other Poems"
Cloth of Gold" Flower and Thorn"
Mercedes and Later Lyrics "Friar
Jerome's Beautiful Book" "Wynd-
ham Towers" "Unguarded Gates
His best known pieces of fiction are
Marjorie Daw' and THE Story of a
Bad Boy" Other novels are "Out of
His Head; Romance Prudence
Palfrey," THE Queen of Sheba.'' 1.-THE
Saltwater Tragedy and 1.-TWO Bites at
His volumes of travel and reminis-
cence are From Ponkapog to Pesth''
and '.An Old Town by the Sea-"
The Story of Bad Boy.
His father shortly after the birth of
his son removed to New Orleans and
invested his capital in a banking bust
ness there But when it came time for
his son to be educated he determined
to have him educated in the north
and so, with that purpose in view, he
sent him to reside with his relatives in
his birthplace. Portsmouth
The history of young Aldrich's up
bringing and education in the old sea-
port town is now a part of literature.
THE Story of Bad Boy" published
by Mr. Aldrich in 1869, is in reality
cient invented romance and fanciful
portraiture in it to be charming
piece of imaginative art THE Bad
Boys story is universally regarded
one of the best books for young peo-
pie ever written. And since it's pub
lication the American novel, indigo
nous and homebred, has become one OF
the great facts of the literature of the
world.
1t was intended that young Aldrich
should have a college education. and
he was partly prepared to enter Har-
ward. But when he was in his 18th
~ fofJ @f HI &c fof hr,ef
ness, a disaster soon followed by the
fathers death, brought that intention
to an end However. an uncle In New
York. wealthy merchant there.
the expense of his nephew's career
but -Aldrich was independent an5 pre-
ferred going into his uncle's counting
house and becoming self-supporting.
But though his boyhood and youth
had been unusually free from the in
telIectual precocity and studiousness
which SO often characterize a poets
earlier years, he had scarcely entered
upon his training for mercantile life
before he began to write poems and to
long for the literary life. When he
was but 10 he had published his first
volume of verse and by the time he
Babe Bell" which made his name a
household word throughout the length
and breadth of the land, determined
his path in life beyond all turning
back
Associate of Bayard Taylor.
He became one of the band of liter
ary New Workers of whom Bayard
Taylor. Stoddard and Stedman were
also noted members and for time he
was connected with n. P. Willis on the
editorial staff of the New York Home
Journal. In 1870 he was made editor
of Every Saturday, a weekly periodical
published in Boston that its promoters
hoped would become sort of American
to the famous London Sat
urday Review. But the establishment
of this periodical was premature and
in 1874 it was abandoned
In 1881, on the resignation of How
ellis. Aldrich, by this time an editor of
experience end well known in literature
as WELL was made editor of the Attain
tic. This position he held until 1890
since this latter date Mir. Aldrich held
himself free to devote his attention to
his own literary work entirely.
Mr.. AIdrich's life was a happy one
He was a man of fortune and OF taste
and his home in Mount Vernon street
Boston, was such as only fortunes and
taste could establish or maintain. But
his chief good fortune. after all, lay in
his genius. Nothing ever left his lit
erary studio that was not perfected
with consummate skill and cafe. AS a
poet in choice bits he was unsurpassed
short stories he was equally unsur-
passed. Marjorie Daw'' is one of the
most effective, the most artistically per-
feet short stories ever written. Two
Bites of a Cherry" is scarcely less eff
fective or less perfect. THE Queen of
sheba'' is the perfection of tale writing;
Prudence Palfrey' is worthy to be
ranked with it, though, of course, even
It can only be a second to The Queen