Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-11-30

One of the eagerly awaited books of the
present monday season is new volume
with the inviting title. "By the Christmas
Fire" Houghton Mifflin Coz containing
the latest essays by DR.. Samuel M. Croth,
ers who has been called "the oliver Wen-
dell Holmes of the present day" and the
greatest essayist since Charles Lamb"
DR.. Crothers was born June Z. 1857 at Os-
wego. ILL.,. and received his early school,
ing in Springfield Ohio. He graduated
from Princeton College in 1874 and then
studied theology at Union Theological
Seminary. New York City His first pas
torate was at Eureka, Nevada, and then
at Santa Barbara, Cal. where he was mar
RED in 1882 After a few years at Brattle-
boro, VT, and st. Paul, Mimi, he became
pastor of The First Parish church, Cam
bridge. Mass, where he has been since
1874. HE has also been for some wears
preacher to Harvard University. One of
his first books was holiday juvenile.
called Miss Muffet's Christmas Party"
which has gone through five editions
since its publication in 1902 In 1903 The
Gentle Reader" his first volume of es-
says appeared and Immediately establish
ed his reputation as an essayist, one ed-
ton after another being called for. His
second volume of essays, THE Pardoner's
Wallet" came out in 1905. In this same
year he published his Harvard Tneersoll
Lecture, ''rhe Endless Life" In spite of
the title Of his present book, most OF his
writing is done at his summer camp at
Silver Lake. N. H. Situated on high
hill, this camp commands an inspiring
view of the Ossipee and Chocorua Ranges
and there this modern successor CT Lamb
and Holmes sits and writes his genial
discursive essays in. the intervals between
his tranlps along the country roads and
over the hills. DR.. Crothers, received the
degree of Doctor of Divinity from Har-
ward University in 1904. by the Christ
mas Fire" will be published on Nov IS.
George Wharton James familiar as the
author of "In and Out of the Old Mis-
sions." In and Around the Grand Can
yon.' etc, for many years has been col
lecting material for his book on Ram
ona's Country" He has met all of the
| persons now living who furnished Helen
Hunt Jackson with material for her fam
Gus story Ramona" He gives an in
teresting account of several of his inter
| views with Sam Temple, the man whom
| Mrs. Jackson described as Jim Farrar
| the murderer of the Indian Alessandro
| Temple has never shown any regret foi
his crime, and rather prides himself upon
| the notoriety that the book Ramona
| has brought him. Indeed, he thought il
would be Il good scheme to go to the
| Chicago Fair and the st. Louis Exposi
| s-..
of the book character. He suggested thai
| Mr.. James manage and finance him
and was decidedly taken aback when the
latter said he would rather raise money
| to have him tried and hung for his con
temptihle deed. Mr.. Wharton has scores
| Of interesting anecdotes, and reveals un
suspected facts regarding the true an(
| fictitious features of Mrs. Jackson.
story. "Tbrough Ramona's Country vii
be published this month by Little, Brown
& Company who are also the publishers o
| Mrs. Jackson's works.
Miss Mary Cholmondeley, the novelist
| has some interesting revelations concern
| ing her craft in the October number O
| the Pail Mall Magazine: II have" sh'
says. "been writing books for five-and
| twenty years. novels of which I believe
| myself to be the author, in spite of thu
| fact that T have been assured over ant
| over again that they are not my owl
work When have on several occasions
| ventured to claim them, 1 have seldom
| been believed, which seems the more odf
as when others have claimed them they
| have been believed once. Before 1 pu
| my name to them they were lnvarabl,
considered to be and reviewed as the worl
| of a man; and for years after ] put ny
name on them various men have been men
toned to me as the real author once
| "when Young and shy" an elderly maj
| at a London dinner party discussed on
| of her earlier hooks with such apprecla
ton that she told him she had written 1t
The reply was, 81 know that to he un
tr,e and the conversation was turnc'
to other subjects.
| After the publication of "Red PottaSe.
a storm burst respecting one of the char
acters-Mr. Gresley-which even now MIS-
Cholmondeley has not forgotten. "Th
personal note was struck with viGor' pu
this time by the clerial arm. l was de
nounced by name from London pnipi'
A church newspaper which shall he name
less. suggested that my portrait OF MI
Gresley was merely a piece of spite on m
part. as / had probably been jilted by
clergyman. I will not pretend that Tn
turmoil gave me unmixed pain II II ma
should have been without literary van
itv Rut when witty bishop wrote t.
mo that he enioined on his clergy tn
studv Of Mr.. Gresley as a Lenten pen
ance. it was not possible for me to re
main nermanertly depressed The char
acter was, in fact, the outcome or loh'
close observation of large nu''oer"