The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-11

indebted for the mystical atmosphere that surrounds his works to both his character and his environment.
 Poe did not find Ghostiand itself . better artistic Background than salem and concorj.
 Hawtherne's aversion to society, his delight at delylng into out-of-the-way places. have brought down upon him the adjectives gloomy" melancholy" 1" Gloomy, lndeedl To a careful read. er he is the sunniest of mon. Could Eloomy man have written that de- scription of Hepzibah's little breakfast feast for her exiled brother on his re- turn? Could . melancholy person have extorted such poetic phrases the cd breakfast table? The shining dam ask. the china. the boiled fish with its vapor rising like an incense. Pherbis, skiilfully prepared. Indian cakes so beautifully yellow they might nave been touched by Midas--all are taken note of by man who enjoyed the sim . plcst pleasures, was possessed by me best of yirtues--contentment. .
 Some critics have lamented that Hawthorne, so equipped with strength and weapons of Q genius. lacked the historic backEround which q great TO- mancer should enjoy. They have ac- tua1iy apologized for the poverty of the materfals which he was forced to use. On the contrary, 1t seems that he found at hand scenes possessing remarkeote capabilities for literary treatment; strour and forceful characters never before portrayed. f.
 A genius in point of fact takes his background where he finds it.
 While acting In the capacity of Con- sui to Liverpool Hawthorne produced no romance. but his note books writ ten at this time are very charming They gre so chatty and confidentiei fhat the reader feels he Is being ad- mitted into an intimacy with him and they endear the writer in a way no biography could do.
 He tells of his meeting with many ceiebrities--Mrs. Browning and Ma cauiay, among others. He tells or ms visits to famous buildings of London and other points of interest ana wsn that some os these historic places fail to thrill and overawe him as he had
 rhe rrandour of Westminster, espe- ciaIiv the beautiful windows. Ill him with an inexpressible admiration, put the architecture of the houses or Far iiament he finds monstrous--ahd tne British Museum depresses nm ss he ho'i- is ing has ever done before, ana no ls wlaa to leave 1t all to mix with the crowds In the thoroughfares.
 Among the few personal remihs- cences of fimseif. Hawthorne relates in his "English Note Book iittie story of his Introduction to an Eng nsn- man who grasped his hand wltn muvn ,..,n warmth and beamed upon him httle condescendingiy, perhaps, as ne pressed his pleasure at meeting tne man who had written that deiignthui novel. "rhe Red Letter A."
 whether really true or not, this is one of the many instances of his un- usuai modesty for at this time ooth in England and America he vas " coenized as a writer of prominence, ana .The Scarlet Letter. was popular on both sides os the water.
 Today he has no peer Tn AmerISAi letters ana as time rolls on he IS gain ing ao envia3le position with the mas ters of other lands. oS
 with the writer of The House ct the Seven Cables" and The scarlet Letter" whose beauty of style was not h, ostentatious ornament of woru or phrase but the identity of ms thought. we would rest our claim 10 ar immortal place in literature.
 Mary Mewbren Fisk. N Bainbridgo street. Montgomery
 Aia.
 Ionian club.