Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-27

With the murmurOuS undeTtone VI
leaves shaken by fitful breezes, or the
| monotonous pulse of the sea tapping
on the shingly beach below. 1t is
fortunately possible from the simple
and unsophisticated memoir written
by her nephew, Mr. Austen Leigh, to
gather fairly clear impression Of
Aunt Jane. The memoir has no pre-
tension to technical skill or artistic
proportion, but it is perhaps for that
very reason more .ifelike; the reader
should resolutely abstain from allow
ing the engraved portrait. prefixed to
the memoirs, to sink into the memory.
This painful presentment of Jane Aus
ten, bare armed, high wasted, seated
in what appears to be a kitchen chair,
of indeterminate age and an express
sion at once solemn and vacant, ought
not to be allowed to figure before the
| world as a likeness of Miss Austen;
it might be just serviceable in recall
ing to one who had known and cared
for her, the familiar and beloved fea-
lures, but to the ordinary reader it
, merely gives a sense of painful diSil-
| luSionment. The only characteristic
point about it is the large pleated mus
| lin cap. which we know from the
memoir was assumed by the authoress
at an early age, with a determination
| to court and anticipate, rather than
to defy and beguile. the approaches of
spinsterhood We must rather think
of her as tall and slender brunette,
hazel eyed and curly haired, with
quiet carriage and graceful move
mentS, with the delicate fingers that
traced so firm and shapely a sigma
ture, executed such minute needlework
and embroidery, or manipulated cup
and ball with such extraordinary deX-
terity. We can see her writing at her
little mahogany desk in the parlor, in
the midst of people coming and going,
talking and laughing; always ready
to be interrupted, and willing to join
in anything that might be suggested.
That is perhaps enc of the most amaz-
ing things about her books, that they
give on every page the sense of I'M
hurried leisure, deliberate handling.
unruffied elaboration, yet we know
that she never even had a room to
herself to write in. Nowadays a dis
tingushed authoress is jealousy
guarded and protected her privacy
secured, her hours of work respected;
but Jane Austen not only made no
such fences for herself, but took an
infinity of trouble that her occupation
should not be suspected. She wrote
on little sheets of paper which could
be slipped in a moment into a blot
ting book; she begged that the swing
door leading into the offices, which
creaked disagreeably, might not be
mended because it gave her warning
of the approach of an intruder
Some interesting facts about illus
trating the literary tastes of sailors
are to be gathered from recent statis-
tics on the subject compiled by the
American Seamen's Friend society
Fifty years ago this society COM
menced it's book campaign by equip
ping ten sailing vessels with libraries
The avidity with which the latter were
patroniZed led to a rapid increase in
the number of libraries sent out, until
now the total, since the year 1859,
comes TO 26,07S libraries. containing
| in all 620,S0S volumes, accessible to
445044 sailors. According to the re-
ports of the captains something like
nine out of ten of these sailors are
habitual users of these libraries, and
further compilation gives the fol-
lowing books as the favorites, in the
order named, with these nautical
bookwOrms: Stevensons Treasure Is
land, Dumas The Three Musketeers,
Stoddard's Cruising Among the Carl
bbees, Watson's Hurricane Island,
Weyman's Under the Red Robe, Wal
lace's The Prince of India.
William Elliott Grif1is, d. D.. L. H.
D., of Cornell University, who pre-
pared an extended edition for the
| Harpers of Motley's Dutch Neither
lands" and is a member of several
Netherlandish societies, in making
the journey to Holland upon which he
departed a fortnight ago, executes a
special mission. Prof. Grif1is will erect
| five historical tablets: At Utrecht
University, on behalf of Rutgers Col
lege; at Leyden, Nijkerk, Amsterdam,
and Leeuwarden. These memorials
will all commemorate the Dutch
recognition of American independence
That at Leyden will be to the memory