The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-09
From the Springfield Republican.

From the Springfield Republican.
 KN ANY of the readers of Stanley J.. t(Vt Weyman will no doubt hear | with regret of his published de- cision to retire permanently from the practice of his profession. closing an in- dustrious and honorable literary life with his lately published novel "The Wild Geese" His statement of the reasons that have led him to this step is dignified and creditable. He is not dependent upon his earnings from his books and he pre- fers to retire before he feels that he has outworn his welcome. No doubt he could continue indefinitely as he is but 54 years old and not an invalid, to manufacture books and his name as a trademark is still a valuable asset. But he feels that he has told all the stories he has to tell, that the creative impulse Is exhausted and that further bookmalsing would be simply thrifty using up of the scraps.
 If he is right in his estimate of re- sources he Is right, of course, in standing aside to give younger men a chance. There Is something pitiful about a medi- ocre book written without pleasure un- der the stress of need MT. Weyman is fortunate in being able to stop when he pleases But 1t Is quite possible that he may have underestimated the recupera tive powers of the mind and that few years of likeness or of changed employ ment will gradually accumulate material which will once more inspire desire to write In that event we may be sure, no one would manifest the slightest dis position to hold him to his great re- nunciation. A formal retirement from ones profession does not carry the op- ligations of formal statement, for in stance, that one will not again stand for office. It will be quite sufficient excuse that he has found himself no longer bankrupt that he has found a fresh stock in trade with which to open the old shop. But even supposing MT. wey- mans career to close with his meri torius new romance his achieved work is perhaps as much as should be ex pected- from one man.
 Like many another Englishman of let ters Stanley John Weyman began with the law. His father was a solicitor; he himself was educated at Shrewsbury and at Christ church, Oxford, and became barrister, practicing for nearly 10 years before he found his true vocation in ift- erature. He was 35 when his modest his- torical novel; "The House of the Wolf" drew prompt attention and he was nearly 40 when "A Gentleman of France not only became best seler' but made him the foremost historical novelist of the day. After discovering his bent he worked steadily but not hastily; the list of his books in the IS years he has been pub fishing amounts to r tit1es and among them are such well known novels as Under the Rei Robe My I4dy Rotha,' The Red Cockade," "Shrews- bury "The Castle Inn" ..sopn.a," Count Hannibal" "The Long Night" and ''The Abbess of ylaye." HIS new DOCK. The Wild Geese is a worthy addition to the list. In recent years he has more and more turned to English subjects and more recent times though never dessrung the field of historical fiction, in which he had won so prompt-and consp:cuous a success. He gave, in fact, new lire to 3 kind of fiction which had been lam gushing and while isolated historlcai novels far beyond his powers had been written by Dickens, Thackeray. George Eliot, Charles Reade and others, he was the natural successor, in smaII way, of Sir Walter Scott andtreally created lir- tie school of historical fiction though :is imitators caught chiefly his mannernms. He is more responsible than any otner