New-York tribune., 1910-04-23
MARION CRAWFORD
Some Charming Recollections of
Him by His Sister.


moir Of Marion Crawford. Man of books
: as he was, the life he led also brimmed
over with experiences not merely book
/ ish. and a narrative Of mis- career. if not
quite as romantic as one OF his own
stories. would nevertheless prove as ab-
| sorbing in its way as the latter. II
would be good to hear that he had left
a volume of "reminiscences. In the mean
| time his sister, Mrs. Mary Crawford
| Fraser. gives US I'm the current number
Of Golfers Weekly foretaste Of what
we might expect i'm his biography. She
| tells Of his youth and his Italian days.
something OF his adventures and some
thing OF his character, and conveys al
tSgether a delightful Impression of a
brilliant individuality.
He appears to have been an erratic
student. now industrious and now care
less Of his books but il is plain that the
instinct OF the novelist was working in
him even before ne knew II. the in
stinct Of the man sensitive to all the ro-
mantle suggestions Of Ife. His sister
SAYS that before he went To Cambridge
sex, the county from which he was ulti-
mately TO draw the material for The
Tale Of Lonely Parish and afterward
he once said TO her: England is the
most romantic country i'm the world.
Anything could happen I'm these lonely
old country houses. lost in a dip Of the
moors. miles away from the beaten
z@F MI 1f-ll
Englishmen surround themselves makes
them absolutely independent within their
own domain. No Eastern deEpot has
finer opportunities for autocracy than
the ordinary English squire" That Is
a very swfordesqEe saying. and very
like him il was. too. to learn during his
stay in Essex the art OF bell ringing.
The humorous and even sportive mood
in which he faced the world at this time
comes out in the following note on his
year at the university:
At Cambridge he cid not earn the repu-
tation OF an ardent student but he enjoyed
himself immensely. That term immense
was one which was constantly being ap-
piled TO him by his compeeTs, and at last
he thought he might as well show people
what IT meant. He hunted round for the
biggest trottinE horse he cOuldl finc mad
towering dog cart built, dressed himself IN
checks a foot square and OF outrageous
colors. and, thus equipped. paraded the
dignihed university town, to the scandal OF
the authorities and the delight OF his tel
lows He had clock. a French gincrack
exactly initiating q watch. and, having IN
Structed his tailor TO make a pocket large
enough 10 hold it, he attached u to big
dog chain. the links Of which dangled os-
tentatiously across his waistcoat ono day
in- the train facetious stranger, Eiancins
q, this ornament, asked him the tline.
nn watch
inches thick and as big around as musk
melon. the Joker blanched. He thought he
was shut IN with z maniac ard rushed
from the carriage at the next stop.
There are other droll stories Of his
English period. One relates TO a tragi-
comic incident on the platform of rail-
way station. A drunken rustic suddenly
attacked him and broke his nose. ON
another occasion he sought to aid the
owner of refractory pig by striking
the beast on the head with his walking
stick. The pig promptly turned over and
died But while Mrs. Fraser amuses us
with items Of this sort. and with her ac-
count of Crawford as a mighty swim
rner and a daring yachtsman, the best
part of her essay is that I'm which she
describes the sudden adjustment Of all
his faculties 10 serious work. the unex-
pected success Of Mr.. Isaacs" and the
tremendous energy with which he pres
entity gave himself TO letters. OF the
care with which he prepared his books
and Of his linguistic achievements she
writes as follows:
He WAS so scrupulous that he would NOT
= rite 2 bout any subject Of which he had
not pers snaily and pTa' ttCslly mastered the
details A Roman Singer was the out
musical life of Rome. for Marietta, \
Maid Of Venice" he went into every
process Of Venetian glsss"oLk on ne sPo.'
he WAS his own architect; he snd his fore
man builder fvVho could not read or write,
vst directed end paid a great gang or work
men and never made mistake In his en-
tIrelv mental acrountss planned and car
ried out the tower. the magnihcent sea
val. the spacious. harmonious courts ana
buildings Of the Sorrento Villa with sucn
perfection that no trained architect has
fault tn find With ~, and such ACCURACY
that each brick end stone vas counted
beforehand end the tally needed no cor
recting when the work YES done
Tor "Marzios Cruelty Marion became
silversmith. making his own designs snd
leatjns them out in the metal in lovely
classic forms Nv mother had silver
howl a. memory Of the hook. nymphs
danced round is sirth, and me WORKMAN
ship Wss delicste srd vigorous as II exc
ci-ted hv q long trained. hand. To write
The witch of Prague he went and lived
.r that CITY and learned Bohemian II Wa
the seventeenth language he had acquired.
Z 10 not know how many were added 20
the list aftervard. Ssv and Scandinavian.
Persian end Ara bic. Latin and Teutonic
rongUes-he possessed them all. and re
HlC mbeT MS telling me gr3Fely that anN
one ought 10 he afle 10 learn q new Ian
epuRe in siS weeks For him each fresh
achievements was play. seer. one Of the
reai "liluminati." once said 10 him: You
would have been successful in any other
career Won had chosen to undertake
Everything. saws Mrs. Fraser. was her
hrotber's -"success. honor. the affection
ate compsnionship Of 2 devoted wife.
phe read every line he wrote with the
keenest interest and true literary scu-
men: brave sons and beautiful dsugh-
ters. who worshipped their father"
There IS not reader of his ronances
WHO does not rejoice that his reward was
so fun and rich