New-York tribune., 1910-09-04
Gle NeanIotk Glib true
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1910.

The literary parsonage who was quoted as
saving the other day, with supreme contempt
Pooh. Nobody reads Scott now,' is probaDy
not alone in his Indifference TO the spell OF SIT
Walter 1t is the fashion among some or the
makers of fiction to profess inability to ad-
n,ire or even to tolerate the work of their more
eminent predecessors and, if we were to judge
of tha nresent status of Scots novels by this
PoIsna pnian attitude. might conclude that
the Wizard Of the North was truly, In the
phrase of Lively young literary frlenc, Il
back number But it appears that booksellers
still find the Wayerley novels salable IN
high degree and that readers not hopeiessy |
demoralized by the eXuberant 1nslstence OF the
modern detective story-which is welcome in
its way to be sure-Stll cling as Emerson
cl,lng to Scott We may not go so far as 10
say that Il liking for The Bride of Lammer-
moor or for The Taisman, or for Guy
Mannerins,'' is an infalble touchstone or
mans taste, but, Master Dogberry says. IL
will 90 near to be thought so. 1t is strangely
constituted mind that cannot respond to the
romance and the humor that work the wizard
magic 1t is pleasant to know that every year
on the morning of August 10 the statue or
Scott in Edinburgh looks down upon huge
birthday wreath of white heather placed at
lis feet bv the Sir Walter Scott Club Of that
city This is the custom of special day Dut
we are told that Edinburgh perpetually ceie-
brates the novelst's coming into the world, the
stream of pilgrims to the monument rarely
ceasing during the tourist period The Scott
statue in Glasgow is also lavishly decorated on
the birthday by the Scott Club of that city and
commemorative dinners given every year
by both clubs dinners at which distinguished
sneakers celebrate the enchantment which-fn|
spite of young literary friend-it Is noe
diScreditable to acknowledge.
In one Of the current novels, -The Window
at the White Cat" by Mrs Rinehart, the e4uca-
Gation of a mystery Of crime Is considerably
furthered by the efforts OF a clever newspapGI
reporter We like Mr. Burton, he is well ana
truthfuy drawn, and we like the remarks Of
the suppcstitious narrator on giving him his
confidence:
knew that was absolutely safe in doing So
there is no person to whom I would rather tell
a secret than a newspaper man. He will go outI
Of his way to keep it; he will lock 1t in theI
times seven Also you may threaten the rackl
offer larger salary. the seal does not come
off his lips until the word Is given. II then he
makes scare head Of it and gets in three
columns CT space and as many photographs. 1t
is his just reward
1t is refreshing to meet in a novel with hon
est appreciation like this Of one Of the sterling
facts Of journalism, for it is in pleasant con-
trast to the mixture Of patronage and isno-
rance Wllcn many WTlLeIS Ol AiOuiSc
when they have occasion to refer to the news
paper man. But we are interested, too, in Mrs.
Rinehart's reporter type which seems to
he growing positively indispensable to stories
of crime and its detection. 1t is nowadays
poor tale Of mystery whose characters fail to
include shrewd newspaper man, generously
helpful upon the trail when he is not actually
the principal figure in the working out Of the
puzzle
There is an odd illustration of the injustice
often done to a man Of genius by the casual
strangers point of view" in the just pub
Ished volume Of the Duchesse de Dinos
memoirs. Balzac was brought to call upon her
by a country neighbor and, as it was a stormy
day. she felt obliged to ask him to dinner. She
found him entirely unattractive, very dull his
face and bearing seemed to her vulgar and she
ina gined that his ideas were equally SO. lie
related Il thousand incidents about himself,
she declares, and of these she believed none.
What the great realist chiefly did during the
visit was characteristic of the student of life
and manners ''IIe watched and examined all