New-York tribune., 1910-08-21
Ole Neip;aork Gribatete.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 81, 1910.


Andrew Langs destructive paper on Mr. Eds-
cumbe's indictment of Mrs. Chaworth- -Musters,
in Byron: The Last Phase we expressed the
wish that he might write the dehnltlve study
Of the poet and his career which he is SO
peculiarly well qualified to produce. The sug-
geStion moves valued correspondent of this
journal to make communication of warm
approval. Let us have" says this sympa-
theic reader, "a plain practical, sensible book
about Byron, written by man who has lmagl-
nation enough to understand him. and the
rather energetic appeal continues as follows:
Scandalmongers have had their innings 100
long. Mrs. Stoves ill-omencd attack inspires
wonder that good woman could have lent her
SELF to the exploitation Of such nastness-and
when mark you, Lady Byron had nothing to
gain from spreading a scandal about the long
dead man of genius who had the misfortune to
ant than the matter of Mrs. Stoves compost
ton it is its manner. 1t has the obsequious tone
of one much TOO deeply impressed by the fact
that she had been received in intimacy by a
Person Of Title. Bah! It's a curious phase OF
the subject that all the later defenders Of Lady
Byron have succeeded only in making her seem
more and more unovely 1 remember that a
woman who had known her we'll all their lives
together once said to Harness, IF Lady Byron
has heart it is deeper seated and harder to
get at than anybody else's heart whom have
ever known" AS for her precious grandson,
memory, let US by all means have Mr. Lang's
solution of the problem of that fouling of the
mans own nest
We may not be quite so ferocious on the
subject of Byron is our correspondent, but
would assuredly rejoice to see a definitiye
biography of him by the accomplished scholar
and critic thus urged on to the task.
Turning again to the solemn consideration Of
the present state of literature in England THE
AthenHum' holds inquest upon the short
story. which form of art, it declares, "like
performance the violin, must be perfect to
be endurable" Admitting that "the English
writers of to-day who understand the short
story the French understand it may be
counted on the fingers of one hand" the critic
nevertheless seems to attribute the plethora of
uncomfortable stuff to the editors of the popular
magazines. They go in for strong names,'
they reject the subtle working out of one fine
situation neatly enough done, but too
slight; they pander to the current taste for
violence and, in short, they give themselves to
the printing of 1.-The Literature or rather the
Letterpress, of the Bounder' These oracular
diSquiSitionS that ''The Athenpum' has re-
Gently been printing have more than once
astonished US, but in this case the argument is
merely irritating. Is it not time to recognize
the fact that the lack Of perfect short Stories
like the lack of perfect poems, is due to moth
ing more nor less than the lack of genius? 1t
is silly to keep on ascribing the trouble to the
magazine editors.
Henry Holt & Co. state that the publ
cation of Mr.. De MOrgans new novel "An
Affair of Dishonor," has been postponed for a
short time. The date fixed for it's ap-
pearance is September 13. Apropos, we note
that the English "Bookman" is filled with Dor
traits Of the novelist and views Of places asso-
ciated with his career. In long article Mr..
A st. John Adcock makes a few additions to
the slender store of facts which we have re-
lating to his author he contradicts, by the
way. the story that Joseph Vance went the
rounds of the London publishing houses before
it was accepted, saying:
The fact is that when the MS returned from
the first publisher to whom it was offered it
was put away IN drawer until accident led to
fits being shown to another publisher, who read
and taken with the story that, though
he did not sec his way to the heavy undertaking
of publishing novel of that unusual length, he
carried it off and submitted it to Mr. Heine-
book remaina, it is interesting to know that in
before it went 10 press Mr.. De Morgan curtailed
it. cutting away some of Losse's letters near
the begierins and removing quite considera-
bic incident, an account Of another love affair
Of LosSie's sister.
Speaking Of Joseph Vance," We are told
II