New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-20
LITERARY BRUISERS
Andrew Lang on Some Pugna
ciOus Authors.

From The London Morning Post
THE bruisers OF England. how they are
fallen" said the Quaker lady to George
Borrow. or words TO that effect. lho
literary bruisers OF England are aifnose
extinct: II we do now and then find pay
wrights and critics on hostile terms IL -
but a poor, feeble affair with the gloves;
Nobody is interested. Now, / am oiu
enough to remember some spirited raliieS
between Mr.. Herbert Spencer ana MS
critics: he had an encounter with PROBES
sor TAFT. There is report Of It In LIE
and Scientific Work OF P G.. TAFT. by
Mr.. c. g. Knott Cambridge University
Press) The cause of the quarrel Is not
Ineligible to a person unskilled IN tne
highest mathematics. but 1t is certain
that Mr. TAFT knew more about the mat
ter than Mr.. Spencer and knocked tha'
plucky lightweight out
| Then there was another set-to between
Mr.. Spencer and another authority on
another subject. This was settled agalils'
Mr.. Spencer by the science OF his OPP
ponent, who had the advantage Of know
| ing about his subject. with which MT.
s,pencer was less intimately acquainted.
The omniscient man seldom knows any
one thing correctly. Then there was an
affair of three rounds between Cardinal
Newman and Charles Kingsley. MI
Kingsley, as lyric poet and novel,s''
was the Cardinals master, but the o,s-
pute was in another field, ana MI;
kingsley did not come up to the call OF
| time. the "Apologia" went home WIN
paralvzing effect This at least was me
opinion OF the best judges, though Tor
one. | never could answer Mr. Kingsley
question. What then, does Cardllai
Newman mean?" Perhaps he was nov
then a Cardinal. My memory of an al.
| fair so remote IS rather vague but
the Cardinal. like Allan Breck, was
bonny fighter" There were many, many
other battles. though Mr.. Froude neEsl'
as far as I remember. hit back at MI;
Freeman Mr.. Freeman, though nun OIL
fight. did not know Mr.. Froudes PERIOD.
Uo did know n few things. There waS
no female saint named Ampulla or Am
pouIe. James I was not the flrst OF tne
Stuart kings" but moderate thlru'
there Is no mountain named Slr Al
thurs Seat" I'm the suburbs Of Edinpufgn;;
But though full Of fight Mr.. Freeman ora
not know tho places on which ne nisii.
| have hit Mr.. Froude with cruei eiiec.
and. as his victim did not strike pack'
The affair was fat and no glory was won.
Again. Mr.. Huxley's hat was often
thrown into the ring about Biblical criti-
cism and so forth; and Mr.. Gladstone ;
hat followed. and there was nVel!
though utterly unscientifc set-to:
French periodical briefly described the
| q fair as "a contest Of two amateurs, OH
! Gladstone and Professor Huxley pu'
scornfully refrained from giving detalis
Neither man was IN training so 10 spean
or. in more civilized language nei,hei
man knew his subject-diabolical pos
sassion Mr. Huxley was a very eager
conhatant. but | remember noting that
IN citing an authority familiar TO me, ne
casually left the little word mot out OF
| bIs citation. OF course, this omlssloh
made all the differencel
In these gentle and Joyous passages or
arms the combatants usually fought WIN
courteous arms: II was not so when
Mr. Swinburne collided with MT, Ropei,
buchanan about THE Fleshly Scnooi'
D. H. Great warrior was Mr.. Charles
| Reade. ,.,,-,o- euaI
They have all forsotten' OF summer
But the world shall end when forget. 3.
cu,n,ir ling in 1875. to he sure even |
nod { rgotten. or never knew. put
casual inquiry into events OF l'l3- a.
brought me acquainted with Mr. Reaoe
in his war paint
The occasion arose thus: Reade wrote
story "The Wandering Heir when
constituted the Christmas NUMBER OF
the Graphic in 1874, cost YOU a shiI-
ling" Two hundred thousand copies
were sold at home. In the states anu
tho colonies. and in pirated editions
three hundred thousand more were vend-
cd Excluding piracies some 4gDOOO shll-
Irgsworth were sold. I cannot do the
arithmetical sum- but there was money
I'm this by no means good novel hedue
combined the story Of the great mys-
ferrous heir Cor Arthur Orton) or the
| Anglesea title and estates, using inc
records OF the trial 0I43), with love
! interest about the claimants frst WIFE,
whom Reade took to our American plan
tations IN male costume This invented
part was improbable. but popular. He
ended with a summary Of the end OF
the trial. closing with the claimant :
temporary triumph in 1143.
| Reade had not read or chose not 10
use. Smolett's account OF the whole az
fair in "Peregrine Pickle The real
hero Of the struggle was the claimant 8
Scottish hacker. Smolletts friend. Mr.
Mackercher "a form or Farquharson).
Reade converted this hero, who had
fought al Sheriffmuir 0T1o) and Glen
! shieI d71aO. into an obscure Irish attor-
new. a man that said "Och, alanna,' and
Reade averred that the Earl of Anglesea
was the brother Of the Lord Altman Of
the day.
These amazing errors were not detect
| ed But as soon as the story appeared
letter was published IN the "AthenRum,
signed &C.. F." and another in the Press
and St. James's Chronicle. signed
"Crcillus" Both critics accused Reade
as plagisrist from some RHYMES. "A
| Modern Ladys Journal" by Dean Swift
In fact. Reade. looking about him for
local color" had borrowed scene and
even some fifty lines from Swift He
| might as well have said this In note,
his book owed nothing more 70 Swift.
! though his narrative except the Billy
Taylor heroine and love interest was.
like any historical novel. founded on
| facts given in printed books-and on
neglect of other contemporary state
ments If Reade a Bruser of the old
school, had been a man OF to-day he
would either have been silent or. IN a
few lines directed 10 the Editor OF the
"Athenaum." he would have pointed out
that he merely took his local color from
the only accessible source. He might add
that the chapter on second rate or fifth
rate Dublin society I'm 1924 was not
fair sample Of the whole book. But
Reade addressed a very long letter 10
Sir Charles Dixie. then a young man and
proprietor of the "Atheneum." Sir
Charles replied that he was amused and
had forwarded the letter 10 the editor
Reade answered: Young gentlemen
should endeavor not to he amused when
their lacqueys have thrown dirt on their
superiors." That was a heavy body
blow but Reade, in 1915. granted that
the question as between him and Sir
Charles was very debatable Indeed,
Il lacquey and the editor of a paper do
not occupy analogous positions. The
editor suppressed hut commented on
Reade's letter. not a satisfactory course.
Reade then published his letter i'm
"Once Week" He complained that
the letter writer I'm the "AthenRum"