New-York tribune., 1911-03-04
FOR MEREDITH!ANS
Some Valuable Information from
the Novelist's Son.

Inc ScrlbnerS have recently carried
practically TO completion their beautiful
Memorial Edition" of the works Of
George Meredith. There remains but one
volume more to appear. the volume CIV
ing a complete photography. and. show
ing the various changes, alterations. dele
tions, etc, made by the author in the
different editions Of his writings. That
volume, like all the others in the set, is
to be regarded as definitive, and hence
Meredithans should be informed Of any
thing that might seem to question its
authority. We reprint. therefore, from
"The London Times" the letter I'm which
Mr.. w. NJ. Meredith, the son OF the
novelist, contradicts certain statements
which have been made on the subject
OF poems asserted TO be new. He has
looked carefully into the matter and
writes al follows:
Sir: Mr.. B. w. Matz has written and An
editor has boen found 10 publish an article
entitled Some Unknown Poems OF George
Meredith In this article Mr.. Matz de-
scrites how a pay ledger OF Household
Words in the early ffties came into his
hands, and how he was thereby able 10
make a list Of Mr.. George Merediths con-
tributiCns 10 that paper. and to discover
which of these had not been reprinted. lie
further proceeds 10 expires his opinion that
in view Of the fact that "a complete" biblio-
graphy Of ,he poet ard novelist is shortly
l" be published. II does not serve any pur-
rose to withhold the information any longer
The pay ledger 10 which Mr.. MatZ refers
merely gives I am informed. with one eX-
whom, or where sent. In Mr.. MatZ's article
he does not even give full description of
the entries in this pay ledger. He assumes
that a list Of % contributions. the titles
of which he gives, were written by my
ia ather
The one exception which | mention is de-
seri6ed Sc. as being by Meredith and W. H.
try goes on TO state that the amount OF
los 6d was handed 10 Horne. In the case
Of Another Way to Manufacture Glory"
sum of fi was handed TO w H. Wills. and
In the case Of another item. War" the
amount Of IL Is was paid TO Horne.
This Is no new discovery of Mr.. Mates
During my fathers lifetime Mr.. Matz
brought these poems and others 60 his
notice and was informed that with certain
exceptions the poems attributed to him 10y
Mr.. Matz on the authority OF the ledger
were not written by him. and that he would
spare no pains 10 contradict any statement
which should attribute them 10 him. This
duty now devolves upon myself, Mr.. Matt.
though he respected my fathers wishes in
the matter whilst he lived has now thought
fit 10 disregard those wishes and TO assume
the untruth of my fathers statement.
Mr. MatZ surely cannot be unaware that
in the year 1899 my father married Mrs
Nichols. lazy Of literary talent. who
had already contributed and continued 10
contribute both prose and poetry to the
magazines and periodicals of the day. Nh
Matz, II aware of that fact, seems 10 con-
clude that because payments were in some
cases on his list addressed 10 the home at
which husband and wife lived. the coutribu-
4 Ia nf fltat
II l. not TO be doubted that in the case of
certain II the contributions. when a has
band and vile were both writing poetry. the
influence Of one should be felt in the work
Of the other. There Is no cause for sur
prise If my father was allowed by his wife
10 suggest phrases. give turn to sen-
tonce and Other wise add 10 her work some
of his own style and phraseology although
iu most of the contributions ! see no phrase
or word which could even hint at my IA
theirs authorship.
OF the works on Mr.. Matz's list, "Sor-
rows and Joys and The TWO Blackbirds'
were hy my father. and were included in
the 1881 edition of my fathers poems.
Monmouth is the only other one written
hy my f9th y. and viii be- included in The
4 poem which II was bis Wish 20 have re-
printed.
! hope that tie insertion ~ this letter In
your columns. where II VIII have wide pub
licity, may be the cause Of saving both
time AMI money 20 ill equipped literary de-
teCtiveg Of the future Yours faithfully
". NJ MEREDITH
No. 20 Orange street, Leicester Square,
" c., Feb %