New-York tribune., 1912-03-02
"REMINISCENCES
Forty Years Of Journalism and
Literature.
MANY CELEBRITIES. AND a FEW
OTHERS. A Bundle OF Reniniscencess'
Nv William II. Rideing. illustrated
Syo. DID. 335. Doubleday, Page q 20.

MANY CELEBRl lies 80 go t,.I.ooncas
OTHERS A Bundle OF Reminiscehces'
Nv William II. Rideing. Illustrated
Syo. DID. 335 Doubleday. Page q 90.
Mr. Rideing has a wealth OF material
to-draw upon for his "reminiscences.
Born in Liverpool in the middle OF the
last century, ne came TO this country
when quite a young man, engaging in
Journalism in Newark first, then on the
staffs of THE Boston Journal and The
Springfield Republican," and ultimately
progressing to New York. where ne
served successfully on THE Times" and
The Tribune in the days OF the Tweed
ring. He Is the author OF many BOOKS
for old and young-books Of travel and
fiction and of literary "reminiscences
was associated with THE North Ameri-
can Review" in the days Of Allan Thorn
dixie Rice and Lloyd Bryce, the days OF
the controversies between Ingersoll and
Gladstone and other sensational features,
edited for while a London periodical,
and has been associate editor" of 1.-THE
Youths Companion" since 1881.
His first desire was for the sea; then
the stage lured him for a while in his
boyhood days at home. but the claim of
literature was strongest on him Of all,
Dickens:
He possessed us. The reighbors ceased
TO be called by their own names and were
nicknamed after his characters. The doc
tors assistant became Bob Sawyer and the
boots at the Derby Arms Sam Weller
The nurse In our own family was never
spoken OF except as Tilly Slowboy, ana
who could the ancient mariner In the SHOP
where you could buy blocks. tackle and
every part in miniature or hun and rigging
for the model ships we built-who could ne
be but Cap'n Cutie? Lady Dedlock, Boun-
derby Gradgrind, Oliver Twist they
all passed our door. and some of them were
intimates. Mr. Micawber was protean ana
multiple Nearly all light literature
had a Dickens flavor as long as Dickens
was in his ascendancy. Never had any
other writer so many ieitators, nor
flavor so easily counterfeited.
Mr.. Rideing omits to add. what Justin
Mccarthy told us long ago. that Dick
ens's influence was seen almost as
strongly in the English journalism OF his
day. young reporters making his de-
scriptive methods their model.
These pages TEEN with great names,
American and English; with bits of
description and characterization and
anecdotes Of the giants OF New YORK
Journalism of an earlier day, great
figures in our literature like Holmes
and Aldrich, Twain and Stedman,
Stanley and the vain Paul du Chaillu,
and Of Englishmen like Hardy, Charles
Reade, wilkie Collins, Mrs. Oliphant.
James Payn, Walter Besant. Lord
Wolseley, Lady Jeune. "Toby, NJ. p"
Blackmore, Gladstone and many others.
Some Of them are dealt with briefly In
paragraph or two; others have whole
chapters to themselves. There are remi-
niscences also Of the stage-Mr. Rideing
wrote a play once, and tells It's strange
adventures-and Of the intellectual So
ciety Of Victorian London. Literary
Boston he deals with in the past tense
chapter closed, perhaps never TO be re-
opened. He is always entertaining,
never holds the note overlong, and occa-
sionally gives us a neat bit of portrait
ure, as in the case Of the late Edgar
Fawcett. admirable poet and indifferent
novelist. II is the man as he really was
ITO all who knew him. with his amazing
hypersensitiveness TO all criticism. how
ever insignificant it's source.
II is. indeed, when he comes to speak
Of the forgotten WORTHLESS of thirty years
sgo that Mr.. Rideing is at his hest He
sighs . little. and asks who under mid
die age has ever heard Of Fswcett or
Of so many others who had their day ~
popularity and passed on. There were