The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-12
FIRST SUGGESTED
WESTMINSTER
Murray Originated Idea OF
HonOring Washington
THE LITERARY GOSSIP
Inkless Letter of DIR. Livingstone,
Written in Center of African
Jungles, 20 Be Exhibited at
Comm celebration
THE LITERARY GOSSIP

London, January .-(speciaf)-"Davidl
Christie Murray, the novelist, and not
Earl Grey was the originator of this
proposition to erect a monument TO
George Washington In Westminster abb |
bey," said a veteran London newspaper
man to the writer yesterday He ad-
vocated It as long as 20 years ago In
London morning newspaper of which he
was then editor, but which, like the nov
elist himself, is now no more, but at
that time he could get no influential
support.
Murray, of course. was the author Of
The Weaker Vessel, and "A Dangerous
Catspaw." my acquaintance went on,
land he was a keen admrer of every
thing American. George Washington was
his favoIite hero and as an editor he
tried hard to work up enthusiasm. over
his idea of q statue or other memorial
to Washington in the national Valhalla,
but evidently the time was not ripe for
it. Among those Murray saw, by the
way, In connection with the memorial.
was the late Col. John Hay. who then
was American ambassador to this coun-
try, and Mr.. Hay gave the idea his
private and personal benediction though,
of course, he couldn't identify himself
with 1t officially"
Certain it is that Anglo-American re-
lations are a lot friendlier than they
were even few years back, but one
looks again to make sure he has read
Alright when so consistently anti-Amer-
lean journal as the "St. James Ca
81 od a tsExaniup ia IL
ard''-goes out of it's way to pay a trib-
ute to Washington. The STANDARD goes
even farther, for it takes exception to
Earl Grey's declaration that the Father
of His Country should be admitted to
the abbey, mot in memory of his part
!, in rebellion, but as a testimony to his
splendid qualities
"Washington's splendid qualities says
the Standard "do not need commemo-
ration much as the purpose to which
they were put. We should like to see
on the monument tribute to his part in
the rebellion. 1t is that with which his
name will always be allied; it Is that
also from which British people can learn
most and do themselves most good. The
American rebellion is now approved by
most Englishmen. There are no DR..
Johnsons left among us to regard it as
a heinous example of the child assault
ing the father. We recognize that the
Americans were the only people who
came out of that little affair with honor
and dignity. There would be no special
magnanimty in confessing as much on
Washington's monument. Let it give him
his due; he a nobel rebel.
LivingstOne's Letter Z
One day in the spring of 1870. when
he was wandering in the African jun
gle, Dr. David Livingstone, the famous
explorer sat down and wrote letter to
friend in England. Having no ink,
nor yet pencil, he made colored liquid
from the juice of plants and used that
a writing fluid, and being possessed
of paper except an old copy of u
London daily journal he wrote his letter
thereupon. The friend to whom the letter
was addressed was the late John Muir
ray, whose father was Byron's publisher.
and whose son and namesake keeps up
the traditions of the famous house of
which he is now the head. The latter
now prizes Livingstone's "inkless letter.
as one of the chief items of a collection
of mementoes of the explorer which he
has formed but he is going TO allow Il
to be exhibited in connection with the
coming celebration of the great mission
ary's centenary.
The fragment of newspaper on which
Livingstones letter was written is from
a the London Standard of November "a
1869, and oddly enough the subject mat
ter of this is an account of Livingstone's
work in Africa, which begins as fol-
lows:
Away from friends. away from fam
ily he keeps along his course untired
and undsmayed For, tramping perpet-
ually, bivouacking anywhere, he knows
that the people at home following
him with good wishes; that his comrades
in science are listening, as it were, for
his every football on those remote and
solitary sands. and that, physically
speaking the light of the world is bright
ening as he carries forward the torch"
Over these printed words, Livingstone
traced his letter in the lonely jungle
after having read the appreciation from
tile heart of civilization of his great
work. The letter is written in bold
hand and is descriptive of the wild saw
age part if the country in which Living
stone was travelling alone, but content
ed, at that time. "The vallays into which
the water is led" he says In the opening
sentence, ARE covered with a thick sward
of wry, damp-loving grass and other
aquatic plants up to the verge of the
forest" Unfortunately, the first sentence
is practically the only one on either
side of the fragment which can be read
with little difficulty, and much is i'm
possible to read with the naked eye.
Rested on Christmas
There is rather an interesting bit of
secret history behind the Unanimous"
framing from publication yesterday
Christmas day. This is a thing which
the proprietors of the majority of the
journals of the metropolis have been try
ing to bring about for several years. but
& previously two important newspapers,
namely, the Times and the Daily Tel
egraph refused to agree. This year, It
was decided by all the other newspapers
to refrain from publication and let the
Times and Telegraph do as they saw At,
when the recalcitrant journals suddenly
got an ultimatum from the newsdealers
of the metropolis that they could pub
lish on Christmas day not as they
pleased, but that If they did publish they |
could sell their papers themselves. This
brought the Times and Telegraph into |
line and so for the first time within
living memory London found itself news
paperless on Christmas morning. An ac- |
quaintance in the newspaper business In |
London tells me that this is merely the |
thin end of the wedge the probable next /
move being to cease publication on Good |
FRIDAYS and, later. on bank holidays |
z when the sales of newspapers in the me-
tropoIis do not cover the cost of printing |