The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-22
DENIES POVERTY
PRODUCES GENIUS
Lord Curzon Disputes AS
sertion by Lord Roseberry
LITERARY GOSSIP
Ex-Viceroy of India Believes That
Authors Do Best Work When
Secure Against Want-Curi-
Gus History of Fund
ny HAYDEN CHURCH.

London. June H.-(Special) )-Something
like 125 years ago, when George Ill was
on the throne, and the American nation
was still in swaddling clothes, worthy
old gentleman who had been a fellow of
his college, a barrister of Lincoln's Inn
and rector of a Giving in Surrey, died
on the poor side of the debtors prison
in London. His name was Floyer Syden-
ham, and he came to his pitiful end
through giving himself up to what Lord
Morley has called the most seductive
the most deceiving and the most dan
gerous of all professons'-that of au-
thor. 1t was his odd fancy that what
England needed from his was really
scholarly translation of Plato, and so
he gave up his regular vocation, and
translated the philosophers writings into
four quarto volumes. As these volumes
failed to find purchasers, poor old Syden-
ham, in present day language, went
broke" a cook shops keeper had him ar
rested for debt, and there not beng then,
as now, a fund for the assistance OF
distressed geniuses, he remained In the
debtors prison for four years or up 10
the day of his DEATH
l could not help thinking of him a
few nights ago, as | say, by rare iaVor'
rubbing elbows with the literary elect,
at the Savoy hotel at the one hundred
and twenty-third dinner of the royal lit
erary fund.- for it was all through the
misfortunes of Floyer Sydenham that this
fund, which has saved many a hungry
author from sharing his fate, originally
came into being.
Was Brilliant Gathering
This gathering at the Savoy was truly
a brilliant one, the chair being taken by
Lord Curzon the ex-viceroy of India, ana
the speakers including Viscount Monkey,
the distinguished author of THE Life
of Gladstone" best known i'll the world
of letters as plain John" One duchess.
two earls and half a dozen plain lords
and ladies' likewise graced the gathering
which was under the patronage of the
king himself, but these We're less inter-
esting than rsthe giants or the literary
world present who included Austin Dob
son, Mrs. Humphrey Ward, Anthony
Hope Edmund Goose, owen Seaman, the
editor of "Junch'; Clement Shorter, Max
Pemberton, and last but far. far from
least, Miss Marie Corelli who has just
been suing a daring British actor for, as
she alleges, making aplay of her novel,
temporal Power" without with youf
leave" or "by your leave
The purpose of the annual dinner OF
the royal literary fund, at which Henry
James spoke last year, is to raise money
for the fund. and Lord Curzon was able
to announce that the sum realized this
year by as he put it. Outrageous and
unashamed begging" was s15,250 including
a subscription from the King of 80
guineas or bit over $3.50. The purpose
of the fund, as expressed by the chair
man. Is ito put our ordinary literary
men and women in position where they
can earn a good livelihood with their
brains"
1T publishes no list of its benevolence,
continued Lord Curzon, the reference be-
ing obviously to the so-called civil list,
which does 1T prints no list of names
and offends no mans senstiveness. 1t
works in secrecy but it also works with
swiftness.
Some Genuises Require no Help
Some geniuses," declared Lord Curzon
require no help. Some geniuses spurn
help. Others prefer the gutter from
which no force, human or divine, can lift
them But outside the magic and ire
spcnsib1e circle of geniuses there are a
,1,o,. Of a ble writer's who