New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-29

ITANOJ HOUSES AND LITERARY
SHEINES or LONDON N' T. s.
John Adcock. With q illustrations Ht
Frederick AdcocN and 10 portraits. >'".
! ~. Ky. :j6 i. l. button * Go.
NJ hdcock's book has charm AMI
atmosphere \ lover ~ London, he
undertakes To- prove how, In English
letters. as in affairs ~ empire. IN"
giant city has been from tho frst and
/ still continues 10 10 the nation true
1 and unriyalled capital. linking ITS nam"
with those Of it's greatest artists IN
| the long succession from Chaucc-,
/ Spcnscr and Shakespeare 10 Dickens,
| Thackcray and Browning. u IS. i'm
J decd. a history Of English Itcratur,
/ that tho houses and localities he visits
unfold before tho eye. ana u is surpris
! ing 10 find how many OF them are stu
! standing a. tic, wcre BOO thu DAYS
when thoso mon gave grace 20 places
I Where they have disappeared he re
! constructs as best he can the building
and its setting. but IN the main II T.
only the surviving habiiations with
which he deals. Park Lane does not
/ dctain him long. The only man OF To-
/ ters who ever rented mansion there.
/ M dryly points out. was Disracl arI
! he went there. not 30 his quality as
novelist. but as successful politician.
/ Throughout, the buildings themselves
! once pointed out. serve but as points
/ Of departure for most readable bio
! graphical, literary and artistic talk.
Mr. Adcock has read widely and gives
| life to what ne has drawn from his
reading. Tho great mon are all here,
| the Elizabcthans Milton. Popc. Con
grove. Fielding. Sheridan. Johnson.
Goldsmith Garrick. Constable. Rom
ncy. Hogarth. Byron. Keats. shelley,
Lamb. Carlyle. but it is when he
reaches the lesser lights that ~ is
often at his best.
His most curious discovery. for that
IL may he called. IS Thomas Day. the
author OF SANFORD and Merton" \
pioneer Of the simple life. Day was de
termined 10 find a woman who shared
his tastes. one. moreover. who should
be fond Of literat urc and moral philOso-
ply. simple AS a mountain girl in
/ dress, diet and manners. and fearless
as the Spartan wives and Roman hero
ines" When he failed TO find her-he
was attractive in neither looks. dress
nor manner-he adopted two orphan
girls, with the purpose Of educating
them according TO his views ana
marrying the one that took to them
most readily. He pledged himself .
apprentice the other 10 a suitable
trade. The trouble with this plan was
that the girl he selected for his wife
refused to marry him. No wonder.
when one considers the methods ho
employed for mplanting in her min
the virtues OF ARIA. Portia and Cor
nelia:
When he dropped melting sealing wax
on her arms she did not endure il hero
ically; nor when he fred pistols at her
pctticOats which she believed 10 be
| charged with balls could She help start
| ing aside or suppress her screams She
, was not fond of science. and was unable
10 keep secret satisfactorily.
She married somebody else. So did
| Day. who, with all his peculiarities.
was the most virtuous human being"
Edgeworth had ever known The lady
who ultimately became his wife was
possessed Of large fortune but she
consented to dispense with all mxurics.
TO cut herself off from social gayeties
and reside in the country with him.
restricted in every way To the bare
neccssaries Of existence, working and
expanding her income in the service of
the poor. Incredible as it may sound,
| they lived happily ever afterward.
The chapter on young De Quincy
| starving in Soho is one OF the best IN
the book. The author draws attention
to the curious surface resemblance be-
tween his adventure with the little
slavey in MIR. Brunell Browns house
and the episode Of Dick Swivellcr and
] the Warehouses.