New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
Women-Writers
LADY sYsll GRANT-MRS ANpR JOHNSTON
MRS. JANET ROSS.
Copyright. 1913. by C. W. sman,yo
London. January 30

! Nd'lioH NIlCn ! nave ncgIecteu 10 take,
3 want Of forcthought which makes me
start special disadvantage.
So says Lady Sybil Grant in her
! clever Preface to the clever book on
/ titled "Samphire" and dedicated to her
father. whose identity not everybody
( can be expected to discern through the
interlaCed initials \. x. Lady Sybil
Grant, formerly Lady Sybil Primrose.
is the elder daughter OF Lord Rosebery.
Hers is therefore an Inherited tendency
10 literature. For the last two or three
years she mas been contributing TO
various periodicals short essays on oc-
casional subjects. The latest Of these
she has collected into a volume. Many
! American readers must have made her
acquaintance through "Chcqucrboard.
| rcpublshed last year in New York: like
the present. plainly earmarked Prim-
rose; Lord Rosebery's family name.
NO woman" said Lord Melbourne
To Queen Victoria then at nineteen
years Of age busily writing her Diary.
should touch pen and ink" lie said,
still to the queen. that they had too
much passion and too little sense. Then
he continued:
Women write letters better than
men do They write with greater
facility and freedom. less formal and
stiff"
And he cited what the Queen calls
Nine. dc Sevignes beautiful letters. In
talking Of Lady Bulwer's "Cheveley. or
the Man Of Honour" which was an at
tack on her husband. Melbourne said:
Il dare say she was q scribblins
woman all her life"
AS if there could be no more destruc-
tive reproach. But Lord Melbourne s
kindly cynicisIn is never treacherous,
and his prejudices are rs nothing in
comparison with his frankness. Lady
Sybn herself has a point of view not
remote from his. You will find II in
her essay on a Clever Woman" with
d satirical catalogue Of types OF which
one is the writing woman; concern
ing whom she thinks it sufficient to re-
mark. "but here the least said the
soonest mended.
Anything a woman says about wom-
en- or about woman must be instruc-
tive: or. if YOU dislike that adjective,
amusing. Whether anything is gained
by trying TO classify women may oe
doubted i there such a thing as a
type? There are individual women; Of
whom no two are really alike. Tia,
is a mans view. II woman thinks
otherwise she must be right. II Lady
Sybn would give Us serious instead
Of a satirical study that would be both
entertaining ana informing.
OF the twenty OF more sketches IN
"Samphire" all are readable. In all the
author-not authoress--has something
10 say, and in q certain number she
strikes deeper note which is always
a true note. Whether or not a sense
Of humor be rare thing in woman, II
is hers She herself draws a distinc-
ton between sense Of humor and q
sense Of what is humorous. She IS
often colloquial, sometimes careless;
and takes those liberties with English
which only the English. and more rare
IL the American. allow themselves.
| Some OF the experiences are evidently
personal: what she describes really
happened. ana happened 10 her. There
is 10 more attractive touch. The Amer
lican reader will be able 10 define for
himself what it is which gives TO these
sparkling pages a character essentially
English, and therefore more iiumlnat-
ing 10 an American than ii they were
American: since We are supposed -
know ourselves 30 well that IL is only
in respect Of other nationaliues We
need enlightenment. Still stronger viii
he his impression Of an unusual orig
inal. sympathetic personality in the
writer herself.
In The Atheneun' Of las; wccA no
less than twelve Of the novels reviewed
under the head OF Fiction are 10y
women. In The Saturday Review,
out OF seven full-lcnGth notices four
are devoted 10 women writers. Ana
vet there seem TO be still women who
clamor for votes. as if with votes they
would get more attention or more IN
ifuence than now. Tncy would prop
ably get much less, whether IN pohlics
OF literature. and in social or domestic
life very much legs. In the book world
Al any rate. they hold their own; they
are on level terms. they have as many
rights" as men have; and perhaps d
more polite reception: which they need
iexpect no longer IL they descend into
the arena.
The east attractive part OF Mrs. An
drew Lang's book is its title: Men,
Women and Mikes" Need the
Minxes have place 10 themselves :
or English and French Mikes be
comuarcd? IN fact. they are not very
obtrusive in a volume of literature oc-
.uujed mainly with serious studies.
,trs Lang must be taken az serious
writer. with "a role Of her own ana %
ma paans as. for The purposes OF lit
.rat,,r. merely the wife OF Andrew
Lang She has complete indlF!du-
,,,,. o. culture which is her own,
t.stee opinions. OutlOOhs ali quite IN
y a.,,orde,t W him. ! suppose she wouIG
a..,, II .bc had not PARTIAL -