The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-10
bARR|E'S NEPHEW
AMONG WOUNDED
Maeterlinck Declines to Leo
ture at Manchester
LITERARY GOSSIP
Patrick MacGill. the Navy Poet,
Completes New NOvel-Opening
of New Year Sad in Paris.
Works for Tommy
ny HAYDEN CHURCH

ny HAYDEN CHURCH
| London, December l0--(Specal)-Sll
| from the United States, and who has Jus,
written a war playlet entitled. Den Tag
c'The Day'D for the London Coliseum,
has, l hear. been considerably shocked
| by learning that much beloved nephew
has just been somewhat seriously
wounded at the front. The latter, Second
| Lieutenant w. c. Q. Barrie OF the Fifth
| angus and Dundee) battalion of the
Black Watch. received his commission
| only at the end of September and went to
| the front quite recently, so he has had
hard luck, indeed. I hear, by the way
that Sir James helped a bit in equippins
the young officer, good looking, well
| set up young fellow who is the son OF
the authors elder brother. the late A.
Ogilvy Barrie. formerly an inspector of
! schools, who died few months ago. The
| family live at Dumfries and Sir James,
during his school days there, was a men,
Der of his brothers household.
| The creator of Peter Pam Is we'll pro-
| vided with nephews and nieces, too, botn
of his sisters, as well as two brothers,
having married. but the young officer
who has just been wounded, always has
enjoyed the special favor of his distin-
| guished relative. and the pair frequently
were seen discussing a meal together.
sometimes at the Savoy, but more RE
Guently at some less lordly and more b.
hemian resort III one may write "Bo-
hemian" In these tines at which re-
pasts considerable merrimcnt seemed to
prevail.
One of the novelist's sisters, 1 heard
the other day, was the victim of a tragic
occurrence, her fiance-a clergyman-be-
ing thrown from horse and killed only
a few weeks before the date set for their
marriage. This was In 1892 The event
made a deep impression upon Sir James,
who wrote feeling letter which was
read to the reverend gentleman's congre-
cation after the funeral sermon. Barrie
also dedicated the edition de luxe of
"A Window In Thrums' to the memory of
the dead cleric, the Rev. James Winter,
referring, too, to his 'loyely and MOURN
full romance"
Friends of mine who knew the novel;
list well, first as schoolboy and, later
as budding young author (who en-
jcyed nothing more than a game of make
believe billiards on the dining room TIA =
BILE. with apples for balls and walking
sticks as cues, are fond of telling of
Barrie $ first appearance as a youngster
in the role of an actor. The occasion
was school play in which the future
dramatist assumed the part of the hero
Inc, wearing for the purpose a blond wig
with most ravishng ringlets. He acted
well, too, but when he spoke 1t was in
such a woeful, lugubrious voice that an
old Scotchwoman in the audience cried
| ntr mon tor
might be a widow in first mourningr'
There is keen disappointment In Nan
Chester where 1t had been hoped that
Maurice Maeterlinck could be induced
to lecture-proceeds for the benefit OF
his refugee countrymen-at the town s
famous university. An invitation TO do
so had been sent to him through his
sister, but Maeterlinck has just made
a characteristic response-alas, in the
pegative!
II am not n speaker" he writes; IT
have no voice. and after two minutes
speaking in public I become complete
ly dumb. a pitiful spectacle which even
the kindness of audiences ought to be
spared. Everyone must work according
to his powers and in his own way. [
do what / can for our unhappy refu-
gees by devoting to them the proceeds
of the articles which I write on the
war. Every man to his trade. Mine
is to write. not to speak in public
MacGill. Completes New Novel
Patrick MacGill. the NAVY poet"
who has laid aside the pen in favor
OF the rifle and the bayonet, was Oh
the point of completing arrangements
for the translation of his children of
the Dead End" of which American
viewers spoke SO highly, into French,
German and Italian when war broke
out Meanwhile he has finished q new
Y,nN oil 11AJ ha Dot y1,I. nil
see the light early in the spring, by
which time the author himself probably
will be In the firing line.
Sad New Year for Paris
The coming New Years day. gen
orally the merriest of the year in
Paris. will find the erstwhile gay city
sadder than 1t has been at any time
since 1870. but, happily, Is in no such
straits as 1T was in that stressful pc
riod. Victor Hugo has preserved us
some curious notes of the discomforts
of life in the willie lumiere" then
There was such a dearth of coal that
laundries had to close. The great poet.
in order to enjoy the luxury of clean
shirt, had to send his laundress with
the Eighteenth ACCOMPLISHMENT, TO beg
the favor OF little coal dust-which
the mayor granted!
At the time Of the governments re-
tirement to Bordeaux December, 1870,
Hugo noted that the price of an egg
was so cents. that elephants flesh
fetched IS pound, and a sack of
onions $3.50! There was fresh meat
enough to last only until February 10.
Cauliflowers were % cents apiece and
haricot beans 46 cents a quart.
Lady Byron Works for Tommy
One Of the people who are working
hardest in behalf of Thomas Atkins,