The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-18
Publicists of the Day
Receive Special At
tention and Illuninat-
ingCommentI Is Made
About Celebrities

10 lUdI uliSAtu odil SA'Nh ~
the Brevoorts on the evening of February
"a, 1910, in their house at Ninth street
and Fifth avenue, Hone went attlred as
Cardinal Wolsey. He forgot to tell OF the
romance of the night, the eopement OF
Miss Barclay and young Burgwyne, de-
voting his space TO the expression OF his
resentment over the presence at the affair
of an emissary Of Bennett.
A man of literary tastes, or at least q
man who wished to be regarded as one OF
bookish inrlinations, Hone seems never to
have had any great liking for men OF let
tiers a ,lch All of the gifted and I'M
happy Poe's life in New York came
within the period Of the diary, but in 1t
is to be found not single mention OF his
name. There was no pace at the Hone
table for the shabby, impossible genius.
Turned Against Feninore Cooper.
Early references to Fenimore Cooper,
whom Hone first met at an American din
ner to Lafayette in Paris in 1881, are gra-
cious enough, for the creator of Leather
Stocking was a parsonage and 1t suited
Hone to stand well with personages- But
when, seven years later, Cooper returned
to the United States after his long stay
abroad and incurred the displeasure Of
his fellow countrymen, Hone was quite
ready to Join in the hue and cry.
With Washington Irving it was another
matter. But who could have failed to
feel genial toward the quiet, scholarly,
altogether charming gentleman Of Sunny
sidef Also the legs of Irving fitted well
and often under the Hone mahogany, and
the part of the author that was pereep-.
tible above the table gave favor and
dignAy to the board. Somehow We see
Homes cheeks pulled out with pride as
he chronicles:
"My old friend Washington Irving,
who visits his native country after an
absence of seventeen years. passed half
an hour with him very pleasantly" II
have devoted nearly the whole day to
Washington Irving" Irving and left
them and came to town to meet friends
whom had engaged to dine with me-"
"Washington Irving acquainted me with
circumstance, &C." Eve next visited
Washington Irving, who lives with his
sister and nieces on the bank of the river"
Any one who reads the diary can see
that Hone thoroughly approved of Irving.
But Just what, in his heart Of hearts, did
Irving think of Honef
The diary gives some significant
giimpses Of Charles Dickens in America.
In 1912 New York welcomed the English
man riotously. Washington laughed at
New York for doing too much and went
to the other extreme John Quincy Adams
gave the Dickenses dinner at which
Hone was guest.
Comment on Dinner to Dickens.
"Some clever people were invited to
meet them" is the way the ingenious
Hone puts it. "They dickens and Ms.
Diekensl came, he in frock coat and
she in her bonnet. They sat at table until
4 o'clock, when he said: Dear, it is time
for us to go home and dress for dinner
They were engaged to dine with Robert
Grcenhow at the fashionable hour of 5 :3Oi
A most particularly funny idea to leave
the table of John Quincy Adams to dress
for dinner at Robert Greenhow's!'
Hone referred to the visitors as "Ths
Boz and Bozess," and described the author
of "Pickwick" as "a small, bright eyed,
intelligent looking young fellow, 30 years
of age, somewhat of dandy in his dress,
with rings and things and fine array
brisk in his manner and of lively con-
versation," and Mrs. Dickens as "a little,
fat, English looking woman, of an agree
able countenance and, 1 should think, "a
nice person."
Dickens was not the only British author
of those days to kindle the flames of
American resentment. Almost all who
came to our shores seemed to possess the
faculty of getting rise" out Of Yankee