The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-05
The New York Gossip OF . Hundred
Years Ago. 49,.


Years Ago.
The letters exchanged between
WASHINGTON IRVING and HENRY Bar
WORT in thirty of the years Of thcir
lifelong friendship afford a picture,
not only of great authors style
when the literary harness Is off, but
of the humanities Of the social circle
Of that little New York in which the
two friends were lively figures. Now
that the house of Putnam, whose
founder revived the vogue Of 1Rvrra,
has put these volumes, hitherto only
privately printed, where the public
may enjoy them, the purchaser hnds
himself divided in curiosity between
relatively informal IRVING and utterly
informal and gossipy BREvooRr; and
IL the reader chances to be one whose
desire for knowledge Of old Manhat-
tan is keener than his appetite for
Irvinglana he will find himself ihclin-
ing to the letters of BREvooBr, a man
who knew and liked literature and lis
lions, yet never wrote book. This
is not because IRVING did not know
and write of the chatter Of New York
when he was here. but because 10
many of the letters are from HAIRY
at home to WASHINGTON abroad; and
BREvooRr, knowing that his friend
loved gossip, filed his letters with 1T.
These letters began in 1918, some
years after the writer and the reclpi'
ent had been two Of the group Of
young roysterers at Cockloft Hall.
BREyoogr was % and settled down to
married life; IRVING was eight years
older, and, following the failure OF his
brothers English business. decided
upon the vocation ~ writing. BRE-
WORT wrote from his country home
on the upper West Side:
1--WE have resolved to pass the winter
at Bloonnnsdaie-rny wife wills 1t 80.
You can scarcely conceive OF
how quietly & cheerfully we live.
You probably know that CARY Is
to be married in January next at
Charleston. to Miss PYNE. Ny
Lord MARCH Is to be coupled at the
same place to Mrs. HUTCHINSON. q
pretty sentimental widow with two
spoiled children and comfortable estate"
A year later BREvooRT's wife had
convinced him that upper Broadway
was habitable even in winter:
zach day seems to glide away With
nearly the same sources Of occupation.
We reside beyond the limits OF new
friends. and our old ones number very
few indeed. We are resolved TO
marry you at once. LOUISA GovERNxuR
(they say) Is engaged to Mr.. CAMBRr-
LING. Young GOLDEN is shortly 20 pair
Off with FANNY WILKES"
In April of 1920 BREvooRT was re-
turning to downtown gayety:
II have taken a house in Hudson
Square q. MuRRAY's) for the next year.
Mrs RENwIcK has given UP her
place at Bloomingdale taken a House
in White Street She has sustained
many losses. but retains an income quite
adequate to a comfortable establishment.
JAMES and MARGARET are to reside at
my fathers and with us until he can
And employment. which at this moment
Is nearly hopeless, The ms Company
has lately abolished the life department,
and thereby deprived JAMES Of his last
source OF income
Thus was a great physicist thrown
upon the mercy of his relatives be-
cause life insurance did not pay but
it was only II few months before Rem
WICK was called to the chair of chem
istry at Columbia and there was
: sweeter bread for his wife, who was
HENRY BREvoORTs sister, and his in
FAINT children, one of whom, JAMES
was to be the architect Of st. Patrick's
Cathedral and Of Grace Church. BRE-
WORT wrote that good news to .IBviNo
In January, 1921, but hurried through
ii to tell about the rivalry between the
, actors KEAN and COOPER and the am.
bitions Of CooPER's manager, PRICE:
PRICE. who Is overloaded with debt
swaggers in his usual way. by his great
success - He threatens BRENNAN
AsroR with building a new Theatre I'M
less they comply with his proposals for
the one now building-He has en-
gagged PHILIPS the Singer for the next
season and is resolved to take the field
against AsToR & b at all events. In the
Barn in Anthony Street"
i, PRICE got the lease, hut at "13O00s
per annum," rent charge which
BREvooRT feared the New Theatre
would never support. Some gossip:
, 'Mr, JNo. BRIsTEp goes In this Packe,
= for England. He finds it impossible tc
| bear the matrimonial yoke any longe,
, with that Lamb OF Bellzebub. my we,
: beloved Couzen the late Mrs. BENTON
e He Is literally wasted u the bone b,
3 the severity of her discipline. Their
> frscas have furnIsTS,d the Town Will
!. 80. va