The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-24
OFFERS ORIGINAL OF
'SERPENT'S TONGUE
Sir William Watson VIII Auc-
ton Manuscript Of Dis
cussed Poem.
Special Gable to THE NEW York Herald
Copyright, 1920, by THE NEW yosx HEau D

Special Gable to TIE NEW York HERALD.
Copyright, 1920, by THE NEW yosx HEau ..
New York Herald bureau.
London, Oct. 49,
The storm which has ragged about
"Margot's Memoirs" will get added fillip
with the announcement that Sir William
Watson is prepared to sell TO the highest
bidder the original manuscript of his
poem THE Woman With the Serpent's
Tongue" This poem was published in
1909, and then 1t was generally asserted
that It had been inspired by Mrs. Her
bert II. Asquith. then presiding at 10
Downing Street, and Sir William has
never denied the report in manner to
silence effectively persons who connected
her with such lines as
THE poisoned words that wildly fly
and
who sights the worthiest In the land.
Sneers at the just. contends the bravo
And blackens goodness In its grave.
Sir william to-day refused to discuss
the genesis OF the poem. but In reply to
q telegram addressed to him at his coun-
try home at Windemere. where he Is
staying until Christmas. admitted that
the manuscript was for sale to the high
est bidder He said II was written on
ordinary copy paper in his own hand
writing and that it is In thirty lines
with all the cancellations and corrections
just as it went to the printer.
Mrs. Asquith Inspiration.
Irrespective Of the authors silence re-
garding the inspiration of the poem. re-
ports that Mrs. Asquith was this In
spiration cannot help but be recalled In
the face OF the aptness of many OF the
lines 10 the present criticism OF her
published memoirs.
The Sunday Times, which published
the memoirs serially here, cut out many
offensive paragraphs which London has
now learned were included in the YER
sion as published in America. One OF
the things seized on was the frank dis
cusslon OF the physical unpleasantness
of having Robert Louis stevenson IN
her house when ne was suffering from
tuberculosis and the description OF the
unpleasant details regarding his man
ners and his disease. Scots who knew
Stevenson have been busy all this week
writing 20 the Sunday Times that II was
a gross libel OF the writer's memory.
Threaten Prosecution.
Despite the publicity attached to the
raphy here. publishers who are bringing
out the book In q few. weeks have no
titled the newspapers they would prose-
cute them II they quoted from it--a
winning which Lord Northcliffe's news
papers defied. the London Times edi-
toraliy demanding some way to suppress
what il called a dangerous volume. while
other Northcliffe newspapers published
para graphs from 1t bolstering up this
Times demand.
AT the time the poem was first pub
lished Mrs Asquith was both shocking
and charming London with the gayety
Of her entertainments In her official
residence and the flightlness on her part
at entertainments elsewhere.
There have rust been published the
gossipy letters OF one OF her men con-
temporaries In that circle called The
souls" in which he describes the first
lady in the land" dropping her skirts and
dancing in her petticoats pas seui be-
fore a dinner party.