The New York herald., 1922-03-12

completely in the publishing busi-
ness if there was not so much evi-
dence against him. Still. as he said,
he has had some luck as publisher.
And his work brought John Fiske
down from Cambridge to see him;
through it he also met Herbert Spen-
Ger, Gilbert Murray and DR.. YOU
mans. He secretly published Henry
Adams's Democracy" and at a
publishers meeting in Washington
he shared the same hotel room with
Mark Twain. So naturally he speaks
respectfully of his trade.
OF course he isn't his own pub
Usher; he said he did not print his
own books because others might
think he couldn't get any one else
to do it. The true reason is prob
ably this: if he had, Henry Holt the
author and Henry Holt the pub
Usher would have engaged in a ter
rife and undignified row, the au-
thor contending that the book had
not been sufficiently advertised, and
the publisher defending his course,
until. like the gingham dog and the
calico cat in the poem, author and
publisher would have eaten each
other up. And Henry Holt would
have been seen no more at the Au-
thors' and the Century clubs.
You may as we'll know at once
that we have Mr.. Holt's life in our
hands. all but the interesting parts.
He said SO himself. We came by it
through the bipartisan ReUie1c, his
own magazine in which he wrote
a highly diverting series Of papers
called "Garrulities of an Octogenar-
ian Editor" And also from an hours
talk with him at twilight one winter
afternoon.
He says, however. that no one
ever writes the most interesting
parts of his life. So this is as good
as you are used to in the way of
literary portraiture. Yes, it is bet
ter, on account of Mr.. Holt being
himself. ani having lived for eighty
two years and knowing the people,
and doing the work and enjoying
everything as he has. And above
all for his gayety and courage and
joyous view upon life.
His birthday was January 8. and
he was saying that afternoon that a
few evenings before he'd cut the
pigeons wing just to show the fam
lily that he could. He is active. but
he said the family was permanently
convinced, as far as he was con-
cerned, that he was not going to
make any further efforts in the di-
rection OF the pigeons wing and
lame himself again for anybody.
OF afternoons about 4 o'clock he
still comes down to his Office in For
ty-fourth street, although he says
that he does not pretend to work
any more. When he was seventy he
gave up the~job Of the wolf with
bloody jaws out to gobble UP deli
cious best seller authors. He devotes
himself to writing and living and
playing his cello.
It was in this Office that we met
for our talk. He has view Of splen-
dor. Twilight was descending then.
and the Bush Terminal stood like
one of the gates of heaven against
q group OF salmon colored clouds in
an ice green sky. Far below the
Metropolitan tower was seen through
q lilac haze and a glow from Broad
way stepped the higher buildings in
radiance.
He spoke of all this; TOR he loves
New York. He is complete pos
session of the ton. He knows
where to find the people who interest
him most: the views. the restaurants,
the clubs. He would be an admirable
guide for Mr.. James Branch Cabell,
who is said to avoid Manhattan be-
cause he thinks 1t so ugly.
Mr.. Holt's Office is in the corner
of the building. high above the street.
1t Is fitted with great chairs. One of
Sanford Gifford's paintings was on
an easel. and there was a chest and
a bundle of periodicals on the floor.
His rug is of rich. warm color. al