Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-25
GOOD NEW BOOKS FOR HOT WEA THEIR READING
4 Bid for Immortality
BY Retailing Gossip

COME oNE-1 think II was whittisl
O-after reading In the introduction
Of the second book Of Milton's, ''Th'
Reason for Church Government" abou
"a poet soaring in the high reason o.
his fancies, with his ssrlands and sing
ing robes about him." wrote Of th'
pleasure Of seeing ''the lords Of soni
without their robes and gsrlands on. v
Those who enjoy this sort Of thint
will find much pleasure in Ernest
Wadsworfh Longfellow's Random
Memories" (Houghton, Mifflin Com
pany). Mr.. Longfellow, who died
| few months ago, was q son OF Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow. His book IL
full of intimate personal gossip about
! his father and about the distinguished
men whom he met in his fathers house,
1t exhibits them all in most unro-
mantle guise. Yet he does not ignore
the fact that his father was famous
man. Indeed, he says In his preface
ANY one who has had the misfortune
to be the son Of an illustrious parent
knows how hard It Is to be taken seri
ously by people. He remains with then
always the son Of his father. They
generally try to make matters better
by reminding him that it Is a we'll
known fact that genius skips one gen
eration.'
This son was not a great man. BE
wanted to be a soldier in his youth,
but became a painter instead, and he
remarks In the course OF his narrative
that he would have been a much better
soldier than painter. He does not take
himself too seriously. Nor does he
take any one else too seriously. lie
deliberately set out to write q pleasant,
gossipy book Of recollections. II he
had succeeded in painting as well as
he has succeeded in doing what he
set out to do in this book he would
have won much greater artistic dis
tinction.
The book ,ri'l probably Dc read
rhen his paintings are forgotten.
THIS is because books Of intimate
L gossip about the great always have
the seeds Of Immortality in them. There
Ia nothing more Unsuitable than the
curiosity Of people about other people
The more famous man Is the larger
IS the number Of persons interested IN
knowing what sort Of clothes he wears,
what his personal habits are, how he
dresses, and. il he is q writing man
- oha Ata xx.npk
We learn from this book that Long
fellow wrote his poems for years with
QUILL pens which he sharpened himself
The young poet who would initiate him
in this respect would have great diff =
Guilty in finding the pens. my father
wrote his sermons with a Quill when ]
was boy and learned to write with
one. Some time ago I made the rounds
Of the stationery stores in search OF
quills, but not one OF them had any In
stock, nor could any Of the clerks tell
me where I could find them. The best
they could do was to offer me a quill
mounted with holder for a steel pen.
I They had them colored all the shades
Of the rainbow, but not single gray
goose Quill such as Longtellow pointed
with his penknife--so called because
that is what 1t was made for-when
he sat him down to write his tales
of the old inn at Sudbury"
And Longfellow also wrote on spe-
cial kind of paper cut to size that
pleased him and he kept a stock of it
in an orderly pile on his desk. He
was also very careful in his dress and
dlsl!ked informally. On one occasion a
painter was at work on his portrait
on a very hot day and was on the point
Of taking off his coat when Ernest en-
tered and told his father that the bro.
kers in State street, Boston, were going
about with their coats of. But, y
said Longfellow, they wear something