The New York herald., 1922-04-02
CHRONICLE AND
COMMENT
THE subject of American literary
By ARTHUR BARTLETT MAURICE.

II
expatriates is suggested by
little book written by Henry w.
Fisher and just published under the
title Abroad With Mark Twain and
Eugene Field" The word expatri-
ates is used for convenience, but,
strictly speaking, it is not exactly
the right word. Washington Irving,
the first American to awaken Euro
peans to a dim consciousness that
his countrymen were no., intellec-
tually, red Indians, was an expa-
triate, for his exile from home that
lasted seventeen years was entirely
voluntary and his subsequent ap-
pointment as Minister to Spain the
indirect result of that exile. But
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bret Harte
and w. ID. Howells, in Europe carry
ing on their consular duties, cannot
fairly be regarded as expatriates, or
Brand Whitlock, Henry Van Dyke
or Thomas Nelson Page of more
recent years, or any of the men of
letters who have represented the
Republic at the Court of st. James's.
On the other hand, Whistler, claimed
by letters as well as art; Bayard
Taylor and Henry Harland were
genuine expatriates, and Artemus
Ward probably would have become
one had he lived longer. Henry
James, most confirmed of all Ameri-
can literary expatriates, had himself
made a British subject year or so
before his death.
M r. FISHERS book, though of
Az no particular Importance and
obviously hastily constructed, is
mildly entertaining. Two weeks
ago THE HERALD discussed at length
Frederick Chamberlain's "The Pri-
vate Character of Queen Elizabeth"
According to Mr.. Fisher, Mark
Twain had decided opinions on the
subject of the Virgin Queen. "'Eliz-
abeth Was He,' said Mark" is the
title of one of the chapters. Mark.
of course, was not the originator of
the idea, for the matter of Eliza
beth's. sex has always been one of
those curious little bypaths of his
tory. The story Is that the real
Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry
VIII, died when a child, and that a
boy companion was substituted and
reigned over England in the guise
of a woman. 1t was story that
naturally appealed to Mark Twain's
riotous imagination. He pointed out
that Elizabeth, so-called, was as
clever financier as John ID. Rookie
feller, and that as John ID. gobbled
up all the oil in creation, or out of
1t, so Elizabeth, so-called, Tapped up
all the gold, minted and otherwise.
According to Mr.. Fisher, Mark in
tended to tackle Elizabeth after he
finished with Joan of Arc. IF | do
Elizabeth half as well as intend to
do Joan and did The Prince and
the Pauper' / will have three serious
books to my credit, and after that
/ will be damned-'thrice damned
Elizabeth would have said-if !
allow anybody to take me for
mere funmaker."
M ARK TWAIN projected book
Av1 about Elizabeth. Curiously
enough, according to Mr.. Fisher,
Eugene Field once considered the
writing of book about her rival
and victim, Mary Queen of Scots.
While in London he was always
talking about the Orkney Islands.
He had discovered somehow that
Mary had created Boutwell, Duke of
Orkney. He said. II want to go
to the Orkneys to find traces of
Boutwell,. and perhaps get a new
angle on that fearless lass-as fear
less as she was yindictiye-Mary.