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A Freak of jj
Memory |
By BARRY FAIN. | |
■I..
DEVINE has been dead now about
five years. There is still a steady
demand for his books, and it looks as
if he might become a classic. lie was
popular enough in his day, but his
work has grown immensely in the crit
ical esteem since his death. Both the
to-called biographies have sold well.
I use the word “so-called” intention
ally. They are not biographies. They
give certain facts in his career aceu
rately enough^ but they almost invari
misinterpret his motives; they
** are quite out of \ympathy with the
man; they give a totally wrong and
absurd idea of him. They make the
people who really knew him hesitate j
whether to swear or to laugh. I will j
pass over the smallest biography by
his wife's niece. Miss Catchpoll—or Dr,
Marjorie C’atehpole, as she would pre
fer to be called. She makes her bricks
with very little straw, but with a great
deal of modesty; and when a woman
practically says in her preface that she
does, not know what she is talking
about, there is no more to be said. 1
turn to what some critics have called
■t “rPflllv imnnrlflnt” hinrrrnnhv Itv
Rev. William Dodsley Sales, who was
Airs. Devine’s cousin. It occupies two
large volumes, of which a great part
is wasted on Mr. Sales' total misappre
hension of Devine’s religious views and
his own clerical disquisitions.
Devine, as everybody knows, died
suddenly, and he left to his wife a
power which 1 will say frankly he
never intended her to possess. 1 know
very well whom he wished his biog
rapher to be; it was neither his wife's
uncle or his wife's niece. I w ill not go
into the correspondence which passed
between Mrs. Devine and myself. 1
will only say that when I w as suddenly
told that, the biography had been in
trusted to Mi. Sales, I wrote to him
at once and offered to place all my ma
terial (including many unpublished
letters) unreservedly and uncondition
ally in his hands. 1 received an ungra
cious reply. He had, he said, more than
sufficient material already; he hinted
that I was not likely to possess any
thing of interest. I might send my pa
pers along if I liked, and if he had time
he would look over them; but he could
promise nothing. Great though my re
gard for Devine was, I felt justified in
I ASKED HIM WHAT WAS THE
MATTER.
leaving the matter there and keeping
my material to myself; it was ap
parently impossible to save his mem
ory from the incompetent hands of his
wife’s family.
But last night, on turning over those
papers. I came across the record of six
weeks during which Devine was total
ly unable to write, and was trying to
write all the time. He was then near
ing the height of his popularity, and
had any amount of work before him
— ThAt had to be done. The struggle
brought him within a heair’s-breadth
of madness and suicide. And you will
find nothing about it in Sales'book.
One night he had been dining out,
and came round to my chambers after
wards. He was at that time unmarried,
and had not acquired the faith that he
was fond of social functions which
came to his later married life. He
grumbled a good deal. He said he was
sick of the people who said, on intro
duction: “1 don’t know you, Mr. De
vine, but I know your work very well."
And he was particularly mad with an
old lady who had said: “It is a marvel
to me how you come to think of these
things.”
“Why worry?” 1 asked.
‘Because her blandly idiotic question
has stuck in my head. How does one
think of stories? What are the ori
gin and process of imaginative
thought? However, I've got the the
ory of it all right now.”
lie gave me the theory. It was rath
er dull and did not convince me in the.
least.; it had not quite convinced him
either. However, as it was rather dull,
I got him to talk about otherthings.
He came in again at 11 next morn
ing. He said that dining-out was a
mistake, and he found he could not
work properly. He t ook me away with
him to Richmond, returning in the aft
ernoon, as lie wanted to begin on a
short story that he had promised to
deliver that week.
Afterwards I did not see him for
ten days. Then one night lie came
round, and seemed rather sulky and
depressed. I asked him what was the
matter, and he began to curse “that
old woman.”
“What old woman?”
“That brute who asked me how I
came to think of those things. She’s
killed it stone dead. I sit and gape and
wonder how one comes to think of
things; but I can’t think of them any
more myself. I’m outside, I’m cut off,
I can’t get there. A week ago, if you’d
given me a bit of paper, I could have
sworn to start a story—mind, a story
that would do—inside of ten minutes.
How much do you think I’ve done these
last, ten days? Not a single thing.”
“Lazy beggar.”
“Lazy? I’ve never worked so hard
in my life. All I’ve done has been a
few letters of excuses to editors. The
rest won’t come—do what I will. Why,
r can’t even goon with work that I’\e
begun. I’ve got a long novel under
way, half-finished in fact. I made
the people in it myself, and now toon t
even know how the fools would talk.”
Divine was, as his critics have
noticed, particularly good in the writ
ing of dialogue. He got the character
istic words always. On this occasion
1 advised him to give up work and go
a\oay for a hit, and in a friendly way
he abused me for my pains. Did I
know what he’d got to do in the course
of a fortnight? Did I want him to
offend every editor and publisher that
he had anything to do with? Did I
suppose he was a millionaire?
So he went away w ith a new theory,
made on the spot and quite rotten,
of the way in which lie had previously
managed to think of things. And the
ten days became a month before I
saw him again; 1 had been called away
from London in the interval.
He seemed pretty bad. Tie looked
worried and dead tired. He had put
in four weeks of the most exhausting
work in the world ineffectual work.
He had got nothing done. He talked
very little, and said that he supposed
he was finished, but that it was funny
it should have come suddenly. I got
him to see a doctor, and the doctor
did liis best to scare him, and then
packed him off for a fortnight’s holi
day.
1 don’t know where he went at first.
He left London that night. I got a
wild and incoherent letter from him,
with the Kamsgate post mark, but he
said that he was leaving immediately.
The next letter l got, at the end of a
fortnight, was on the note paper of
one of the hotels in Brussels that
tVin nr TI A U'l w! flint t It A
loss of a creative mental potency wa»
a humiliation that he was not pre
pared to endure any longer. And he
said'many other things w hich need not
be repeated, and sent me off to Brus
sels.
1 found him leaving his hotel for
; the place in the line d’Anspaeh where
I lie generally dined. He was smiling
and in the best of spirits. It w as w hile
he was buying the revolver, and not
thinking in the least about writing,
j that the idea came to him. He went
I back to the hotel and wrote it- down
at once. The power had come buck
as strangely as it had left him. Or,
us he put it, he was once more en rap
port with the real world—the world
of the imagination—from which he
had been cut off.
I turn to this period, for the sake
of amusement, in the so-called biog
raphy of Devine perpetrated by the
Bev. William Dodsley Sales, and I find
this:
“Abuot this time an ill-advised visit
to Brussels, in the company of one of
his friends, upset Devine's health and
threw him much behindhand with hi*
work.”—Black and White. London.
SPRING AND HER OLD LOVER.
Sorry, oh, sorry, is Spring for me.
As gayly. with nods and smiles,
Soft-blown kisses and coquetry,
She walketh the woodland aisles;
More than sorry is Spring for me
Who have neither nods nor smiles.
Always In youth I roamed with her.
And the sweet w ild flowers, they knew
Our lightsome step, as they knew the stir
Of the- tirst robin cackling through
^"Ti e boughs that opened their buds for her.
And for me whom they also knew.
Wasn’t, O wasn't I joyous then?
Mow- am 1 worn and old;
Vet always me she remtmbereth when
She passes in green and gold;
1 sought her in youth, and she loved me
then,
And1 love, it never grows old.
The hastening years they have told on me.
While she's In her g.rlhood still;
A light and a joy, like the shad-blow tree
A-blossom above the "ul;
The years, oh, the years they have told on
me,
While she’s in her girlhood still.
And oh, the w itchey and w ild delight
Of seeing her race and run
Where the golden butterflies—joyous
sight!—
Dance in the noonday sun;
I watch her, I watch her. and my delight
—long with her still doth run.
With her, In spirit, I still can go;
And down by the woodland aisles,
The maples blush, and the wild flowers
blow,
And my darling nods and smiles,
Content forever with me to go
Hoamlng the woodland aisles.
—Moses Teggart, in Springfield (Mass,) Re
publican.__
Sow Make Oriental Carpets.
The famous Gobelins tapestry man*
ufactory seems likely to achieve new
honors in the fabrication of textile's.
After a long preliminary course of
experiment and study, the1 manufac
tory has now taken up the weaving
of oriental carpets. Some of the first
specimens seen this week at the fac
tory were equal to anything done iu
the east.
Pouf and Dumb Club in l'nrls.
One of the most curious institu
tions in Paris is the Silent club, all
members of which are deaf and
dumb. In order to call tbe waiters,
who are also deaf and dumb, each
has an electric attachment, so that
when a member of the club wants to
call one of them he gives him an elec
tric shock.
Money Wins Most Every wilier e.
The wife of England's chief pawn
broker has just been received at
court, says the Chicago Hecord-Her
eld. You can't keep money down.
RI'DOI.rH FORSTER.
Mr. Rudolph Forster, who has just hi en upjiun.itd assistant private secretary
to President Roosevelt, was born in Washington in October, 1872. He was educated
in the public schools of that city, and is a graduate of Columbia university law
school. He was appointed from Virginia as a clerk in the United States commission
of fish and fisheries in 1894, and in March, 1S97, was detailed for duty at the white
hou=e He was appointed to a clerkship in the executive mansion May. 1897, and
promoted to executive clerk in May, 1900. He is personally very agreeable to Pres
ident and Mrs. Roosevelt.
II 1 WMk 1
MISS DARWIN PLAYING PING-PONG.
Recently we gave a picture of Esau, the monkey typewriter. Herewith we
present a likeness of an accomplished Bengal monkey, known as Miss Darwin, in
her great act of playing ping-pong. She was trained in this game by her present
owner, Mr Quinlan. So expert is she that she usually wins, being quicker b> far
than the average human player. Do not suppose, however that all is joy in this
plus-conger's life. Miss Darwin is a w idow, her aecomp.ished husband ha\ mg
recently died. Our picture and description are borrowed from the Cincinnati Com
mercial Tribune.
'_'
HERBERT G. SQI’IERS, MINISTER TO CUBA.
Mr. Squlers, our first minister to the republic of Cuba, has proved himself to be a
diplomat of the first order. While the negotiations for the ratification of the com
mercial treaty between the new republic and the United States were going on he
managed to conciliate the hot-headed Cubans and to exert a beneficial influence on
the recalcitrant senators at Washington. Mr. Squlers was secretary of the United
States legation at Peking, China, when the Boxer outbreak occurred, and was shut
up in the besieged city w ith other foreigners. lie was born in Canada, but came to
this country when a boy.
•
IIKAIT1FIT, GIFT FOR THE POPE.
The choicest silver jubilee gift received by the pope came from the emperor ol
Austria. It is a beautiful work of art. produced by Rudolph Marsehall, the Viennese
sculptor. On a block of marble, finely veined with violet, stands a figure ot gold,
representing the Good Shepherd, in his arms he holds a lost lamb, and behind him
follow other members of the Hock. On the marble is engraved a suitable Gatin
Inscription and over it appear the jtapal and Austrian arms, set in gold and precious
stones. The picture is described by critics as being remarkably Ufa like and wonder
fully tmpressl»%
BED C _ SO
History of the Organization Found
ed by Miss Clara Barton.
Interiinl D.iKHeimlonM Are Sow Aslta
tinic lJie Workers—Rear-Ailmlral
Van Ileypeu Proposed as Presi
ileut of tlie Society.
The question of Miss Clara Barton’s
retirement as active head or her re
tention of the presidency of the
American Ited Cross society, has re
cently stirred up considerable feeling
among the workers of that order. A
movement was placed on fqpt to make
Miss Barton the honorary president
of the society for life, and placing
somebody else in active control of
the American branch of the order.
The opponents of Miss Barton's dom
ination of the society argue that at
her advanced age she is unable to
personally manage the business of
this great organization successfully,
citing certain recent acts," but her
friends are firm in her support and
say they will not let her be forced
out of the control of the society aft
er so many years of faithful and
heroic service.
Rear Admiral Van Reypen has been
mentioned as Miss Barton's succes
sor as the best fitted person for the
position. He has had some experi
ence in Red Cross work, his medical
training would be useful, and it is
presumed he would be acceptable to
Miss Barton. He is now retired, has
leisure, and it is thought could be in
duced to take the place if a harmoni
ous arrangement of Red Cross affairs
c;ould be secured. It was proposed to
retire Miss Barton on an annuity for
life, with the title of honorary presi
dent, but her friends and followers
say that she would never consent to
such an arrangement. Such, in brief,
is the internal dissension of the so
ciety, and it remains to be seen which
side will win.
The Red Cross society has been in
existence now for about forty years,
and to-day is organized in almost
every country on the globe. Febru
ary 9, 1863, may be taken as the
starting point of the organization,
REAR ADMIRAL VAN REYPEN.
when an international conference
was convoked at Geneva to devise
means for the relief of the suffering
and wounded in time of war; four
teen governments and many socie
ties were represented at this con
vention and a treaty was agreed
upon. This was the organization of
the first society for the systematic
care of the wounded in war. For
three centuries or more medical serv
ice hftd been attached to armies, but
the horrors of the Crimean war in
1853-56 showed that they were not
sufficient for the emergencies and
that systematic organization was
necessary for the care of the health
of the troops and the care of the
wounded in battle. It was this war
that led up to the organization of
the society.
The American National Red Cross
association was formed in 1881, and
was brought about mainly through
the efforts of Miss Barton, she be
— „... { i + r, not nfocl/lonf Vf t CO I l !1 1*
-. X
ton is a native of Massachusetts,
where she was born seventy-three
years ago. At the beginning of the
civil war she left her place as a
clerk in the patent office at Wash
ington to curse the wounded and
suffering, and from that time on has
devoted her life to the vocation. Aft
er the war Miss Barton established
a bureau at Washington to search
for missing men, and at one time
went to Andersonville, where the
bodies of more than 20,000 soldiers
were disinterred, identified and re
interred in marked graves under her
direction. She was thus the origina
tor of the National cemetary.
At the breaking out of the Franco
Prussian war the International Red
Cross committee requested Miss Bar
ton to join them in its relief work,
and as the result of her labors she
was decorated by Emperor William
and Empress Augusta. Upon her re
turn to the United States she worked
to secure the adoption of the Red
Cross treaty, which she finally suc
ceeded in doing in 18S1.
Some years after Miss Barton se
cured an amendment to the consti
tution which enabled the American
hotly to work also to relieve suffer
ers by disasters. She distributed re
lief in the Russian famine in 1892,
headed an expedition in the Armen
ian troubles of 1896 and at the re
quest of the president carried relief
to starving Cuba in 1898. She did
personal field work in the Spanish
Amerioan war, conducted relief work
at Galveston after the great titlirt
wave and assisted in the relief of suf
ers from Mont Belee and ethers of
the West Indian disasters.
JAMES BRISTOL GREEN*.
SPORTS AND
ATHLETICS
Baseball In the Philippine*.^,..- ^
The baseball microbe has taken firm
root in Manila. There will be no fight
made on this bacil
li as was made in
H a w a i i on the
germ of the bu
bonic plague. Fil
ipinos are doing
their best to prove
that the benevo
lent assimilation,
as exemplified by
Uncle Sam, has
been complete
enough to even in
clude the sports of
t h e Americans.
The national
of baseball
Basetall. in Manilla progressed so far
that it will surprise no one if
there is soon a Talagog league
and an organizaton of Macea
bebe players. The Young America of
the Philippines is beginning to hear
about Delehanty, about Jimmy Kyan,
Joe Corbett and other lights of the dia
mond in the parent country.
. , .1 .. ~.... Vtoira
introduced uy ~ _
who sought the recreation the game '^S
afforded, much as did the English sol
diers with their cricket games only a
few hours before some desperate at
tack on an almost impregnable Boer
position, the game has spread until the
youth of the islands, wherever a plat
can be found free from underbrush, is
deep in the pyrotechnics of the double
play and the art of stealing second
when Senor Felipe Caliban is at bat.
An International Anto Hnce.
July 0, over a 126-mile course in Ire
land.the greatest automobile race ever
projected will be
contested by ma
chines representa
tive of the best
makes of the
United State*, —
Great I’.T it a i n,
uermany and
France for the
Bennett cup. The
last obstacle in
the way of this
veritable battle of
T i t a n s was re
- moved when the
Automobile Race in British house of
Ireland lords gave its full
consent to the bill legalizing the race.
Committees representing the Automo
bile Club of Great Britain and Ireland
are hard at work on the details of this
important contest. The cars that are
to participate will embody the latest
and most approved principles of con
i j • . ___ „ _ r.-wvn n/1 4 b a
su UV.UUU, t ’ —" *
men who will pilot them will be the
world’s most renowned drivers. ’Pit*
vious to 1902 the international race was
of secondary importance. Last year it
was dwarfed by the Paris-Vienna con
test. Put this year, by special act of
parliament, it comes into its own.
Maps of the course show how care
fully the route has been mapped out.
Starting in Maas, in Kildare, and only
a score of miles from Dublin, the ma
chines will take the Newbridge road,
broad but winding, to Curragh, where
a straight road, but a narrow one, is
encountered clear to Kildare. Another
narrow but good road will lead to Mon
astervan, where a stretch of road will
take the racers to Mary borough. Thence
east to Stradbally, 47 miles, and on to
Athy the roads will be found to be
broad but likely to be cut tip by heavy
traffic. From Athy to Old Kileullen
(73 miles) the best stretch of road will
be found. From Kileullen the road
goes in an acute angle to the right and'
follows the main Carlow road to Car
low (94 miles). Throughout the whole
126 miles of route there are many con
venient points for viewing the contest,
and doubtless the beauty and chivalry
of the islands and the continent will
be on hand to see another cup “lifted”
by an American.
Xctv System of Strength Tests.
Athletes in the many big universities
both east and west are preparing to
take “strength
tests.” Each is
anxious to equal
or excel records
made by Harry
Cochems, Charles
C a r v e r, Walter
Kennedyand other
u nive rsity men
who wore the col
ors of Harvard—
and Wiseon, Vale,_
Chicago, etc. Dr.
Dudley A. Sar
gent, the origina
tor of the present
Strength Tests in system in use at
College Gym. the largest uni
versities to determine the inter
collegiate “strong men,” is physi
cal director at Harvard. He has
just announced a new test system that
he will use on 50 candidates selected
because of their development.
His new system consists of six exer
cises so simple that the candidates for
“strong honors” may practice them at
home, in his dormitory—any where
that he can don a gymnasium suit. He
will not make a formal statement of
these tests until he has verified the
adequacy of each exercise.He will com
pute them in foot pounds and by hav
ing each proportionate to the whole
the possibility of a well balanced ath
lete who is not dependent upon some
one abnormal development, failing to
met full credit, will be reduced to a min
imum. The lungs and heart of every
candidate must be “right” before tb«
athlete will stand any chance of maK.
mg a record under the new system. A
time limit of 50 minutes for each can
didate emphasizes the importance 01
*1'"J i„ .he '“h'^“G'%VEaTLAKR