LITERARY GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12969, 23 November 1907, Page 7

LITERARY GOSSIP.

Father Benson, the youngest of the trio of brothers whose names are so often beforo the reeding public, began to write at a later age than cither of the other two (says tho ''Daily Mail"), but his success seems likely at least to equal theirs. For somo years past he has been connected with the great Roman Catholic Church at Cambridge; but we believe it is his intention shortly to retire from active parochial work and to settle in tho country in ordor to devote himself to litcraturo and preaching. When that time comes it will not be too much to expect a monthly volume from one or other of tho Benson brothers. There is in the Forstcr Collection ot South Kensington a proof of an article by Dickens, entitled "The Spirit of Chivalry at Westminster Hall." Nobody appears to know for what magazine this article was written, or if it ever got further than the proof stage. Mr B. W. Mats, editor of tho "Dickensian," has made enquiries which have brought no result, and will rc- | print the article in; tho next number of his magazine, together with a reproduction of the picture by Maclise which inspired, it. An interesting suggestion is made by that entertaining gossip, Mr E. V. Lucas, in his essays, "Character and . Comedy." There" is, ho thinks, an opening for a writer who will apply the principles of tho detective 6tory to blameless affairs —that is to say,* retaining tho detective, but eliminating the bloodstains and the dark passions of Montmarlre. For, after all (he proceeds), the fascinating part of a detective story is not tho murder or the theft, but the methods of tho detective; not the poetical justico at the close, but the stops by which it has been reached. In a word, the fascinating thing about a detective story is the search. Tho search is ono of the oldest motives in literature, and it remains ono of the strongest—the search either for an object or an idea—for a golden, fleece, like Jason's, or o. father, like Telemachus's; for definite hidden treasures, like John Silver's; or adventures that may come, like Don Quixote's or Lavengro's; for a criminal, like Lecoq's or Sherlock Holmes's, or a religion, like Lothair's; for a wife, like Ccelebs's, or for position, like Evan Harrington's. According to a Now York correspondent of 'The Times,"" Mark Twain, since his return from England, has been the most discussed author in the American Press. Tho eulogies of him and cf his work are on indifcation of the gratification his personal triumph in England gave to th© American people. Since arriving in New York, ho has sperct most of his time in Connecticut, where ho recently built a handsome country house. Though ten years ago ho was virtually prXinilcfis, as <_ reenilt of unfortunate business ventures, the success of his lecture tours and of his books has made him a rich man ognin. Eich winter ho passes in New York City, where, in Lower Fifth avenue. ne*ir tho historic Washington square, he bought a house a few years ago; and thougjh he has. as ho himself pays, for ever abandoned lecturing, he is oftan heard on tho platform in informal discourse and ot club meetings. He is working systematically on his which promises to be* unique in his rambling treatment of a varied end interesting life. Parts of it have appeared, with more or less regularity, during the few raonWis, in tho pages of tlie 'North American Review," now a fortnightly. It is almost startlingly intimate, and many passages have a paithos which will astonish those readers who think of Mark Twain as merely a humorist. Tlie work will riot be published in full until after the author's death. In discussing the question what humorous writers in America give any promise of being able to supply the PA aw ! Mark IVain ' '"'ho is now past <0. "The Times" contributor is not optimistic. 'Olr Dooley." is Finley Peter Dunne is always'called, has (ho says) the greatest vogue, though it is questionable if his is the greatest talent, Like Mark Twain's. his humour rests on a basis of solid wisdom; but thus far he has limited himself to a narrow rang© of performance, and there are times when he falls into dulness and commonplace. Several yean, age he began a novel in one of the monthly magazines, but after a few chapters appeared he abandoned v. His qualities would seem to fit him to write the novel of Irish-American lite, which fairly clamours to reproduce curious conditions now rapidly passing. The most recent, and ono of the most successful, of American humorists is the writer who calls himself, "O Henry.'' and whose real name is Sydney Porter.

"O. Henry." now in the early forties has had a wide experience in the more elemental phases of American life in the South and West, and during his fejM-ears of residence in New lork he h-Rtudied the varied life of th<\ city. Not only does he possess a quaint humour, but ho has also the atory-tell-ing faculty.

Several times in conversation with private friends, the late lan Maclaren expressed strong distaste for a biography being written about him (writes Mr H. W. Lucy). It being pointed out that such a thing was probably inevitable, he singled out I>r. Robertson Xicoll as the most desirable person to undertake the work. He has been approached on tho subject on behalf of Dr. Watson's family, and has accepted the proposal. As lan Maclaren left nothing *in tho way of autobiographical matter, the scheme of the boo_c will mainly depend upon successful collection of his letters. Ho was a constant, sometimes voluminous, always entertaining, correspondent, and there is promise of delightful reading in a selecticn of his letters made by so experienced a hand as the author oi 'The Life of James Macdonnell."