SIR J. M. BARRIE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19724, 14 September 1929, Page 7

SIR J. M. BARRIE.

A SECRET DIVULGED. TRIBUTE TO HIS LANDLADY. (noit ozs. oms coaMsroxMS?.) LONDON, August 1. When Sir James Barrie and Mr William Adamson, Secretary for Scotland, received the Freedom of *e City oi Edinburgh, on July 29th, the former drew a fanciful picture of an evening in Edinburgh with Sir Walter Scott. defended landladies, and told the story ot his first manuscript. Referring to his student day* at Edinburgh, he said that be had not been at the University long before he sent to "Blackwood's Magazine his very first manuscript. He was afraid it was a satire of his professors, with some rather strange portraits of the Erofessors done by another and better and. , ~ "The scene," he continued, "now changes to George street. Two youths are observed passing up and down outside the famous literary home of the firm. At first Blackwood's receive us courteously, but after a time they become a little tired. That is because we are loath to have them miss such a good thing. Looking back on it now I do not think I am tremendously exaggerating if I say that, by the end , of this touching episode, Blackwood's 1 were hurling that manuscript into the | street out of their upper windows and ,we were down below catching it and ! rushing it in again by the door I cannot now remember what it was called, but I can see very well they were doing me a service." A Fragrant Memory. Sir James revealed that the woman who inspired "The Old Lady Shows Her Medals," was o Mrs Edwards, with whom he lodged during his student days. "I would rather bare had her here to-day than almost anybody I can think of," he said. "If she had been here I am sure she would have been wearing a black silk dress or something that was uncommonly like it. She was old and poor, a widow woman without kith or kin, but it would ill become me to stand up in Edinburgh without recalling the fragrant memory of my Mrs Edwards. "In after years when I used to go to see her she would shake a gleeful fish at me and say, 'Your play was here, being played by the play actors, and I was avid to go to the theatre, but T cculdna' dar'.' She was so soft-hearted that if she had lived through the war I can see her finding her way up to the Castle to fire 'Mens Meg," and after eaeh shot shouting, 'Count your men now, Mr Kaiser.' "Why is it," asked Sir James, "that landladies are so maligned? We old students at Edinburgh might do worse than raise a statue in Edinburgh fco the Students' Friend." Professor Masson. Announcing that his Edinburgh man of men was Professor Masson, Sir James said that the only charge he brought against Edinburgh was that it never managed somehow that Masson might have passed at least one evening with Sir Walter Scott. What fun it would be to choose the rest of the company. "Let us do it," he proceeded. "What age would you like them to bet You can have them any age you like. Let ce have them all young and in the days before they were famous. Where shall we meet. At Whitecress Inn? That is too full of swaggering Jacobites tonight. Baxter's Closet They may go on there later, some of them, because, of course, Burns is one of them. I think in Castle street, No. 39. The great thing about it is that the Shirra is in the chair. Hume may come. Robert Ferguson, Carlyle, the Ettrick shepherd, Lister, Robert Chambers . . . Bobert Irtuis. "We must have Dunbar and Gavin Douglas, and they come in looking as though they have come a long way. James Boswell is here, and he says he must bring a guest. We cannot have guests, but who is the guest? He gives his name. Ah! I think I should like to choose a name representing the Edinburgh of to-day, though he has lately left it. I choose mv beloved Walter Blackley, who joins that company sponsored, of course, by Prince Charlie, who sits down himself without waiting to be asked. There is only room for one more, and we all agree that it must be our Robert Louis. (Cheers.) In such a company and such a dearth of accommodation he would be very willing just to be the boy who runs backwards and forwards with tlin hot water.'' (Laughter.)