LITERARY EMINENCE.
Hawthorne used to -ride up and down, in his latter years, he tells us, with plenty of people who knew him well as the ex-Surveyor of tne port of Salem, but who never knew that he had written anything, and had never, heard of the " Scarlet Letter." In Samuel Longfellow's memoirs of his brother, there is an entry from the poet's diary in which he tells how a " society woman," at whose table he was dining one day, asked him. " Oh, Mr Longfellow, have you ever published a book ? " This was after two-thirds of his life work was done. Literary eminence does not effect much lodgment in the minds of people of a certain grade. The other day, the " Listner " is told, a gentleman came into a barber shop just as Dr. Holmes was going out, and occupied the chair that the autocrat had vacated 11 Do you know who that was that just went out'," said' the barber. The visitor was curious to see what account of Dr Holmes the barber would give, arid shook his head. "Why," said the barber, "that's ol<TDr Holmes." " And who is Dr Holmes ? " " Oh, he's been a doctor here a great many years. I believe he ain't practicin' any more, but he's thought a great deal of!" — Boston Transcript.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 1861, 22 July 1887, Page 35
Word Count
218LITERARY EMINENCE. Otago Witness, Issue 1861, 22 July 1887, Page 35
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