THE SCBAKTON TBIBTJNE SATURDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 12, 1896, 11 SOME ODD SIGHTS OF LONDON TOWN Miss Kaiser Tells of Her Journeyinfs To and Fro. THE ORIGINAL, CURIOSITY SHOP Something About the Fine Old Cathe dral Town vf Canterbury, Hi Won Aerial Crypt, the Shrine ofThomat ... Becket and Other Notable Sight. Word of Advice to Pupils in Voice Culture. ' Special Correspondence of The Tribune. Ixwdon. Nov. 30. I was down In t:mt part of town the other day, where the gentlemen of the law most do congre gate, and what do you think I saw? Well, Just the cutout, sweetest little thing In all London. I believe. Was it the barristers and solicitors, striding about In their gathered gowns and their funny wigs? you ask. Well, some of their fUBsy, old gowns can hardly be called cute, nor du the keen, sharp faces of their wearers strike the observer as exactly sweet, so it couldn't be that. But some of you who have been to London and "done" it Alas for poor London! in a week, may he guessh:g by this time, so I must tell. Well, it w.w the one and only really genuine Old Curiosity Shop, stuck cosily in a little alley like turning and looking out upon the world like a sweet little ever-young old lady, sitting In her chair, contemplating rather wonder tngly the hurry and scurry of the today world, which rushes on so madly, grow ing old, weary and blase, while time with her seems to stand still, and her eyes are as bright and her cheeks us pink us they ever were in her iirht youth. 1 am rather an explorer, whenever I have any time for it, and having, .is my friends are kind enough to say. the bump of locality very hugely UevelopeJ, I often, when in a stranrje locality, try to determine whereabouts in Lon don I am, and then essay some original short cuts to where I wish to go. Some times I am successful, and emerge In to the thoroughfare 1 hoped to find quite Inflated with conceit over my own powers of llnding my way; but there are times I blush to have to say so when the kindly offices of a policeman are necessary for my successful extri cation from the confusing maze of slums Into which I have blundered, out Into the king's highway once more. HOW ONE FINDS IT. But to proceed. I was down In IIol born the other day ns I said when I started telling you this, and had an other errand which took me over 1o the Strand. Now, instead of taking busses ad libitum, and going In a roundabout way, I thought I would strike through Hoi born, and see "where I was at." So In I went at little Turnstile street, through the famous old Lincoln's Inn Fields, and down an inviting looking little street, when, behold! before me Btood a low, little corner shot), calso mined outside In pale pink, and sur mounted by the curious curved- Dutch tiling that Is still left on some of the oldest London houses In the city or thereabouts. On the front of it. in let ters of old English script ran this le gend "Ye Oldn Curiosity Shop. Immor talized by Charles Dickens." It was oh! so sweet ond tiny mid (tualnt! con sisting of only two stories and both of them low, possessing three or four win dows only. It snuggles close up to the larger houses next it as if for a bit of protection. I looked Inside, fondly hoping that perhaps there might be a replica of the dear old grandfather there, to remind one of the times when Little Nell play ed at Its doorstep, a happy and careful little one, before the two poor, homeless wanderers fled out Into the world only to find there weariness and sorrow and death. But I might have known better, for a very matter of fact and up-to-date Aluminum Cooking Utensils. Only a few years ago this ware was so expensive as to be beyond the reach of the ordinary house keeper. But now, the first cost of the material, improved methods of production and manufacture, and sharp competition, have so reduced the price as to bring it into common use. it is not only LIGHTER, CLEANER, HEALTHIER and MORE EFFICIENT than any other ware usqd for cooking, but it is also without qualifica tion THE MOST DURABLE. It will not rust, corrode, chip, crack or break. It looks like silver and is as tough as steel. It can be scrubbed, scoured and polished without injury and will last for years with ordinary usage. Our line of these goods is quite complete and includes Tea Kettles Tea Pots 00000000000000000C00 hm$$t ml ooooooooooooooooo r x . . y v v v v One or more of these articles will make u coc to fou Retail Department Open Evenings from 7 to 9 o'clock shopman came forward Inquiring what I wanted. As I had no desire for any of any of :, fun- "ittlo the balls of string, sealing wax, dies or pencils with which the place was choked, I retreated, and fell again to worshipping from afar out in the I little cobbled street. But time pressed, and I hid me away to the seething Strand, but I am going down there again upon the first oppor tunity and pry about to my heart's con tent, till I see every room in the little place. IN CANTERBURY.' I had the good fortune to be engaged for a concert In the city of Canterbury not Jong since, and enjoyed the fleet ing glimpse I had of that historical old place immensely. Canterbury, you know dates back to before the Roman occupation of England, and veritably teems with quaint old landmarks. One of the city gates, the west gate. Is, they- tell me, the finest existing gate In the United Kingdom. It was built In the troublous times of the Peasants' war, about 1:!S0, is yet In excellent preservation, and still stands, an Im pressive memorial of the times of old. There are also several buildings here, which are shown to the traveler as the hostelrles where the pilgrims to Can terbury, who thronged here In the mid dle ages to pay their respects to the shrine of Thomas a' Becket, used to sleep and be provided for. Canterbury also rejoices In the pos session of some very ancient thorough fares, Butchery Lane and Nursery lane among them. Both of these streets still retain much of the busi ness from which they originally de rived their names. Nursery Lane Is undoubtedly one of the most pictur esque streets In England. It happily offends all modern laws of Btreet archi tecture; it is narrow; It Is delightfully crocked, and the houses project al most to the proverbial proximity at which we are told they were construct ed In old days, when It was possible to shake hands from the upper win dows across the street. The occupants, my kindly guide Informed me. are fully aware of the reputation they have to maintain, and at twines of festival com bine with equal taste and public spirit to decorate their old-fashioned dwell ing In the "good old-fashioned way." IN THE CATHEDRAL. Of course the great cathedral Is the objective point in Canterbury, and, though you may not think it of me, I rose betimes on the morning after the concert, where I had sung, and "did" It all under the chaperonage of a dear old gentleman who knows every stone in Its wonderful old pile, before I cnught the train up to town again. This delightful guide of mine Is no less a personage than the librarian of the cathedral. wtilch possesses a magnifi cent collection of the old church works, and is also the distinguished prima basso of the cathedral chnjr, one of the finest bodies of its kind in the king dom. In which this gentleman has oc cupied an honored position for over fifty years. I cannot tell nt length all the wond rous beauties of this line old place; let It suffice to say that I- was shown over It most thoroughly and took an appre ciative look at the interesting points of the most noticeable parts. The tomb of the late archbishop was there in the wane, withered flowers . and wreaths still upon It, the one from her majesty still very beautiful. The great electric organ; the exquisitely beautiful choir; the old and decaying looking tomb of Edward the BlacK Prince; the shrine of A' Becket; the musty underground crypt and the monuments therein, all linger in my memory in all their old. strong beauty; but detailed description would be sim ply Itnoosslhle. in this space. There was shown to me. Just before descending with the crypt, a small, square hole in the stone floor, filled In with another exactly fitting stone, or concrete. This is In a part called the Martyrdom, and my guide pointed it out as the exact place where tradi tion savs that Thomas a'Becket had been killed, long ago, by one of the knights. His saintly blood is said to have stained the floor there where he fell, with an Ineradicable stain, and the piece on which It lay was chiseled out and sent to the Vatican, the con crete put here In its place. The treas ury was another intersting part of the Coffee Pots Rice Boilers ooooooooooxooxx OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ooooooooooooooooooooo POURS By Pressing the Lid. sr. IS FOOTE precincts. The original treasury door, still here, has three locks, the keys of which were in the hands of separate, officers of the old monastery, and the consent of ail three was necessary be fore the treasury could be opened. Here In the eastern aisle Is the old Bible desk with a chained Bible restored to its place by the late Bishop Parry. THE BECKET SHRINE. The shrine of ' Thomas a'Becket Is known to every one, and the extent of the former railed space around It may be readily perceived by examining the floor, on which the depression made In the stone by the feet of the pilgrims is plainly visible. 8talr8 there are, too, worn Into ruts by the feet of pious pil grims to this shrine, in the centuries long past. In connection with the shrine also my attention was called to the windows of rich thirteenth cen tury glass, which, in spite of the fact that they represent so "Popish" a cir cumstance as the miracles performed at the tomb of St. Thomas, remain one of the most priceless treasures of early glass coloring In England, and, Indeed, In all Europe. Old Chapels there are In several places In the cathedral, or, rather, re cesses where chapels once were, and the cloisters outside, where the monks were wont to pace up and down and Wneditate, are beautiful, Indeed. Tombs, old, older and oldest meet the eye, the remotest date being that of 1100, in the time of Anselm. About the last look I had was a peep into Cathedral libra ry, where the vulgar eye of the usual tourist Is not permitted to intrude, and even I had to content myself With a rapid Journey around the room, owing to shortness of time. I saw a collec tion of exquisite cameos rows and rows of old vellum manuscripts. I was generously permitted to hold - In jny arms the famous old "Breeches Bible," the first Bible actually printed In Eng lish (queer old script it looked, too), and the first English translation of the New Testament as well. Pat, musty, smelling old skin-covered tomes they were, brown with age and ragged with time, the creamy old vellum leaves as soft to the touch as velvet. ANOTHER CURIOSITY. But Canterbury is the seat of not only one of the finest of old English history-making cathedrals, but of also, quite the very oldest Christian church In all the kingdom of England. This little old house of worshlo came Into existence as early as 383 A. D., as near ly ns can be reckoned, and was the guide book sayeth, probably devoted first to the Blessed Virgin, and after ward to A. Martin, of Tours, and by whose name it has always since been known. They Bay that In the writings of the "Venerable Bede" that It was said to have been erected during the time of the Roman occupation of Eng land, and remained unmolested even during the timys of Henglst and Horsa, the burbarians, until the Christian re ligion again came to England foreVer. It Is not what one would call a beau tiful antiquity, but Is nevertheless In tensely Interesting, as the old Roman portions of it are clearly distinguish able, and the more recent Saxon an1 Norman additions quite as much so. The chief object of interest here is the font, which Is tub-shaped, consist ing of a rim, three tiers and a base. The diameter of the actual basin is one foot, ten Inches, the circumference round the outside being eight feet, two inches, and the height of the whole thing but three feet from the floor. It Is of Saxon workmanship and of solid stone. CHANGING THE SUBJECT. I am sure that every one Interested In voice development, or singing, or both, has heard and read of the fam ous teacher, Marches!, of Paris. She is no doubt the most important of French teachers, probably the most expensive, and certainly the one most talked about. By some her praises are loud ly sung, and It Is certain that her best known pupils, such as Melba, and a few others, are Indeed lovely and would be a credit to any one. By some, also, she Is most horribly "talked down" as having ruined their voices, neglected them for other richer pupils and so on to no end of uncompliment Sauce Pans Fry Pans a MOST DESIRABLE GJFT for any Housewife. & ary remarks. Praises and blame can alike be taken with a grain of salt, and an approximate idea of the wo man's wouh i be arrived at by listen ing to numbers of her pupils, which I have done, for an occasional idea of Parisian training, in the dim future, of course, for the benefit of my French accent, has once in awhile flitted through my brain. As'l say, I have studied over her pupils and have heard scores. I have arrived at the conclu sion that she has one Melba, and doyens of mediocre and bad voices. Not bad style, but bad voice-use. Well, her daughter, Blanche Marchesl, has been giving a number ot concerts and ap pearancec in London, and, in order to hear the very best sample of, Marchesl work, I have Inverted my hard-earned cash In tickets, and gone. The singing Ib a treat, a positive joy to listen to, so lovely and effective the style of de livery, but the voice Is no better de veloped, brought out or even than the voices of many an ordinary singing teacher's pupils In the provinces. Mdme. Blanche's voice was breathy; she rejoices In two or three distinct "breaks," and went lamentably sharp; bo that I have come to the conclusion, after two years' study in the matter, that for voice culture, tone develop ment and getting the best work your throat is capable of giving, English masters are far superior to the others. I should advise future singers who wish to study with Mdme. Murchesl to first study voice with some one who makes that subject a specialty and afterward go to her for coaching In style, which it Is evident she 'can teach beautifully, and she occupies, no doubt, In France, the same exalted position In the profession as" do Randegger and Henschel. in Ensland. ' Sadie E. Kaiser. SOME NEW BOOKS. Larned's History for Ready Reference and Topical Reading. It would seem that the genius of book makers had reached Its limit, and that It would be difficult for the Inven tive mind to hit upon any new and great departure In this line. But here we hove. In Mr. J. N. Larned's "History for Ready Reference," a work that Is truly "sul generis." This accomplished author who Is, and has been for nearly a score of years, the etlicient superin tendent of the Buffalo public library, and Is unexcelled in his acquaintance with historical literature, has been engaged for more than a half score of years upon this work, which, as has been said, will be his monument. Nev er before has there been an attempt to enter upon the field In which he has so courageously harvested that which is worth harvesting in the field of histori cal literature. ffo be able to find In a moment the choicest gems from the great recorders of the past, upon all topics of historic Interest, and thus to have, what has never been attempted before, the fas cination. Interest and charm of our great historical writers at the same time with the authoritative Informa tion which they have presented In their writings, this. It seems, would natural ly belong to a literary millennium, the dawn of which we would scarce expect to behold. But here It is, and we are compelled to wonder that a single in dividual, however excellently equipped for the purpose, should have the cour age to enter upon such a vast field of laborious thought, that required the exercise of Buch discrimination and the acquaintance with such a vast amount of the world's best literature. It Is the cream of history In thlsre spect, that It gives In the very language of the best historians, biographers and specialists, their finest utterances upon all topics of history. It Is not an ency clopaedia, for that Is supposed to treat of everything. Besides, the history that Is in encyclopaedias, Herbert B. Adams, of John Hopkins University, rightly calls "dry 1 bones" when com pared with the vivid descriptions from Dippers Cups 1 first hands shlch It Is the province of Mr. larned's work to give. The work comes In between the encyclopedia and the dictionary, and occupies a field never before occupied. There have been poetical compilations, and collec tions of American and English litera ture, and there Is now coming out a large library of universal literature, but nothing but this to cover the litera ture of history, and this was therefore both history and literature. When we see such an array of prom inent men that have expressed them-, selves bo emphatically In behalf of this great work we congratulate not only the author but the publishers that this unique production has received its just deserts.- We cannot begin 'to tell the merits of the work. It would fill all the col umns of any of our Issues to attempt to reproduce the favorable criticisms that have appeared in the most prom inent periodicals In the country, which have spoken of this work as of no other. For the family, the busy business man, tor the overworked student or pastor, the lawyer, and especially for the teacher and the school this work comes to aid. to inform, to save labor and at the same time aVUsht as no other ha ever done. Quotations from some B.000 volumes are given therein and refer ences to some 7.000 more, and all are so arranged that items In history can be found as quickly as a chapter and a, verse In the Bible. The work Is pub lished by The C. A. Nichols Co., of Springfield, one of the oldest and most reliable subscription book publishers In the country. The volumes. It should be stated, are Issued from the River side stress, a guarantee of most excel lent work in printing and binding. We give herewith the opinions of some that our readers may see that we have not stated the matter with undue force, or allowed our enthusiasm to pass beyond the bounds of the strictest truth with regard thereto: Dr. John Fiske says "I am quite sure It Is one of the most valuable reference books in exist ence." Albert Shaw, editor of the Re view of Reviews, speaks of "the Incom parable usefulness" of the work. Scores of librarians have testified to Its great value, Charles Orr. of Cleve land, saying it Is "the best book ever published in the country by subscrip tion." Professor Moses Colt Tyler says "It stands alone." Rev. Mr. Mears says "Whoever canvasses for it Is a public benefactor." Bishop John H. Vincent says "where the dictionary, goes this history should go. The two books come nearer making a complete library than any other two books in the world." Our own local librarian. Mr. Henry J. Carr, In speaking of this work says: "Fortune has favored me by an acquaintance with Mr. J. N. Larned, the compiler of 'History for Ready Reference and Topical Reading,' through the past fourteen years. Dur ing that time I have hnd occasion to learn a good deal regarding his excep tional qualifications and marked abil ities for the production of such a work. Therefore I speak understanding' In rating it as one of the monumental compositions of present times, and do not feel It can well be too highly com mended. As a work touching every possible phase of history, both for ref erence and rcadlnrr. it bids fair to be come the one best reliance of the busy person or the student on all subjects. In fact other than for recreative or scientific reading, I believe that the volumes of Mr. Larned's "History for Ready Reference" comes nearer taking the place of a full library than any other one literary production acces sible." The Boston Transcript, after several extended criticisms upon the early vol umes, had the following upon the Issue of the lust volume: "This monumental work. In Its completed form, will take Its place in the homes and libraries of the country as the quickest, most con venient, and most ui'thoritative book of historical rot retire ever yet made available to readers of the English lan guage." We note with satisfaction that the work Is receiving the large patronage it deserves anions the discriminating people of Scranton. and we venture to express the hope that the students of all our schools where history Is taught may have placed within their reach Pie Plates Pudding Pans " ' III' III the Incomparable advantages which It affords tor their history students. The representative of the publishers of this work. Mr. A. G. Lund. Is now taking orders in the city and we com mend him to the favorable .considera tion of all lovers of good books, II II II Two sightly volumes of short stories are received from Way & Williams, Chicago, and found to met it more than passing attention. One of them, a col lection of fifteen stories and sketches of Kansas life and mur-ners. entitled "The Real Issue," Is the work of a "country editor." William Allen White, proprietor of the Emporia Oatette. Mr. White sprang in a day into political prominence durin; the last campaign by the publication In his paper of a breezy, slashing rebuke to Populism un der the heading "What's Wrong With Kansas." This was copied the country over and final!; made Into a circular and distributed by the million. In that editorial Mr. White was the caustic ami yet humorous partisan battling against surrounding Idiocy. But in these fif teen rtories we have him revealed In let.8 belligerent attitude, with ready hu mor softened by equally ready sym pathy and both dominated by vigorous, virile masculinity. -The Real Issue" the story which gives its title to the hook Is only a sketch, the picture of a congressman in momentary revolt from the hollow mockeries of politics, but it shows on the part of its author an In cisive insight Into the workings of the soul. "The Story of Aqua Pura" Is a Kansas variation of Mrs. Peattle's "Jim Lancy's Waterloo," the difference being that It is done in bolder strokes and by a man. It explains why Kan sas, like Nebraska. Is a hotbed of Populism. But the most enj-iyable product of Mr. White s fancy In the col lection before us Is his story of "The King of Boyville," which well deserved titular honors. It. too. Is a slight thing, in sccpe; but where else have we had the real article of boy limned In such unpretentious, kindly accuracy? There are plenty vt technical faults In Mr. White's lictlon, but It has the great element of human Interest, and mora of it will be welcome. , II II II The second volume, "The Lucky Number." by I. K. Friedman, carries us Into a decidedly different atmos phere. It Is a study of the slums of Chicago and not an attempt to photo graph squalor in the manner nowadays abominably overdone, but rather an ef fort to catch the romance of It and to picture In little studies the effect of environment upon character. Mr. Friedman, we arc informed. Is a novice in letters, liy occupation he is a florist the last thing one would thing of while reading his stories, is 27 years old, a Jew, and a graduate of Ann Ar bor. Natural Interest In human pecu liarities took him as a studen into Chi cago's Ghetto, and his present endeav ors to reproduce some of the fruits of his observations there are his first pub lished literary work. We have read "The Lucky Number" through with honest and at times enthusiastic inter est, and we find It fit to recommend. Mr. Friedman has a singularly .effec tive narrative style and Is possessed to a notable degree of the dramatic In stinct. He does not write stories In the conventional Bense; he rarely takes the pains to rig up a plot, counterpoise his characters and mete out at the last a proper equalisation of rewards and punishments, and to those who have grown to expect that kind of thing he will prove disappointing. His method is rather to throw his picture on the screen. Just as It appears in real llfe.but with more attention to character, hu man motive and the essence of things than to photography, and with a dra matic propriety which escapes monoto ny and shuns the non-essentlnl. It mny be charged that his art Is somewhat Impressionistic, but the main thing Is that it is effective, that It commands attention, excites sympathy and leaves afterward no lingering sense of regret. We shall await Mr. Frledmun's next literary work with expectancy, for he seems capable of something far be yond the ordinary. II II II Last week we spoke In terms of praise of Lucas Malet's "Carlsslma," which we pronounced, to use a stereo typed but still useful phrase, the "book Baking Pans Water Trays until after it $ ta-vtmr J of the year." If sales are an Indies-, tlon, our verdict is being sustained "Carisslma" has already exhausted several editions. Hut this does not answer the main question "Who un der the heavens is Lucas Malet?" "Lucas Malet" is the nom de plume of a woman Mary Klngsley. daughter of the famous Charles Klngsley and now the wife of the Rev. William Harrison, rector of Clovelly. in Devon shire. Mrs. Harrison has demonstrat ed in her literary career at least two things. First, that it Is possible for an author to be widely read, keenly ap preciated by the best critics, be sieged by offers from publishers and yet refrain from ra;id writing, eight years having elapsed between the pub lication of the "Wages of 8ln" and that of "The Carlsslma." while there were long Intervals between other works from the same pen. Secondly, that one may be a novelist of the first rank and yet avoid Individual publicity. Mrs. Harrison herself would be the last to quarrel with misconceptions as to her identity. Whatever her methods and one Is temined, with apologies to the Mrs. Burnetts, to believe them negative in character she has hith erto almost altogether escaped the parugraphist ad even In England little is known about her outside the circle of her intimate friends. One of the dearly loved and carefully educated daughters of Charles Klngsley (chris tened after his mother. Mary Lucas) she shared In the dellshtful house life at Eversley, pictured by Mrs. Klngsley In "Letters and Memoirs," and married her father's curate and friend, William Harrison, afterward made rector of Clovelly, that pictur esque Devonshire village so well nowkn to the readers of "Westward, Ho!" a village of a single street, "a winding, rocky pathway, pitching headlong Into the bluest sea In the world." Last year In "A Romance of Clovelly," Kate Douglas Wlggin described for us afresh the quaint and charming village, not built like unto other towns, but "flung up from the sea Into a narrow rift be tween wooded hills.'" where It has clung for 800 years. In spite of her quiet and beautiful surroundings, however. It Is not the aspects of nature but the ur gent, complicated problems of human life which have most deeply Impressed Mrs. Harrison. There are few touches of description In her books, little of outward nature. Her first novel, "Col. Enderby's Wife," published In the early '80s. dealt with the marriage of a middle-aged colonel to the brilliant, soulless Jessie Pierce-Daunay, and the pathos of the hero's awakening to a knowledge of the fact that "contact Is not fusion." Then came "Mrs. Lorl mer" and "A Counsel of Perfection," of wonderful charm and Insight, stu dies rather than rtories of a young widow and an old maid. These were followed by "The Waves of Sin," s novel less sensational than Its title but of extreme power and appealing, to make use of a late phrase of Mr. Qull ler Couch, "not to a particular but to a universal comprehension." Now comes "Chrrlsslma," which concerns itself with the modern girl and Is by all odds the most finished and effective work that Its author has yet done. Reduced Rates to Washington on Ae , count of the Inauguration via Pcnn sylvaniit Railroad. For the benefit of those who deslro to attend the ceremonies Incident to the inauguration of President-elect McKlnley, the Pennsylvania Railroad company will sell excursion tickets to Washington March 1. 2, 3, and 4, valid to return from March 4 to 8. at the fol lowing rates: From New York, S8.U0; Philadelphia, $",.40; Baltimore, $1.60; Harrisburg, Ja.Ofi; Wllliamsport. $8.79; Buffalo, J11.2U; Rochester. J10.48; Al toona and Pittsburg, $10.00; and from all other stations on the Pennsylvania system nt reduced rates. This Inauguration will be a most In teresting event, and will undoubtedly attract a large number of people from every section of the country. The magnificent facilities of the Pennsylvania railroad make this line the favorite route to the national capi tal at all times. and its enormous equip ment and splendid terminal advan tages at Washington make It especial ly popular on such occasions. Watch 5afes Cigar Cases And Christmas. abet
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