A FAMOUS PUBLISHER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 978, 19 November 1910, Page 9

A FAMOUS PUBLISHER.

Tho house of Macmillan has long occupied a leading place in the publishing world, and all interested in books and in the literary history, of' the time will turn to the "Life and Letters of Alexander Macmillan," by Mr. Charles Graves. Tho original founders of the Macmillan . firm were two brothers, Daniel and Alexander. The life of the elder brother, Daniel Macmillan, who died in 1557, was written in 18S2 :by Tom-Hughes. .Mr. Graves covers to some extent the same ground so far as tho earlier part of the story is concerned, but devotes his attention principally to the period after 1857, ivhoii Alexander became the senior and active partner of the firm. With many of the leading literary lights of tho last half-century Messrs. Macmillan, have had dealings, and among tho names' which occur ■in Mr. Graves's narrative aro the lato Lord Tennyson, P. D. Maurice, Charles Kingsley; Tom Hughes, Huxley, Sir Archibald (Scikie, J. R. Green, Mr. Gladstone, Matthew Arnold, Goldwin Smith, Thomas Hardy, and Lord Morley. With none of theso does he seem to have been on moro affectionate terms than Kingsley, and among tho letters appears an interesting communication about."Tom Brown's Schooldays," from the parson to tho publisher: ■ "If you do not push that book of Tom Hughes's, why, then, I shall sot* you down for no Soot. Foe why? It would be a very great hit. It is ail extraordinary book.' Talce it all in all, you won't see such smart . writing, such knowlcdgo of'slang, and all manner of odds and ends combined with the actual knowledge of boys, and with the real lofty tono of religion and the broad humanity, in any living writer. Bosides, it is the only book of its kind. I should have been proud to have written that book, word for word, as it stands. ..." Tho book -was pushed, and was,'of course, a great success, and no ono rejoiced moro 'in that success than Kingsley. , As early as 1859 we find Macmillan paying a visit to Tennyson, and concerning it w r e read: "The visit was a great success. Tlicy had 'three glorious days with Tennyson, whom we found in all'way's-menial, manly, and pleasant.' 'Tennyson,' Macaulay told his friend Reynolds, 'smokes liko-a Christian'; Mrs. Tennyson he found "quito fit for a noble poet's wife—gentle, cultivated, - and elegant, and yet most practical in air her views of things,' and the two boys wero 'beautiful fellows. 1 " • ] One of Macmillan's heroes was Carlyle; and although tho claims of business fully occupied him, ho always found time to write when one of his heroes was assailed. In a letter to one correspondent in 1860, he says: "Tho Carlylo question is too long to go into. I would like to talk it ovet. I have no doubt many eminent persons -at home and abroad don't approve of Carlyle, and like to see him bullied. He is very often not quite right, and I often disagree with his conclusions myself. But what matter fools to get more light from his very errors than from oceans of their aimless, accurate talk about nothing.. And 'Frederick' is a magnificent book if all tho world ana his wifo said otherwise. How can you talk of him and Macaulay in the same breath?"

Soma criticisms in tho "Athenaeum/' when Hepworth Dixoii was editor, caused Macmillan in a letter to Miss Mulock (afterwards Mrs. G. L. Craik), to tell with obvious relish the story of Dixon's encounter with Carlyle: "Wliat does it matter what 'Athenaeum' says? Let them go to Jericho and fall among thieves. . . . Do you know this story? Oarlylo and Dixon met at dinner somewhere. Carlyle was descanting on tho irreverent way in which newspapers babbled about anyone and everyone—wishing somo paralysis of the General gabbling faculty could be effected. '1 don't with you, Mr. Carlvlo. I should like to know everything,. and bo able to talk about everything.' 'And there's Dixon there, ■he's sore distrcst because his tongue is not long enough to do all the gabbling he wants to do.' " . Theological quarrels, Air. Graves says, gave Macmillan no satisfaction, nor did he take any delight in those of scientific gladiators. "The Owen-Huxley fight ho thought rather sod, and ho considered Kingsley's 'Dundreary spccch' very much to tho point: 'Why will you scieii-

tific men quarrel?' Your little hands wero never meant to tear each other's eyes—but to ,di«j.fossils and dissect tadpales' tails and such liko wise and harmless objects." There .were at one time occasional -"feasts of Talk, Tobacco, and Tipple," in Macmillan's liouso at Tootino;, and he writes to Professor Tait: "Yesterday I had Huxley tho professor and Tennyson the poet dining with me, and better talk is not often to bo had." A fortnight later he tells 'another friend of being at a club where ho met and had pleasant gossip with Tennyson, Browning, Anthony Trollope, Lord Houghton, Lord Stanley, Tom Taylor, Fitzjames Stephen, and others. These gatherings he appears to have thoroughly enjoyed. In 1866 wo find two notable names appearing for tho first time in Macmillan's correspondence—those of John Morley and Norman Lockyer: "Alexander Macmillan," Lord Morley writes, "was my earliest and greatest benefactor.". Mr. Morley was ono of the first contributors to "Macmillan's , Magazine," and his paper on George Eliot's novels gave the author such pleasure that G. H. Lewes called on Macmilan to thank him. Macmillan himself, wo aro told, liked this article "exceedingly." The relations of Macmillan and Lord Morley became more close as the years passed, and tjie following charming letter from .John Morley was sent to Macmillan on one of his birthdays: "I wish you many happy returns of the day with all my heart. You have now a long retrospect, of elfectivo industry and fine service to the world, and I make no doubt that you aro wiso enough to find in this a perfect comfort against tho otherwise uncomfortable flight of years. Not many men in this generation have done better work or in a better kind. It is pleasant to mo to think that. for ono quarter of your lifo you and I have been friends and fellow toilers. ... I shall drink your health in a glass of wine in which my doctor assures mo there lurks not a drop of . acid—emblem, my dear Macmillan, of our long and undisturbed friendship." Tho success of "John Inglesant," which tho Macmillans published, passed all expectations, and Sir. Gladstone was ono of its' most fervent admirers: "I had'a call from Mr. Gladstone this afternoon. He camo .specially to thank mo for sending . him 'John Inglesant,' which he wished me to tell you lie thought a work of real genius and of a class which interests'him greatly. That he has found time to read it in the middle of all this Land Bill work is 'not a surprise to those , who know tho marvellous swiftness of mental action ho is capable of."