A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4), Samuel Smiles [good beach reads txt] 📗

For, Study, Research, And Scholarship On Which The

General Quality Of Literature Must Depend. Books, And Even Knowledge,

Like Other Commodities, May, In Proportion To The Ease With Which They

Are Obtained, Lose At Once Both Their External Value And Their Intrinsic

Merit.

 

 

 

Murray's Professional Success Is Sufficient Evidence Of The Extent Of

His Intellectual Powers. The Foregoing Memoir Has Confined Itself Almost

Exclusively To An Account Of His Life As A Publisher, And It Has Been

Left To The Reader's Imagination To Divine From A Few Glimpses How Much

Of This Success Was Due To Force Of Character And A Rare Combination Of

Personal Qualities. A Few Concluding Words On This Point May Not Be

Inappropriate.

 

 

 

Quick-Tempered And Impulsive, He Was At The Same Time Warm-Hearted And

Generous To A Fault, While A Genuine Sense Of Humour, Which Constantly

Shows Itself In His Letters, Saved Him Many A Time From Those Troubles

Chapter 30 ( George Borrow--Richard Ford--Horace Twiss--John Sterling--Mr. Gladstone--Death Of Southey, Etc.) Pg 200

Into Which The Hasty Often Fall. "I Wish," Wrote George Borrow, Within A

Short Time Of The Publisher's Death, "That All The World Were As Gay As

He."

 

 

 

He Was In Some Respects Indolent, And Not Infrequently Caused Serious

Misunderstandings By His Neglect To Answer Letters; But When He Did

Apply Himself To Work, He Achieved Results More Solid Than Most Of His

Compeers. He Had, Moreover, A Wonderful Power Of Attraction, And Both In

His Conversation And Correspondence Possessed A Gift Of Felicitous

Expression Which Rarely Failed To Arouse A Sympathetic Response In Those

Whom He Addressed. Throughout "The Trade" He Was Beloved, And He Rarely

Lost A Friend Among Those Who Had Come Within His Personal Influence.

 

 

 

He Was Eager To Look For, And Quick To Discern, Any Promise Of Talent In

The Young. "Every One," He Would Say, "Has A Book In Him, Or Her, If One

Only Knew How To Extract It," And Many Was The Time That He Lent A

Helping Hand To Those Who Were First Entering On A Literary Career.

 

 

 

To His Remarkable Powers As A Host, The Many Descriptions Of His Dinner

Parties Which Have Been Preserved Amply Testify; He Was More Than A Mere

Entertainer, And Took The Utmost Pains So To Combine And To Place His

Guests As Best To Promote Sympathetic Conversation And The General

Harmony Of The Gathering. Among The Noted Wits And Talkers, Moreover,

Who Assembled Round His Table He Was Fully Able To Hold His Own In

Conversation And In Repartee.

 

 

 

On One Occasion Lady Bell Was Present At One Of These Parties, And

Wrote: "The Talk Was Of Wit, And Moore Gave Specimens. Charles Thought

That Our Host Murray Said The Best Things That Brilliant Night."

 

 

 

Many Of The Friends Whose Names Are Most Conspicuous In These Pages Had

Passed Away Before Him, But Of Those Who Remained There Was Scarcely One

Whose Letters Do Not Testify To The General Affection With Which He Was

Regarded. We Give Here One Or Two Extracts From Letters Received During

His Last Illness.

 

 

 

Thomas Mitchell Wrote To Mr. Murray's Son:

 

 

 

"Give My Most Affectionate Remembrances To Your Father. More Than Once I

Should Have Sunk Under The Ills Of Life But For His Kind Support And

Chapter 30 ( George Borrow--Richard Ford--Horace Twiss--John Sterling--Mr. Gladstone--Death Of Southey, Etc.) Pg 201

Countenance, And So I Believe Would Many Others Say Besides Myself. Be

His Maladies Small Or Great, Assure Him That He Has The Earnest

Sympathies Of One Who Well Knows And Appreciates His Sterling Merits."

 

 

 

Sir Francis Palgrave, Who Had Known Mr. Murray During The Whole Course

Of His Career, Wrote To Him Affectionately Of "The Friendship And

Goodwill Which," Said He, "You Have Borne Towards Me During A Period Of

More Than Half My Life. I Am Sure," He Added, "As We Grow Older We Find

Day By Day The Impossibility Of Finding _Any_ Equivalent For Old

Friends." Sharon Turner Also, The Historian, Was Most Cordial In His

Letters.

 

 

 

"Our Old Friends," He Said, "Are Dropping Off So Often That It Becomes

More And More Pleasing To Know That Some Still Survive Whom We Esteem

And By Whom We Are Not Forgotten.... Certainly We Can Look Back On Each

Other Now For Forty Years, And I Can Do So As To You With Great Pleasure

And Satisfaction, When, Besides The Grounds Of Private Satisfaction And

Esteem, I Think Of The Many Works Of Great Benefit To Society Which You

Have Been Instrumental In Publishing, And In Some Instances Of

Suggesting And Causing. You Have Thus Made Your Life Serviceable To The

World As Well As Honourable To Yourself.... You Are Frequently In My

Recollections, And Always With Those Feelings Which Accompanied Our

Intercourse In Our Days Of Health And Activity. May Every Blessing

Accompany You And Yours, Both Here And Hereafter."

 

 

 

It Was Not Only In England That His Loss Was Felt, For The News Of His

Death Called Forth Many Tokens Of Respect And Regard From Beyond The

Seas, And We Will Close These Remarks With Two Typical Extracts From The

Letters Of American Correspondents.

 

 

 

To Mr. Murray's Son, Dr. Robinson Of New York Summed Up His Qualities In

These Words:

 

 

 

"I Have Deeply Sympathised With The Bereaved Family At The Tidings Of

The Decease Of One Of Whom I Have Heard And Read From Childhood, And To

Whose Kindness And Friendship I Had Recently Been Myself So Much

Indebted. He Has Indeed Left You A Rich Inheritance, Not Only By His

Successful Example In Business And A Wide Circle Of Friends, But Also

In That Good Name Which Is Better Than All Riches. He Lived In A

Fortunate Period--His Own Name Is Inseparably Connected With One Of The

Brightest Eras Of English Literature--One, Too, Which, If Not Created,

Was Yet Developed And Fostered By His Unparalleled Enterprise And

Princely Liberality. I Counted It A High Privilege To Be Connected With

Him As A Publisher, And Shall Rejoice In Continuing The Connection With

Chapter 30 ( George Borrow--Richard Ford--Horace Twiss--John Sterling--Mr. Gladstone--Death Of Southey, Etc.) Pg 202

His Son And Successor."

 

 

 

 

Mrs. L.H. Sigourney Wrote From Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.:

 

 

 

"Your Father's Death Is A Loss Which Is Mourned On This Side Of The

Atlantic. His Powerful Agency On The Patronage Of A Correct Literature,

Which He Was So Well Qualified To Appreciate, Has Rendered Him A

Benefactor In That Realm Of Intellect Which Binds Men Together In All

Ages, However Dissevered By Political Creed Or Local Prejudice. His

Urbanity To Strangers Is Treasured With Gratitude In Many Hearts. To Me

His Personal Kindness Was So Great That I Deeply Regretted Not Having

Formed His Acquaintance Until Just On The Eve Of My Leaving London. But

His Parting Gifts Are Among The Chief Ornaments Of My Library, And His

Last Letter, Preserved As A Sacred Autograph, Expresses The Kindness Of

A Friend Of Long Standing, And Promises Another 'More At Length,' Which,

Unfortunately, I Had Never The Happiness Of Receiving."

 

 

 

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Publication Date: 06-02-2014

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