[Editor: This is section 11 of “Barcroft Boake: A Memoir ”, by A. G. Stephens, published in Where the Dead Men Lie and Other Poems (1897).]
[Accepted by The Bulletin]
The letters written by Boake at this time show how rapidly he was gathering and associating ideas, how his literary faculty was stimulated by recognition and praise, and how strongly he vibrated to pathetic or tragic impulses. Unluckily there is a gap in the correspondence preserved, and during 1890 the personal record is a blank. On 11th January, 1891, Boake writes telling how Wagga society appreciated some satirical lines he had composed concerning certain of its members. His good-nature made him perhaps too ready to yield to pressure to ‘write some spicy verses’ pointing the township gossip; and the flattery he received when these were passed from hand to hand probably blinded him to their aspect of unnecessary malice. Boake was young, however, exulting in the discovery of his unusual talent; and it must be owned that his satire was generally just.
On 16th February, 1891, Boake writes to a sister from the survey camp at Carabosh, near Germanton —
Dear Addie, — To-night is the proudest moment of my life. I feel that at last I have my foot on the first rung of the ladder that leads to fame. I have just got a letter from the editor of The Bulletin, acknowledging some verses. This is what he says: it is short, but very sweet —
Dr. Sir, — Shall be glad to publish your pretty and melodious verses: they may be kept for Xmas and illustrated. Cheque will follow in due course. Hoping to hear from you shortly. Yrs., &c., J. F. ARCHIBALD.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I got it — I was so surprised … This letter is rather egotistical; but I felt I must write to some one or die. — Your loving BARTIE.
Yet there is preserved from about this period a fragment of a letter containing the statement: ‘I myself believe with Tolstoi that the sooner the race dies out the better for all concerned.’ Boake’s physical tendency to melancholy was too strong to be permanently overpowered by any mental reaction.
Source:
Barcroft Boake, Where the Dead Men Lie and Other Poems, Sydney (NSW): Angus and Robertson, 1897, pp. 193-195
Editor’s notes:
&c. = an alternative form of “etc.”: an abbreviation of “et cetera” (also spelt “etcetera”), a Latin term (“et” meaning “and”, “cetera” meaning “the rest”) which is translated as “and the rest (of such things)”, used in English to mean “and other similar things”, “other unspecified things of the same class”, “and so forth”
Addie = a diminutive form of the names “Addison”, “Adelaide”, “Adele”, and “Adeline” [in this instance, Barcroft H. Boake’s sister’s name was Adelaide]
Dr. = an abbreviation of “Dear”, such as used in writing letters, e.g. “Dr. Sir” (“Dear Sir”), “Dr. Madam” (“Dear Madam”)
J. F. Archibald = Jules François Archibald (1856-1919), baptised John Feltham Archibald, commonly known as J. F. Archibald; journalist, publisher, and editor of The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW); he was born in Kildare (now Geelong West, Victoria) in 1856, and died in Sydney (NSW) in 1919
See: 1) Sylvia Lawson, “Jules François Archibald (1856–1919)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “J. F. Archibald”, Wikipedia
own = confess; admit or affirm that something is true
pathetic = something which evokes feelings of sadness or sorrow (can also refer to something which is considered inadequate, inferior, or beneath contempt)
Tolstoi = Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910), a Russian writer; he is especially known for his novels War and Peace (1865-1869) and Anna Karenina (1875-1877) (Tolstoi is an alternate spelling of Tolstoy)
See: 1) Gary Saul Morson, “Leo Tolstoy: Russian writer”, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 23 April 2024
2) “Leo Tolstoy”, Wikipedia
Wagga = the informal name of Wagga Wagga, a city in south-eastern New South Wales, located west of Canberra (ACT) and south-east of Griffith (NSW)
See: “Wagga Wagga”, Wikipedia
Xmas = an abbreviation of “Christmas”
Yrs. = an abbreviation of “Yours”, such as used in signing-off letters, e.g. “Yrs. sincerely” (“Yours sincerely”)
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