READS, ad, Charles, English novelist and lay-writer: b. Ipsden House. Oxfordshire, 8 June 1814; d. Shepherd's Bush, London, 11 April 1884. He was graduated at Oxford in 1835, at which he obtained a fellowship, and was called to the bar in 1843, but, finding litera ture more attractive than law, devoted himself to the former and never practised. He became first known by a comedy (in conjunction with Tom Taylor) called 'Masks and Faces,' which he presently elaborated as the novel of 'Peg Woffington) (1852). This was followed by 'Christie Johnstone) (1853), in which he showed considerable appreciation of certain characteristics of Scottish life. The appear ance, in 1856, of 'Never Too Late to Mend,' one of his with a purpose,' in which he attacked the English prison system with perhaps greater zeal than unbiased judgment, secured for him a wide reputation. His next great work, the most scholarly and artistic of his writings, 'The Cloister and the Hearth,) deal ing with the lives of the parents of Erasmus, appeared in 1861, is decidedly his masterpiece, and has been described by Besant as the great est historical novel in the language; but it has not attained the popularity, with the general reader, of some of his more melodramatic novels. Among the more important of his other works are 'Love Me Little, Love Me Long) (1859) ; 'Hard Cash) (1863) ; Gaunt) (1866) ; Play' (with Dion Bouci cault, 1869) ; 'Put Yourself in His Place) (1870) ; 'A Terrible Temptation) (1871) ; 'The Wandering Heir) (1872) ; 'A Perilous Secret) (1884). He was also the author, either alone or in collaboration with others, of several dramas, including ; 'Two Loves and a Life) ; 'The King's Rivals); and 'Drink,' the last adapted from Zola's None of these won much success for Reade. His 'Courier of Lyons,) renamed 'The Lyons Mail,' has been made famous by Sir Henry Irving in the dual role of Lesurques and Du bose. Reade was enthusiastic by nature, and
continually filled with new enthusiasms toward any cause which roused his easily excited in terest. The abuses in the convict prison sys tem produced, as was said, one of his best known novels; the system of private lunatic asylums furnished the motive for 'Hard Cash,' as the trades-union outrages at Sheffield did for 'Put Yourself in His Place,) while in 'Foul Play> he attacked the alleged practice of over loading and over-insuring ships. His writings show considerable skill in the delineation of character, much narrative, descriptive and dramatic power, combined at times with coarse ness and theatricality, and they were based on much painstaking research. He may, perhaps, be said to rank first in the second order of English novelists of the 19th century, and was as popular in this country as in his own. See CLOISTER AND THE HEARTH, THE. Consult Swinburne's article in his 'Miscellanies> (1886); 'Charles Reade: A Memoir> (1887); Ireland, 'Extracts,' with an introduction (11821891); and the Gentleman's Magazine for 1.
READE,John, Canadian journalist: b. Ballyshannon, Ireland, 13 Nov. 1837. He was educated at Queen's College, Belfast, and in 1856 went to Canada, where he founded the Montreal Literary Magazine, engaged in teach ing, practised law at intervals, and in 1864 took orders in the Church of England, after ward beginning his association as editorial writer with the Montreal Gazette which he has ever since maintained. In 1887 he was elected president of the Montreal Society for Historical Studies. He wrote 'The Prophecy and Other Poems> (1870) • 'Language and Conquest> (1883)i The Making of Canada> (1885); 'Vita sine Liberis> (1886) ; (Aboriginal Amen can Poetry> (1887), etc.