THE OMAIIA DALLY BODE : SUNDAY , MAY 22 , 1898.
SOME AMERICAN MEDALS.
Honors Ilestowcd oil Soldiers and Sailors.
Medals OI veil to Indian Chiefs.
' Ky V. K. SCKlHNEIt.
The first mcdala over presented by
congress were Riven to the officers of the
American nrmy and nnvy during the rovolu-
tlonnry wnr , nnd of these only twelve were
Issued. General Washington was the first
American who received a mcdnl from his
Ko\ernment. General Oatcs received one
because he beat the llrltlsh at Saratoga ; Otn-
cral Wnjno for attacking nnd capturing
Stony 1'olnt , on the Hudson ; Ooncrals
Greene , Lee , Morgan nnd five other Ameri
can officers for victories obtained by tlic-m
over the enemy. Congress presented I'nul
Jones with a mcdnl for bis successful sen
fights against the Drltlsh battleships. At
the close of the wnr , when Washington was
tlcctcd the first president of the United
States , congress hail struck off In his honor
medal. As It was one of the first given to
ntiy one during times of peace n short de
scription of It may be of Interest to the
boys who rend this article. The medal was
about the size of the present silver dollar ;
on one side was stamped the head of Wash
ington with the Inscription , "Washington ,
President , 1701. " On the reverse was an
eagle , arrows and laurel wreath and the
words "Unum 12 Plurlbus. " An earlier
medal , made In 1785 , was of copper ; It was
stamped with n sun surrounded by thirteen
Btnrs , a laurel wreath entwined about the
letters "U. S. " and bore the Inscription ,
"Llbcrtas ct Justltla , 1785. " Nearly all of
the first mcdnls presented by the American
congress wcro innilo In Franco.
During the war of 1812 congress presented
can bo welded together. A lead bullet , If
shot directly at a stone wall , will develop
heat enough by the contact to melt and fall
to the ground a molten muss. There nro
many other occasions wherein this mechani
cal development of heat becomes manifest.
MWS AiiOUT TIM : itiimv.Mr.s.
Mr. I'liliner Cox to Take tlic Little
I'cople to I2uroie. |
Mr. Palmer Cox , whoso stories of the
Brownies are known to young and old the
world over , Is about to travel through Eu
rope , taking the Brownie band from their
wanderings hero , across the sea to Indulge
In nuw adventures and fresh scenes nnd
sports at well known European centers.
During the sixteen years of Drownlc his
tory , Mr. Cox has received an enormous
quantity of amusing letters from readers of
all nges ; In fact , as soon as a book Is circu
lated , the letters begin to accumulate. A
great proportion of them arc from children
just able to write , telling what they think
of fnvorlto Brownies , whllo most of those
from older children make new suggestions
nnd requests that the band visit certain
localities or take up certain sports.
"You can tell what locality most of the
letters nro from simply by the suggestions
they make , " said Mr. Cox recently. "Tho
letters from Maine , for Instance , would nsk
to have the Brownies sapping trees or mak
ing sugar ; boys out west would want to
PEACE MEDALS AND OTHERS.
twenty-seven medals of honor to the na
tion's sailors and soldiers , but most of thesu
vcro given to commanders In'tho navy.
Hull , the first commander of the frigate
Constitution , received a. medal from con
gress for his victory over a llrltlsh ship ,
It was alee the custom In those days for
congress to give n sum of money to the
captain and crew of the victorious ship and
for the cltUcns of the city at which they
first landed to get up a banquet In their
honor.
Four medals were given during the
Mexican war , but it was not until the late
civil war , In 1SG1 , that the presentation of
medals by nn act of congress gained any
headway. In 18C1 congress directed the
tccrctary of the navy to have made medals
of honor to bo given to petty ofllcers and
tailors In the navy , who distinguished them
selves by acts of bravery. Three hundred
nnd twenty persons received them , which
wcro In the shape of a five pointed star. Other
medals were also presented by congress to
men In the nrmy nnd navy whom the gov
ernment wished to honor. It has always
been the purpose of congress to recognize
bravo actions among American sailors and
soldiers by presenting a mcdnl , and the
email number v.htch have been given out
tnako them all the more valuable.
Perhaps the most famous peace medal , and
certainly ono ot the first which was ordered
to ho struck by congress , was the one In
commemoration of the treaty of peace be
tween the United States and English gov
ernments and which ended the war of 1812.
It was widely circulated nnd was eagerly
vclcomcd by the people. England also
caused to bo made n peace medal In honor
of the treaty.
The custom of giving a medal to such
chiefs as visited Washington was begun at
a very early date In the history of the gov
ernment. The most famous of this class
\\ns the ono presented to Red Jacket , a
noted chief. Ho was very proud of the
honor conferred upon him and always car
ried It In n prominent place.
Ono ot the first mcdnls presented during
the civil war Is shown In the cut ; Major
Anderson received It for his brave defense
ot Fort Sumter , This wna more simple
than these given by the government during
the war of 1812. As shown In the cut , ono
elde was stamped with the head of Major
Anderson ; on tbo reverse was a soldier
planting the American flag upon the top ot
iv fort. This medal was presented by the
Chamber of Commerce of New York to the
commander of Sumter and to each man of
the garrison.
IIOll.INCi WATIMI WITHOUT FIHE.
DftitlU of noxl Kvpcrlnient at
JolniN lloiiUlim Unit ITH | | > .
It Is possible to muko n pall of water boll
without putting It on the lire and without
applying external heat to It In any way. In
fart , you tan make a pall of water boll by
limply stirring It with a wooden paddle.
The feat vas recently performed In the
physical laboratory of John Hopkins uni
versity In Baltimore , Md. , nnd any one may
do It with a little trouble nnd perseverance.
All you have to do Is place your water In a
pr.ll It may be Ice water If necessary and
ntlr It with a wooden paddle. It you keep
it It long enough It will certainly boll. Five
hours ot constant and rapid stirring are suf-
Iclent to perform the feat successfully. The
water will , after a time , grow warm ami
then It will grow hot so hot , In fact , that
you cannot bold jour hand In It , and finally
It will boll. Prof. Ames ot Johns Hopktne
annually Illustrates some ot the phenomena
of heat by having one ot bis students per
form the trick In front of his class. U U t
tiresome Job , but It Is perfectly feasible.
The point which Prof. Ames wishes to Il
lustrate Is what Is known as tbo mechanical
iqulvalent of bent. It requires Just BO manj
toot pounds ot work to develop a given quan-
tlty of heat. By turning the paddle In the
\vutcr at n regular speed it Is possible to flm
out Just how much work Is required to rals <
the temperature of water one degree. Th <
test measurement to far made , and , In fact
the one which Is accepted ft" the atandan
ot the world , U that which was measured ti
Johns Hopkins university.
Heat Is developed In almost any substano
which Is subjected to continuous or very vlo
lent action. It Is an old trick for a black
gmlth to forge without Ore. Long-continue
ind violent hammering on two piece * ot win
111 heat them to tucb ou extent tuut the ;
see cowboy Brownies on broncos fighting
Jackrnbblts ; southerners would suggest their
own sports nnd state that they never have
skating or sleighing , etc.
"The Brownlo band originally were all of
n kind. My Idea was to Interest children
by telling of a race of little nymphs who
were always on the alert , and did their
deeds at night. The little figures or Infant-
fairies were made attractive by the llery ,
staring eyes , largo head and body nnd slen
der limbs. At about the third story I In
troduced the Dutchman , nnd other national
types were then added. Then many of the
letters received suggested new characters ,
mnny of which were tradesmen that could
only bo Identified by tools or surroundings.
The policeman and Uncle Sam vvcro next
admitted and ono day In making a drawing
of Brownies running It scfined necessary
to have something trailing to show that
they were going fast. Tha dude with his
long coattalls was the result. Ho Is the
favorite because ho Is dressed so well. 'Ho
seems out of place among the rough band
which goes through mud and climbs knotty
fences , ' sajs one child , 'but If It were not
for the Chinaman ( Brownie ) his shirt
bosom would not bo BO bright. ' The baud
soon grow to forty-two , when occasionally
I left ono ot the characters out ot a book.
THR BIIOWN1ES AT CHURCH.
This would surely bring a host of letters
asking what bad become of It. The King
Brownlo was left out once and then chil
dren asked If they had killed their king. "
The requests for live Brownies are very
numerous. One child was willing to ex
change her baby brother for the dude and
promised to make clothes for him. Here
Is ono request :
"Dear Mr. Brownie Man : "If there Is
any really brownies pktiso send me ono
why I ask you for one Is because I would
like to have one to play with. Please send
me a girl brownie. I think I would prefer
a girl brownie because I am a girl if jou
have not a girl I do not care what klud of
n brownie jou send me Just so you do not
send TOO the police-man or the Indian or
the chinaman. I am not pctlclur which one
only so it Is not these brownies. Yours
truly. EDNA ANDERSON. "
"P. S. I am going to ask my friend Bob
where you live. "
Here are some common questions : "I
would like to know It jou arc a brawny era
a man ? " and "Is It very hard to catch
blow tiles 7"
| Coming from other parts ot the country ,
: children frequently urge their parents to
1 I bring them to the house of the Brownies , to
I I see what they are like. When they come In
1 I the studio they store around and look dls-
1 appointed , when Mr. Cox has to explain
that they are not to be seen In the daytime.
The following letter 1s a sample of new
characters suggested ;
"My Dear Mr. Ccx :
1 "Will you pleojie make a 'Huntsman
s Urowulo not the kind who hunts wild beasts
' ' but the kind that tides after a live fox an-1
wears a pink coat like papn. Wo think all
the Brownies are Just dear and lovely. "
"Gilbert Mather. "
Another suggests "a little darky brawny
with A ralron In his boot BO he can steal
chickens for the others to cat while the
policeman Is nway. " Other candidates arc ,
"a monk dressed In n long gown with Just
ft fringe of hair around his head , " a
"callable , " n clown and finntft Claim.
A largo number of letters como from
people connected with hospitals and mothers
ot sick children , telling of the value Brown
ies have been In keeping patients' minds
employed. A surgeon stated In n letter that
ho kept ono ot the books on his desk and
after coming from distressing scenes , could
depend upon picking up that book and hav
ing renewed spirit nnd vigor.
In ono of the stories , the band , having
moro seed than they could plant , scattered
some along the roadside. A letter came from
n child who thought this must have been
near his house. Having found an Indian
plant on the roadside , he enclosed It nnd
wanted to know If the Indian Brownlo had
not planted It.
run I.ITTM2 vonj.vrnmis.
Frank I , , St.niton.
Handkerchiefs for little lings ,
Epuuluttu u rose ;
Hobby liorHcs for their nnBC ,
And off the cavalry gotsl
( They've hturd the llrcsldu talk of wnr ,
And tlmt'H what they've enlisted for ! )
With little shiny swords of tin
( Oh , patriotic sons ! )
And Km den plots for lighting In ,
With Lilliputian guns ,
They inim b to forts uml fairy ships ,
With mother's kisses on their lips.
And llerco Hball rage the Ilfjht and long ,
Till from the llowcr-svveut west
The almdowH full , and uvensoiiK
Shall summon them to rent.
Then mother's kisses , and "Good night"
Beneath their little tents of vvblto !
II ! < > llKt-cI In Wnr.
There are at least two recorded Instances In
which bees have been used as weapons of
defense In wnr. When the Roman genetal ,
Lucullus , was warring against Mlthrldatcs
ho sent a force against the city ot Thrmls-
cyra. As they besieged the walls the In
habitants' throw down on them myriads ot
swarms of bees. These at once bi'gan nn
attack which resulted In the raising of the
siege. These doughty llttlo Insects were
also once used with equal success in England ,
Chester was besieged by Danes and Nor
wegians , but Its Saxon defenders threw down
on them the beehives of the town , and the
slego was soon rained.
PIIATTMS OF THE YOlTAGSTUItS.
"Jimmy , you must not talk when older
people nro talking. " "Well , I s'pose jou
want me to grow up dumb. "
Sunday School Teacher This morning I
saw a number Of llttlo bojs watching n base
ball game through holes In n fence. I hope
I did not sco jou there , Johnny ? Johnny
No , ma'am ; jou didn't see me. I was In
side.
side.A
A little Boston girl , who had been at
tending one of the public kindergartens , fell
from a ladder. Her mother caught her up
from the ground In terror , exclaiming , "Oh ,
darling , how did jou fall ? " "Vertically , "
replied the child without a second's hesita
tion.
tion."Paw
"Paw , " nsked the little boy. "didn't jou
say In jour speech that you expected the
map of the world to be changed soon ? " "I
think I did , " said the orator. "Then what
Is the use of my study In' Jography ? "
"Llttlo boy ! " exclaimed the man who had
just turned the corner , "don't you know It's
wrong for jou to match pennies ? " "I ain't
matchin' pennies , " ho nnswctcd , ns he sur
rendered a coin to bla antagonist. "I'm
Jest tryln' to. "
"Willie , how did jou get along at school
today ? " "Very well. " "Now , AVlllle , " his
mother went on severely ; "don't tell stories.
I heard jou had to bo punished. " "Yes.
But It didn't hurt as much ns usual. "
SIIOOTIM ; O.N TIIU SE\ .
Roll I nir Slil ( nn UiiNiitlnrnctory Plnt-
' form for < iiinn.
Necessarily the deck of a vessel at sea ,
says the New York Press , offers n much
less satisfactory platform from which to
shoot than the solid foundation provided In
a land fort , since even when the ocean Is
calmest the vessel must constantly loll
from side to side. Theoretically , the best
time to fire would be at the moment be
tween the rolls , when the deck of the ship
la perfectly level , and In a general way it
may bo said that an attempt la made to
.do the shooting at that Instant. It Is prac
tically Impossible , however , to fire Invaria
bly when the decks are horizontal. No mat
ter how careful the gunner , the piece Is
almost always exploded Just before or Just
after the proper Instant.
The American practice , both In the army
and navy , has always been to shoot low
and always to save ammunition until II
was possible to use It effectively. In tin
nnvy the tradition to shoot low has crys
tallized Into n standing rule , unwritten In
deed , but none the less religiously observed
and Its wisdom has been proved on more
than one occasion of great Importance.
The precise form of this unwritten nava !
rule Is to "wait for tbo downward roll. '
This IB the converse of the maxim obtainIng -
Ing In the British navy that It Is best U
take advantage of tbo "upward roll , " wblct
has been observed almost from the begin'
nlng of naval fighting by the gunners 01
English ships.
This was rendered the more certain fron
the fact that the spherical projectiles the :
In use would ricochet along the surface o
the wa\es If they struck the water , exactlj
as a stone will skip along the top of i
pond when properly thrown from the ham
ot a small boy.
A Ilrronrkuble Hencue.
Mrs. Michael Curtain , Plalnfleld , III. , make
the statement that she caught cold , wtilc
. settled on her lungs ; she was treated for
j month by her family physician , but gre\
worse. He told her ehe was a bopeleea vl :
Urn ot coniumptton and that no mcdlcln
could cure ber. Her druggist euggeetcd 1)1
Klng'e New Discovery for Consumption ; h
boutbt a bottle and to her delight found bei
lelf beneHtted from first tioae. She continue
Ua use and after taking six bottlea foun
herielf aound and well ; new doe * ber ow
housework and Is aa well ai ehe ever wai
Free trial bottlea ot thU Great Discovery i
Kuhn & Co.'s drug atore. Large bottlea C
rent * and | 1.00 ,
Wo'rc going * * go on the suppoi'.tlon
that It Isn't nlvrnyfi going to rain nnd
cnll you atlentloa to our extraordinary
large line of blcyolo "boots " for the Indies
We show the hnndsomost boot ever
brought to Omalm either lu black or
tau nil kid or doth tops the low out
the medium cut mid the extrn high cut
styles we've MI many In so many dif
ferent styles nnd qualities that we can't
begin to quote prices but wo cnn say
this that the line Is larger and the
prices lower thai * you'll find anywhere
else In Onmhn We're surely hcadquar-
tcts for shoes of all kinds.
Drexel Shoe Co. ,
Oinnhn'n tln-to-dnto Shoe Home.
1419 t'ARNAM STREET
When we look birck nnd count up ten
eng years that we've been In business
n Oinahii and nil of that time In this
same place we cannot but know that
our work 1ms been satisfactory else
why Jiaa our bimlne s grown fioin day
o day Xatin ally you consider It a more
( liable place to go tbttu'to some make
shift or temporary exposition denial
nirlors here today to catch the rush-
gone tomorrow If our work by any mis-
nip should piove uiiMillsfactory we will
be light here ten years fiom now lo
uitko It right Not much risk In that for
you. .
BAILEY ,
IS Year * 8d Floor Pnztun Ulk.
2xt ( > rlfnn > lUth nnd Farnaiu.
This Is grass-growing weather we've
he lawn mowers than can cut It tlieie'a
an awful difference hi lawn mowers-
some push limit some easy some cut
he grass some don't we've the kind
hat do $2.50 for the small size , from
.hat ni ) to just as big ns you want-
Washing machines that turn with a
crank so easy that the baby van do the
'amlly washing these nt $ 2.'Jir > tip to
"M.r.0 " . A little water lllter , just what
vou've been looking for fastens on to
he faucet costs only a trljle just ? 1. S
We keep a line line of bulldorV hard-
vate and furnish estimates on any
sized job. ,
A. RAYMER ,
WE DELIVEU YOUU PUUCHASn.
1514 Farnam St ,
TO SUCCEED AS AN AUTHOR
William Dean 'Howells , the Noted Novelist.
Gives His Ideas.
NTERESTING ACCOUNT OF HIS METHODS
SclectH HIM Topic Klmt ami Ilnllil *
III * Story Around It Gciilun a
DcIuNlou , Only Hnril Work
CouiitK.
"I nm at work on another novel , which
vlll come out , I expect , toward the end
of the year , " said William Dean How ells
a few dnjs ago as he sat In his pleasant
New York study , overlooking Central park.
Mr. Howells Is now In his 62d year , and
or a generation has been engaged In en-
ertalnlng the reading public with his genial
lories , but his personal appearance , as
veil as the virility of his writing , Indicates
hat ho Is still In his prime.
"No , " continued the novelist , In answer
0 a further question , "I can't tell jou the
, ltlo of the new story or even Its exact
course , for the reason that these matters
ire never decided with mo until the actual
v riling is completed , or nearly so.
'My ' regular procedure Is first to select
he topic of the story. This Is usually Bome-
hlng that has occurred to me , perhaps
jtars before , and that has been developed
> y occasionally thinking about It.
"The next step Is the selection of charac-
crs , which Is the matter of greatest care
and study , and I never map out the exact
course of the story In advance. Naturally , I
invo a more or less distinct notion of how
t Is to go , but I find that after I begin
writing ono chapter suggests another , and
the story grows of Itself.
'Do ' I receive requests for advice from
young -writers ? Very often , and If the
number of such Inquiries coming to mo
affords any Indication there Is no danger
of the extinction of the American novel , of
which some critics seem to be afraid.
"There Isn't much that can bo said to
these young aspirants for literary fame.
The best advice I Know Is : 'Go ahead , do
jour best , write the truth that j-ou have
ns you see It ; and If one other person feels
nnd npprcclntes It as jou do , the effort will
not have been wasted. '
"Writing Is so different from other kinds
of work. It depends so much upon In
dividual character and habits of mind that
It Is Impossible to lay down any hard and
fast rules In relation to It. No sooner have
j-ou done so than somebody violates them
all and still comes out on top. Still It maybe
bo possible for an old stager , who has kept
touch with the
In moro or less Intimate
literary world for a good many years , to
say a word or two , chiefly In the way of
encouraging and reassuring the beginner ,
that will not be wMted.
No Ilule Kor rreimrntlon.
"I will not attempt to Instruct the beginner
himself or herself
ner as to how to prepare
self ( wo musn't forget'the 'her' In this ) , for
writing. As I sold -before , literature Is
bound bj' no hard and fast rules. Them Is
no get of books , M In law or engineering ,
from which one must get his first principles.
1 don't mean that on acquaintance with the
best writing IB of no value , but of vastly
greater Importance Is the ability and habit
of observing the life that exists about one ,
which nobody has > et put Into a book. If
the joung person we are discussing has the
gifts of mind which will make him a suc
cessful writer these qualities may bo eafcly
left to Indicate the course which his 'prepa
ration' shall take. Only hi this way can
variety , originality and strength be pre-
eervcd In our literature.
"From this you may see that I am not
one of those who constantly uphold tbo clas
sic standards as models for tbo joung lit
erary worken. I guess that fact Is well
enough known to those who are sufficiently
acquainted with me to be Interested In what
I eay. Tbe natural development of tbo novel
baa been from the classic , through the ro.-
mantle , to tb naturalUUe. I like the latter
term better than realistic because realism ,
In the minds of many persons , Is associated
with what Is sordid and unpleasant. Of
course that Isn't true , for realty has Its
cheerful and encournglnf ; side ns well as the
reverse. Realism or naturalism being the
present , and perhaps the permanent , garb
ot the novel in Its highest form , It follows
that the writer's only textbook which he
must never disregard Is life , life In someone
ono of Us infinite phases. Sincerity Is the
great essential. Truth Is the one
motto that the young writer should put
In big letters above his desk. So long as
ho conforms to that his work cannot be
wholly lost.
Tendency Toward \ntitrnllniii.
"The tendency of recent years has been ,
I think , toward naturalism. 13y that I do
not mean that it has commanded the
greatest number of readers. Mankind , at
least the majority of him , Is conservative ,
sticks to accepted standards , demands the
same Kind of food that he has been accus
tomed to. But I think It an evidence ot
advanced nnd educated llternry taste that
the most Intelligent element ot the reading
public now demands , not an absorbing
story , but a strong delineation of character ,
a bit of nature or life transplanted to the
pages of a book. It Is well for the young
writer to get It thoroughly settled In his
mind that nobody In the future will bo
reckoned great who IB false to humanity
and that there Is no true picture of life
which is not , by that fact , a woik of art.
The question for tbo writer to ask himself
constantly nnd scarohlngly In contemplat
ing his work Is : 'Is It true true to the
thoughts and principles that shape life7'
"As an example of the tendency to subor
dinate plot take Tolstoi , who Is. perhaps ,
the greatest of realists. Some of his stories
are scarcely more than exquisite delinea
tions of character and motives and yet they
are masterpieces of fiction.
"You emphasize the Importance of char
acter delineation. In your writing are jour
characters taken from life4. "
"I never copy the character of in Indi
vidual. That would bo to give a portrait.
What Is taken represents a type. Every
Kitting the .floor Isn't ' the mo t Impor
tant carpet cRscntlalfl the fabric nml
pattern of the floor covoniie should lit
the room and house Years of carpet
study have brought us carpet experience
that will ibe of great assistance to you
Huylug here IIIIMUIH perfect Inste nnrt
harmony It means economy , too our
expei lence and the magnitude of our
business enables UK to save money hi
buying , nnd AVO give you the benefit.
OmahaCarpetCo
Oinalia's Exclusive Carpet House ,
1515 Dodge St.
You can't get over facts and It's tlmo
wasted to go 'round them When \\c
say we are In the optical goods bns'ness
we menu that \vt > have everything In
the vuiy of spectacles , glasses , loiibcs
and frames you are likely to lequire or
your physician to pi escribe When It
comes to Httlng jou with the glasses
suitable to your needs you lecelvo com
petent attention and the best goods to
be had In town at anywhere near the
price I'ut on your glasses luid look at
the facts Kye examinations free.
TheAloe&PenfoldCo
I.cndlnir Scientific Optician *
1408 Fara itn Street , i
Hotel. (
While we claim to and do entry the
best pianos ever made we never nsk
fancy prices for them While nt the
same time we show a line of the popular
medium giade Instruments that we've
priced atJfllW , Horn that up to ? 1S5 We
do not carry the cheapest grade made
fur \\o never ask any of our customers
to accept a piano from ns that \ve can't
recommend It's not how cheap , but how
good \ve can give you for the money ex
pended theie's satisfaction In knowing
you can depend upon your dealer doing
as agieed.
HOSPE ,
Music and Art. 1513 Douglas
character created by an author con.es from
his own Individuality.
Gciilim la Wrltlnnr U 11 M til.
"When our j'oung person sets out In a
serious attempt to write , having fully ab
sorbed , let us say , the life about him , he Is
surprised lo nnd that It Is hard work. Ho
decides that he cannot hope to become great ,
for ho has been taught that the great writer ,
the genius In literature , throws off his mas
terpieces without nn effort. I know of noth
ing more discouraging to the joung writer
than this genius theory and for the relief of
any to whom It still exists ns n bugaboo I
will say that I am pretty sure that It'll a
mjth. The only genius worth talking about
In writing as In everything else is the
genius of hard work. Ofcourse , brains are
necessary nnd not all men have the neces
sary equipment to become successful au
thors , but the Idea that good literature
comes as a sort of heaven-sent Inspiration
Is erroneous. Not to mention myself , I
can say from my acquaintance with suc
cessful authors that most of the good liter
ature of recent years has been ground out
POHTRA1T OP WILLIAM DEAN HOWCLLS.
by painstaking and laborious work. I sus
pect that the same would be found to be
true of earlier writers had there been news
papers and reviews to probe Into their dally
lives and habits of work.
"Closely akin to this genius delusion la the
Idea that a man can write with good re
sults only when the fit Is on him. This Is a
lazy man's theory , but It 1s easy for the
young author to persuade himself Into It.
The only way for nn author to accomplish
an ) thing Is to'set aside certain hours of the
day ( not too many ) and to devote himself
to the work then as completely as though he
v.-ere In an office or a factory. It may be
hard at first , but be will soon become ac
customed to It and will grow Into the habit
of working at that time. I don't believe In
trying to write so many hundred words
every day , but If the writer devotes a qcr-
laln amount of time to bis task , even if be
docs not accomplish much at each sitting , bo
will find the results mounting up In a sat
isfactory way. The man who waits for In
spiration Is likely to wait n long time for
recognition.
"I don't believe that a writer should try
to lese hlnibclt in his story , ns Is BO often
recommended. The advice sounds well , but It
Isn't sound. I hold that the greatest actor
Is the one who never forgets himself , and
so It Is In writing. The author should stand
constantly In the attitude of critic and In
quire , 'Is this true ? Is It the way such a
character would act or speak under such
circumstances ? ' Ho should have all his char
acters clearly delineated. They should stnnd
out plainly before his mind's eye. But , after
all , they arc the ct cations of his own Indi
viduality and must remain so , If the story
Is to be worth anything.
"As to the best time and the best way
to work each man must dct'ldc for himself.
I used to do most of my work at night , a
survival ot the newspaper habit , I suppose.
But now I have changed to the morning ,
nnd nenrly nil my woik la done before the
noon hour. I think that that Is really the
best time , that a man's mind Is fresher
and moro vigorous then. In composing I gen
erally use n pen , because I want to see the
last word or sentence I have written , where
careful thought Is Involved nnd I nm going
slowly. But I have a typewriter In my study ,
and when I see plain sailing ahead I turn
to that. I may say , too , that my greatest
difficulty , and ono that I probably share with
many other writers , Is In making a begin
ning. It Is mighty hard work sometimes to
start a story that will always carry Itsell
along once It Is under way.
"It Is often said that too many books are
written nowadays. I don't agree with that.
Many , yes , most of the books published
every year have no enduring reputation , but
If they are the result of earnest effort , It
they are faithful pictures of some phases
of our varied life , and strike a rcsponslva
chord'in some few readers , they are not
wasted , and arc not to bo accounted fail
ures.
"Of course In thin , as In all that I hava
said before , I am not speaking of literature
as a money making profession. Not that It
Is wrong to write for money. Most of ua
are under the necessity of making money
by our work. But I don't believe that any
man ever devoted himself to literature for
the sake of making money. If any man ever
did , I am afraid ho made a sad mistake , and
would have been much better off In soma
other kind of work. It Is true that the best
writing Is not always the most profitable ,
and that , In writing for money , the author
must consult the tastes of his publisher and
the publisher's public rather than bis own.
I do not say that this work Is Ignoble , but
It Is necessarily , In a measure , unsatisfac
tory to the author. I suspect that moat ol
us do eight hours' work of the kind wo are
compelled to , In order that wo may spend
two at what wo really like. I may say , In
passing , that the writing of serials Is a poor
author's surest means of support , and th
multiplication of periodicals has greatly In
creased the market for these. But tin
money side of literary work Is not the most
Joyous to dwell upon , and , as a loyal road
to riches , literature Is certainly a failure.
Is the writing of short stories good prac
tice for joung authors ? "
"I think so. The necessity of saying much
In little space gives a crlspncss and brevity
of style that Is desirable. American writer *
seem to have a gcuuls for short story writIng -
Ing equal to that of the French and bavo
produced some of tbo best talcs In exist
ence. "
"Aro wo developing a distinctively Amer
ican literature ! "
"Our literature Is becoming perhaps not
moro national , but more Individual. I hava
been asked what Is tbo best part of tbo
country It was best for a writer to be born
In and have said that If such prenatal ad
vice could bo of any value I Bbould recom
mend the wcet or at least the middle we t.
Certainly some of our best stories have
dealt with tbo life of this region. But I
think that people enjoy pictures of everyday
life from wherever drawn , provided they
are true. My own most successful book ,
Judged by Us sales ( A Hazard of New for
tunes ) , has Ua scene la New York city ,
There Is plenty of material In every cornel
of our big country for the eye thtt can dis
cern and the skill that can delineate It U
truth. "
