4
As Many Womenas
Men Are Producing .Books
Widely Read
in the United States.
1 infer w t .MvV V
V v-, ,
""
2YATE DOUGLAS WIG-&W,
W3 JVC'S - V H&K.
AT .HEALTH-RESORTS
BY 1M0XTEK MARSHALL.
THE author of .the first of the mod
ern "best sellers," so-called, de
liberately wrote the book on his
deathbed that he might keep his mind
linw n-li ) 1 rt V. a wna Hvlnir Thin tii :i n
was Edward Noyes Westcott, and his
1 book' "David Harum." While none of
, the succeeding flood of "best sellers"
' line, Knit. .nAnnriA a aotklA t la
i nevertheless true that several have
f been written by two women who are in
the Invalid class.
Bora in 187D, Mary Johnston, whose
"To Have and to Hold," . enjoyed
enormous sales a few years ago, has
spent her whole life In a vain search
for health. As a mere child she was so
delicate that she was sent to school
only a few months all told. Her laok
of health also kept her from college,
nnd so, with the help of her Scotch
grandmother, she educated herself in
her father's big library what time she
was not pursuing health at the sea
shore or in the mountains.
By the time she was 16 she had
gained a broad knowledge of history
and of the standard works. of fiction.
Then her mother died, her education
abruptly came to an end, and for the
next tin years, as the oldest Child of a
large family, she was kept busy look
ing after the affairs of the .house as
bi-st her health would permit.
' As a mere hild she had longed to
write, but it was not until she was
26, when she-was 111 in bed, that she
found time to turn seriously to her
ambition. Then she wrote some verse
that was published. Encouraged by
this minor success, she fell back on
her knowledge of history and fiction,
with what result the present genera
tion Of fiction -readers does not need
to be told. A year ago she' was so ill
that her recovery was despaired of!
Many of Kate Douglas "Wiggins'
(Mrs. Riggs) books have been pro
duced wholly or in part at health re
surts. The first chapter of her "Re
becca,", distinctly a "best seller," was
written while she was ill in bed, and
file had not recovered her wonted
health when the book was finished.
Indeed, the idea of the hook came to
her in a dream while she was ill. She
saw a stage coach being driven along
a country road by a jolly fellow. Out
of the window of the coach leaned a
little girl, with black eyes, a black pig
tall and a buff dress, trying to attract
the driver's attention. So vivid was the
ili-cam that it suggested the idea of
Rebecca' and a few weeks later the
first chapter of the book was complet
ed. Before Mrs.' Riggs decided to follow
literature, she was the pioneer in the
frro kindergarten movement on the Pa.
eliin Coast, organizing a kindergarten
in the slums of San Francisco when
Flio was little more than a' girl. In
the ten years that she engaged In this
work she planted free kindergartens
for poor children all along the Pacific
Coast, patiently overcoming the numer
ous difficulties that always confront a
pioneer. During this period she wrote,
in collaboration with her sister, eight
volumes on kindergarten work that are
standards today. She never has lost
her interest in the por, and Is the
leading spirit in the improvement so
Plety that she and her sister organized
in the little Maine village where she
spends her Summers.
Prior to becoming a kindergarten
teacher Mrs. Riggs had a three-part
child's story accepted by a child's mag
azine. The 1S0 that she received for
it came at a time when she was sadly in
. need of money. She was enormously
pleased with her success, naturally, but
after thinking matters over, she decid
ed that she was not cut out for a writer
of fiction, that her field was teaching
instead. So she turned to her kinder
garten, and not until she was search
ing around years later for a way to
secure more funds for this work did
she write fiction again. Then, still
with n idea of taking up literature as
her life's work, she wrote "Patsy fol
lowing it with "The Bird's Christmas
Carol." These little books had a fair
sale at 5 cents a copy.
Still, with no idea of turning definite
ly to literature, Mrs. Riggs continued
teaching. Then, one day, when she
found herself In ne.ed of money, she
sent a copy of "The Bird's Christmas
ill
(HRS. RI&G) WHO
& UUAr WRITING-..
' -
Carol? to an Eastern publishing-house.
That firm liked the book, but shied at
publishing It, since it had been In print.
Finally the head of the house decided
to publish the -book, anyway. It was
the success of this venture that deter
mined Mrs. Riggs, after a few more
months of kindergarten work In St
Louis and Boston, to make literature
her life-work.
As in the case of Miss Johnston, the
state of Mrs. Riggs' health requires
that she do most of her writing in the
open. When she Is at her Summer
home in Maine she has her desk placed
under a tree in the apple-orchard, and
here she works all morning, beginning
at the early hour of 7:30.- She devotee
her afternoons to recreation, her even
ings to reading and social pleasures.
Society Leaden as Author of Best
Seller. .
At least two others of. the goodly
number of women who have produced
books of wide and steady sales, Alice
Hegan Rice and Alargaret Deland, did
not plan out literary careers for them
selves, and owe their fame jnore to ac
cident than design.
Three years after she had been mar
ried Mrs. Deland was shopping one day
with a friend, and In a moment of sen
timent scribbled a little poem on a
piece of wrapping-paper and handed it
to her companion, a Miss Derby, who
thought so highly of the verse that she
showed It In turn to Thomas Bailey
Aldrich, ' Oliver Wendell Holmes and
William Dean Howells. Each praised
the poem. Then, Miss Derby, .arming
herself with a box of pens, several
reams of paper and two bottles of Ink,
sought out Mrs. Deland, laid the uten
sils before her and commanded her to
write. Two years later, and after six
re-writings, "John Ward, Preacher,"
was ready for a publisher.
Mrs. Deland was born in the same
year as Mrs. Riggs, 1857. She was 26
when she was married; Mrs. Riggs did
not wed until she was 38. Both were born
in Pennsylvania, Mrs. Deland in Alle
ghany and Mrs. Riggs In Philadelphia.
The latter, as a girl, had sufficient health
to permit her to graduate from a girl's
academy in 1S78; the former, because she
was delicate, was eduacted at home by
tutors, and her first ambition was to
become a sculptor. To that end she
studied art for a time at Cooper Union,
New York
From early girlhood until a short time
before she bounded into fame as the au
thor of the inimitable "Mrs. W'iggs,"
Alice Hegan Rice dabbled at writing as a
recreation merely, with never a thought
of seriously devoting herself to it. In
fact, her time was taken up so fully with
things social she was a Kentucky woman
that she had small opportunity to ex
ercise her pen even for pleasure's sake.
But she managed from time to time to
complete little sketches and stories, which
on being read to her family and friends
first amused them greatly, "but at last
caused them to protest earnest!' that
she try to make something of her appar
ent talent for writing. In such fashion
she came to- write "Mrs. Wiggs," which
she sent with many misgivings to a New
York publishing house, which firm, in the
vernacular, graDoea lt orr at once. unus.
Mrs. R4ce is to be numbered among the
few successful- authors "of this or any
other day who did not first have to peddle
manuscripts from publisher to publisher
before gaining a reputation.
Like Mrs. Wiggs, Mrs. Rice, who was
a Hegan before her marriage to Cale
Young Rice, the Kentucky poet, in 1902.
is intensely interested in the welfare of
poor children. She did much to start a
night school in Louisville. her home city,
and was one of the prominent promoters
of the movement which resulted in a
juvenile court for -the Blue Grass me
tropolis. When In the city she runs a
Mub for boys, which meets at her home
once a week. Before she became known
an an author she . was famous in Louis
ville as one of the city's earnest women
workers, as well as a society leader.
One other writer of "best sellers," Mrs.
Edith Wharton, has been a member of
the socially elect of her native city since
babyhood. She comes of a New York
family with a New World pedigree dating
back to the Revolution. 'Like a majority
of the women writers of "best sellers,"
she was educated outside of school. In her
case not because she was . a delicate
child, but because her family had plenty
of money and spent it in traveling extens
ively abroad. Much of her childhood was
spent in Italy, and while in Europe she
THE SUNDAY OltKGOXIAX,
2VOYES TPEST-
COTT, AUTHOR. OE THE.
FZRST 3EST SELLER.
'DAVID HARVMT
TWOt ZNDZANA. AUTHORS GF "BEST SELLERS '
.2VZ GEORGE J3ARR I&.CUTCHEODT
became fluent in French, German and
Italian, among other lauguages.
Mrs. Wharton was a pretty time pro
ducing a "best seller" after she took up
her. pen. She was married to Edward
Wharton of Boston, in 18!5; four years
later she began writing largely for pas
time. Her initial efforts were some short
stories and a little verse. She was lucky
enough to have them accepted and pub
lished, and tills fired her to resolve to
take up literature seriously. But it was
not until 1905 that she got into the "best
selling" class with "The House of
Mirth."
Some critics have been unkind enough
to suggest that the book became a "best
seller" only because it Is a novel about
New York society folk by one of. them,
and the general public was curious to
know how an insider would delineate the
"Four Hundred." However that may be,
the last report -had it tlitot Mrs. Whar
ton had secured some $40,000 as pin money
out of the troubles of Lily Bart.
, Two other women who have written
recent "best sellers" as many women as
men these days are successful in turn
ing out, this kind of literature are May
Silclair, usually called in her native Eng
land "the little old maid who wrote 'Tne
Divine Fire,' " and Miriam Michelson.
Miss Sinclair, who gained a wide edu
cation by reading, she having spent "Only
two years under schoolmasters, was sev
en years writing her "best seller-' which
was not recognized in England until after
it had become . popular here. She has
spent her lifetime writing; she began at
9 years.
Before her big novel appeared she had
written three others, but none of them
hit, and at several stages of her career
she has been compelled to do transla
tions, and criticisms for her daily bread
and butter. She is what might be called
a self-made woman. She had no fortune
or family of influence to fall back on,
and in seeking a living she has made her
home In nearly every part of England.
Critics declare her knowledge of human
nature is deep: -she says she uncon
sciously absorbed this knowledge while
.being knocked about England.
Like quite a number of men writers
of "best sellers." Miriam Michelson was
a .newspaper woman before she was a
producer of books. She has written up
Hawaii and this country from San Fran
cisco, where she began her newspaper
career, to New York and from the Lakes
to the Gulf. Her first book was-evolved
from a short story rhe sent to maga
zine just before she went abroad for a
rest when the strain of newspaper work
had begun to tell on her nerves. The
head of a publishing-house read -the
story, liked it, asked her to amplify it to
a book, an'd "In the Bishop's1 Carriage"
resulted. .".'
How Tarkington Got His' Fame.
Some of the men writers of ."best sell
ers" who graduated f roni newspaper
offices are ' Irving Bacheller, whose
"Eben Holden" caught the popular fancy
hard shortly after the vogue of "David
Harum" had set in; George Barr Me
Cutcheon. whose "Graustark,". his first
book, is said to have netted him J100.000;
Richard Harding Davis; Sir Gilbert Par
ker, who wandered over the South Seas
for an Australian newspaper, and Mere
dith Nicholson, one of Indiana's notable
string of "best seller" writers. Marion,
Otawford, whose books have had large,
though not phenomenal, isalcs, like Kip
ling, edited a paper in India. Winston
Churchill, perhaps the most successful
PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 2, I90S.
" .
,2ZAZ,Z, CAINE. (FIRST ?W AT THE LEFT)
.AUTHOR. OF SEVERAL "3EST SELLERS
from a monetary standpoint of all the
American authors of "best seilers," served
an apprenticeship on a "service" mag
azine, he having been graduated from the
Naval Academy. Later he experienced
the troubles that were the portion of
every man who was foolhardy enough to
try to edit John Brlsbert Walker's maga
zine for him.
There is a popular impression that the
author of "David Harum" was a news
paper man. As a matter of fact, he be
gan his business life as a bank clerk,
then became head of a firm of bankers
and brokers, ending up as registrar and
financial expert of the Syracuse, N. Y.,
Water Commission. Another mistaken
popular notion in connection with this
"best seller" is that "David Harum" was
a real character. On the authority of
Ripley Hitchcock, the literary. reader who
discovered the book after six publishers
had turned it down, and who became in
timately .acquainted with Westcott be
fore his death, "David" was a combina
tion of characters that Mr. Westcott, as
a boy, had met while driving about the
countryside with his grandfather, who
was a country doctor.
The manuscript of the book that made
Booth Tarkington famous also experi
enced vicissitudes.. Indeed, its lot might
have been harder had not his -sister, Mrs.
Jameson, taken the manuscript and one
other to the magazine editor that finally
accepted them and talked with him about
them until she got him interested by
mentioning that "The Gentleman from
Indiana" dealt with White Caps In Indi
ana. -Tarkington himself, in the days
when he should have been, was strictly
X. G., as a drummer of his pen's pro
ducts: every one in the office read "The Gen
tleman" before he would look at it.
Every report was enthusiastic. Then the
editor" himself read the story and also
waxed enthusiastic, but for some months
thereafter the manuscript lay tn the office
while, the editor and his staff were
making up their minds to run a serial
in the magazine. Finally, when It was
decided to run "The Gentleman" as a
serial, the . other manuscript which had
been handed in with it "Monsieur Beau
caire" was accepted in order to be en
couraging and "nice" to a young author.
No one, on reading this manuscript, had
though much of it, but when "The Gen
tleman" made such a hit it was decided
to publish "Monsieur." The publishers
received a distinct shock when "Mon
sieur" turned out to be a more pro
nounced success even than "The Gen
tleman." "The Gentleman" had to be shortened
for serial purposes. The author visited
the editor, while performing the surgical
operation. During the two weeks that
this delicate work was in progress the
two quarreled continually. When it came
to the pinch the editor declared he could
not bear to cut . this or leave that out,
but the author stuck to the necessities
and. grimly emasculated his own child.
Until his sister sought out the editor
of the magazine in which Tarkington's
first work was published, no one in that
office had ever heard of him, though for
a number of years he had been forward
ing his manuscripts to other publishing
houses, only to have them returned with
monotonous regularity. He wrote for the
college papers The Tiger, the "funny"
sheet, especially when he was in Prince
ton; he had the writing "bug" as a
1 youngster. When he was graduated he
took to his pen at once, and because his
family had means he was able fca keep
i
300TIL. TARKHTGTOIT
doggedly at his pen until it brought him
success. He was 24 when he was
graduated; that was in lSt3. Six years
later he was famous.
Charles Major is another Hoosier who
secured fame with a single book, his first
one, "When Knighthood Was in Flower."
He was born In the Hoosier capital, also
the birthplace and home city of Tarking
ton. Until his novel caught . on Major
got his living out of the law.
George Barr McCutcheon, the third
member of the Indiana trio whose first
books were "best sellers," is the same
age as" Meredith Nicholson," a fellow
Hoosier whose, "best seller" was preceded
by several books, none of which made a
noise like "a "best seller." He and Mc
Cutcheon were born In adjoining counties.
Both began writing as reporters," Nichol
son in Indianapolis and McCutcheon in
Lafayette, and each rose to editorial
eminence. McCutcheon has written for
newspapers or magazines ever since," be
sides turning out a book of big sales
every so often.
Nicholson quit the writing game in 1897
and became a broker. The following year
he went to Denver as auditor and treas
urer of a coal mining corporation. He re
mained there till 1901, then returned to
Indianapolis, and has since devoted him
self wholly, to literary work. He holds an
honorary degree from Wabash College.
McCutcheon is an alumnus of Purdue
University, another Indiana seat of learn
ing. .
Baeheller's Varied Career.
Irving Bacheller. the father of "EIcn
Holden." came to New York directly after
his graduation from St. Lawrence Univer
sity in 1S82, and he spent his first few
months in .the metropolis looking for
work. At last he landed an editorial
position on a. trade paper. Several years
later he became a reporter on a Brooklyn
daily newspaper: still later he started up
a newspaper syndicate which, when it
went out of existence, left him heavily in
debt. After . this business catastrophe
had overtaken him he became a magazine
editor, and finally an editorial writer on
one of the metropolitan dallies.
Shortly after the death of his syndicate
Bacheller wrote a 30,000 word sketch of
rural life, which he called "Kben Holden."
He tried in vain to sell it as a story for
boys. . Still his faith in the story . re
mained strong, so much so. In fact, that
it became almost a superstition with him.
Nor was -his belief in the ultimate suc
cess of his sketch shaken by the praise
given It when he would read parts of it to
the members of a literary club of which
he was a member, and which occupied a
rickety old building said to have been the
headquarters of Captain. Kidd when he
was in New York.
Finally an old friend suggested to Bach
eller that he expand his pet into a novel
for grown-ups. The auther thought over
the advice a bit. and then, despite the
protests of all his colleagues and other
friends, took an extended leave of ab
sence from his paper to expand the
sketch Into a book. He wrote in 60.000
words and he never returned to the pa
per. Prior to the appearance of "Eben
Holden" - he had written two books that
attracted little or no attention.
Bacheller and all the other American
producers of "best sellers" have become
independently wealthy through their
books, but none has made so much
money, probably, by his pen as has Hall
Calne. Several publishers who ought to
know what tiiey are talking about have
told me that in good seasons the Manx
"ME5T5ELMMJ
v 1 v.- J
ALICE
lETlT WOI&UV WHO HAS
A JA
'dZimOR JE
man makes close to half a million dollars
front bis books and the dramatization of
them.
Of the Americans Winston Churchill
has doubtless made the most out of his
books; he produced four "best sellers" in
eight years. "David Harum" long ago
made the author's heirs wealthy and is
still adding to their pile. McCutcheon
has written several widely bought books
since "Graustark." Robert W. Chambers,
a late comer in the "best seller" class,
was reputed some time ago to have made
JGO.OOO through one of his novels.
The Unpopular Hall Calne.
Though he has attracted the attention
of the world to their island and brought
them numerous London trippers as legi
timate prey in consequence, the Manx
men, as a rule, do not look with kindli
ness on Hall Calne. His fellow Islanders
indignantly charge that in his books he
makes them out to be more than ordina
rily immoral as a class. They declare
that he never has given a dollar to any
institution or charity on the Uland, and
that when he comes to the island for a
stay at his villa, which he calls Greeba
Castle, he always takes a cheap cab to
the place, being too "close" to keep a
carriage of his own. "Just like any other
cheap London tripper," the disgusted
Manxmen say.
Another grievance that the Island
has against its most distinguished
product was also told me last Summer
when I was there. It seems that when
Caine took a company to the Island to
perform his play, "The Christian," he
made the frightful mistake of casting
an actor in the part of John Storm who
s"poke with a distinct cockney accent..
Feeding Poultry by Machinery
FEEDING and fattening chickens by
machinery! Well, what next?
Responsible for this latest usurpation
of Nature's1 functions are the French,
those people who are past masters in
everything having to do with the prepa
ration and serving of food and the en
Joymtnt of it, too.
Although the idea of feeding poultry
by" machinery hasn't been long on these
shores, several hundred persons are en
gaged in the business, and nearly a mil
lion dollars is invested. Machine-fattened
poultry is to be found in every important
market of the land.
While the Idea, as stated before, came
from France, Arnericans, with their usual
cleverness in adopting the products of
other brains, have improved upon the
mechanical agencies.
A sheetrmetal tank or bucket, holding
about four gallons of food and standing
upon three legs, forms the upper part of
the American machine. A ' rubber tube
about a foot long runs from the recepta
cle; it is about the size of one's thumb
when it Is attached to the machine and
taper3 to the size of a little finger at the
other end.
Operated by the foot, a treadle is 'con
nected with a. little sliding door in the
bottom of the bucket. When this door is
ope'ned by a movement of the treadle a
quantity of food is forced through the
tube and down the fowl's throat.
When one wishes t to feed a fowl he
seizes It by the legs, opens its bill .and
J
HE&AWRJCE . A.S0C-
WRITTEN. A. 'BESTSELLERS
i i
IRVING- BACHEZLER
:'E3ENIf0L2EN-"
"Now, all Manxmen know." said my
Informant, "that their speech Is not
ornamental, but it is good, plain Eng
lish, not cockney Londoncse, and cer
tainly John Storm's part should have
been played by a man who could speak
English as the Manx speak it. At all
events, the leading actor's cockney
English spoiled the whole effect of
the play and made the audience laugh
uproariously instead of awakening the
more serious emotions In the critical
parts of the play. Calne was unpopu
lar before he made this break, but
since then I don't believe you can find
a Manxman with a good word for him."
Only a few of the more prominent
present-day writers of wide-selling
books hove been mentioned In this
article. A complete list would be as
long as the proverbial arm. for of the
making of "best sellers" there is no
end, apparently. Yet despite the phe
nomenal sales of many novels of today,
none has enjoyed and none will enjoy.
In all likelihood, the enormous sale of
a book first published long years be
fore the term "best sellers" was origi
nated. The. old "Webster's Speller"
ah, if a fellow could only turn out a
novel that would sell as that sold he
would be in a position to buy Hall
Caine, body, breeches and castle, in a
few short years. And there were otiicr
splendid sellers in the days before the
first "best seller" "Uncle Tom's
Cabin," "The Lamplighter," "Ben-IIur."
"Trilby," peadle's Dime Novels. Mrs.
Mary J. Holmes' numerous books, and
many, many others.
But. of course, they weren't "best
sellers," simply because that catchy
phrase had not been thought of then.
(Copyright, 1908, by Dexter Marshall.)
pushes the rubber tube down its throat
until the nozzle, nearly reaches the crop.
Then he works the treadle, forcing food
down the fowl's throat until the crop is
tilled. Some cerators are so expert that
they can feed 400 chickens an hour with
the machine.
It Is claimed on behalf of the machine
that poultry will fatten in half the time
if fed in this way, and that the. meat will
have a better flavor. The fowl, kept
stuffed all tho time, regardless of Its nat
ural appetite, is bound to get fat.
Most of the fatteners feed a mixture of
cornmeal, oatmeal and milk. It nu.at be
soft enough to pass readily through the '
rubber tube of the feeder. It is asserted
that feeding by machinery Is not cruel
and that a chicken soon learns to open
Its bill voluntarily for the nozzle.
Study In Jury Ethics.
London Tit-Bits.
When the jury had filed in for at least
the fourth time, with no sign of coming'
to an agreement in the bribery case, the
disgusted judge rose up and said. "I dis
chage the Jury." At this one sensitivt
talesman, stung to the quick by this ab
rupt and ill-sounding decision, obstinately
faced the judge. "You can't discharge
me, judge!" he retorted. "Why not?"
asked the astonished Judge. "Because,"
announced the talesman, pointing to (he
defendant's lawyer, "I'm paid by that
man there"