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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1908)
10 T M r 07eiGXMAL OE THE WHEN an utnor wants a charac ter he got and take! what he requires. It may be a President, a general, a bishop or a atreet aweeper; o long as the character suits his need the author appropriates him. He will even make his own kindred, or himself, sit as a model If need be. Frobably all really great characters of fiction have been drawn with modifications from real persons, or are the result of a skillful blending of the salient points " In the characters of two, or possibly more, persons. Sometimes the author copies his model so closely that there can be no mistake as to the original. Bishop '"Ethelbert Talbot, the Protestant Epis- copal blhop of Central Pennsylv mia. Is the Bishop in Owen Wlstor's novel "The Virginian," and the author h.-.s stuck so closely to the original that . every one who knows the novel prac tically knows Bishop Talbot; and all who "know the bishop recognize his portrait as drawn by Wlster. Of course, " liberties are taken with the character .and story of the right reverend gentle "man the exigencies of the story re-- quired that but the artist has strayed no further from the truth than he was obliged to. Bishop Talbot was a well-nown man when Wister took him up and added to his fame. He Is a native of Mis . sour!, and after his graduation and ordination In 1ST3 he wss pastor in the little town of Macon. Missouri, for 14 years. Then he became missionary Mshop of Wyoming and Idaho. From this charge he was translated, after , ten years In the West, to the See of Central Pennsylvanla- The bishop is something of a writer himself, and some day may turn about and put Owen Wlster Into a book. His experiences In the West are told in "My People of the Plains." He is fond of - hearing and telling a good story, but withal has much native dignity. When he was a missionary bishop the people under his charge were primitive and rude, a class of Westerners which live now almost nowhere but in books. They had not much respect for ecclesi astical authority or. in fact, for re- , llgion. but the bishop soon got on their right side and they came to respect and love him. Once, during his career in the West the bishop held services in a saloon the walls of which were covered with rloth to conceal some decorations which were decidedly uneccleslastical: and once, when a drunken man told him he had "got full to celebrate his (the bishop's) arrival." the bishop let the man sit In a front pew. With thl.s aw- . ful example before him the bishop be gan a sermon on temperance. At first the man appeared dejected, but finally . brightened up and at last the bishop " heard him muttering. "That's right bishop: go for 'em'." By and by he be came more "enthused" and Jumping to his feet exclaimed. "Good, good! Give "em hell, bishop:" Another of the bishop's Western ser mons, which had the Pharisee and the Publican as Its text, caused such a rolsy protest on the part of one mem ber of the congregation that the man had to be forcibly ejected. "Did you ever hear such rot?" said the man af terwards. "That bishop Just boosted the Republicans all through his ser- , mon and didn't say a word about the Democrats." Blshor, Talbot Is said to have been the original of the man who. having delivered a humorous address to a British audience, was told afterwards by the vicar that he could hardly keep from smiling all through, and that he must excuse some of the people from actually laughing. The Bishop Is now SO years old. with the prospect of a - 'ong life before him. He has had his little trials and tribulations, as notably in the case of tlie Reverend Irvine about four years ago, but has come throuxh them all right. Mrs. Asauith it "Dodo" Character. Mrs. Asfiulth. wife of the present British Prime Minister, sat uncon sciously as the model for the principal feminine character In the novel of Dodo.' a book which had a vast popu larity about ii years ago. but which Is now almost forgotten. She was the beautiful Miss Margaret Tennant then. ..daughter of a wealthy Scottish baronet, "and a society celebrity. She knew all the prominent men worth knowing politicians, scientists and authors. She founded a little circle of the elect called "The souls." who conversed with each other in a Jargon of their own Invention. She knew all the reign ing monarcl.s In Europe. She hunted and wrote poetry, and Gladstone wrote noetry to her. When E. F. Benson, son ' ' i ' " " llil ' " ' A y '. ..j - ' 'y sy 1 i' ' - t I X. X ijrwrz or if , j P I OEISIMAId oe - f J f i I . if - , Y-vX. S of the Archbishop of Canterbury, "went In" for literature and wrote "Dodo" in 1S93, he took Miss Tennant for his model and wrote a note to her after wards apoligising for doing so. She was really such a handy character that how could Benson be blamed any way. But Miss Tennant did not at all object to be written up and for a long time she was known as "Dodo." .Now she Is the calm and dignified Mrs. Asnuith, the Premier's wife. When Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett looked about for a character for a story she pitched upon her son, Vivian, and gave him to the world as Little Iord Fauntieroy. Vivian's elder brother, Lionel, furnished a few paragraphs for the book, but Cedric was taken prac tically entire from Vivian. In fact, Mrs. Burnett tried to make her book an almost exact reproduction of the sayings and doings of her second son. It made a good story but was rather tough on 'Vivian who. when he went to Harvard, was "spotted" at once as the original of Little Lord Fauntieroy, and had things made pleasant for him accordingly In that peculiar manner which sophomores know so well how to apply to a "freshle." When Little Lord Fauntieroy was graduated from Harvard he went at once into the ad vertising business and now, a man of SO. runs the business end of a chil dren's magazine, of which his mother la editor. "Mr. Doolcy" nd "Mrs. Wlggs." The original of Peter Finley Dunne's Mr. Dooley. as you may have heard before, was a saloonkeeper In Chicago named McGarry. McGarry was aiways ready to pass a solemn opinion upon any subject, spoke with a rich Irish brogue and never smiled. Dunne be gan to write the humorous things he said in little sketches for the Chicago Evening Post, upon which paper he was then a reporter. Needless to say they "took." He called McGarry Mc Narry in his "stories." McGarry took a good deal of pride In seeing his sayings in print. One day Alfred Henry Lewis went into the saloon kept by McGarry. "Did you see the Post today?" said McGarry, in a pleasant voice. yes." said Mr. Lewis. "I did: and It's a shame for Pete Dunne to treat yoa In that way. How do you think your fine young daughtera can take the place In society your position demands If such sayings as those appear. Every one recognises them, too. And worse than anything else, they're In a rich brogue. Why. you've hardly any ac cent at all." "Mr. Dooley" took all this seriously. He decided that he must see Mr. Dunne, and the next day he went to the man aging editor of the Post and protested, and then went to the author of the sketches and protested. The result was that Mr. Dunne changed the name from "McNarrv" to "Dooley.- McGarry was quite satisfied and thereafter read the THE EruXDAY OREGON1AN, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 18, 1903. Ill j U 11 V c-a USED AS fiBaOSSND flBMOIS I ."7'Utr v ' -.t w , I mnt to the engineering ability of F. Mrs. Greene, wnen "oaiiy Ik 1. "S. .''- - - " 1 I side. Scott, wno nappenea to oe on uua.u, B 700 000 "Dooley" sayings with as much pride as ever. The original of that other noted fic tion philosopher, "Mrs. "WIggs of the Cabbage Patch" was Mary "A. Bass who lives In Louisville, Ky, In a region known as "The Patch." Miss Alice Hegan (now Mrs. Rice) knew her and used to visit her. Mrs. Bass used to go to school with Miss Hegan's mother. But there was good "copy" In Mrs. Bass, too good for a young lady with literary tendencies to throw away. So Alice took Mrs. Bass Just as she was. made a story out of her. and Jumped Into fame with "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch." Really Mrs. Bass was the authoress, for Miss Hegan was little more than an amanuensis, taking down what Mrs. Bass said and did and writing It out. Miss Hegan made money out of the story. Mrs. Bass re mained In poverty and Indignation. It hardly would have been safe for the authoress to have visited the '"Cabbage Patch" after the publication of the story, for the old lady was furious and became more and more enraged aa it leaked out that she was the original of Mrs. WIggs and crowds of visitors began haunting her modest home and wanting to talk with her. She refused to see the curiosity seekers, and once threw dirty water on a too persistent visitor. Mra. Bass always spoke of Miss Hegan's atory as "that fool book." and consulted a lawyer as to how best to keep away curious visitors. He ad vised her to use a broomstick, and she announced her intention of following the directions of her legal wdviser. Al so. It was rumored that her son had purchased a shotgun. So visitors nat urally fell off. and after a stormy period of celebrity Mrs. Bass was left in peace again. It was a. long time "r : s i iUIJllril SjH kmm illll! Siiilti inSl'.ll : HOME OF -tyKAJcYT A-BAcS. THE OETODStL. M35'c5 WRsCS before she forgave the daughter of her old friend for "writing her up." if In deed she yet has done so completely. Cleveland an Indifferent "Original" It Is well known that "The Honor able Peter Stirling" of Paul Leicester Ford's story of that name was Grover Cleveland. Everybody recognized the portrait, so closely was it drawn to the original. It was a clever piece of work, but, oh the ingratitude of great men to the "literary fellers" who strive to add to their fame in print! Mr. Cleve land was not indignant, like Mrs. Bass, at being "put into a book." but, worse still, he was Indifferent. When some body wrote to him and asked if he was the original of the "Honorable Peter, ' he replied: "I have never read 'The Honorable Peter Stirling.' I believe the author has declared that he had the incidents of my political life somewhat In mind when he wrote the book." And Mr. Cleveland never read it! The original of Robert Louis Steven son's "Wild Scotchman" is Thomas Fleming, a trailing agent at Arne Island, one of the Marshall group. 150 miles from the nearest white -settlement in the South Sea Islands. Flem ing left his home In Paisley, Scotland when a boy of 15 and went out to see the world. He became a sailor and, after roaming about the waters of the earth for some years, finally settled down on Arne Island. When Stevenson went sailing about amid these Southern Isles of Eden lying in dark purple spheres of sea," he touched at Arne and found Fleming there. Here. Indeed, was "copy" too good to be neglected and a character Just suited to Steven son's genius. Fleming went Into a story it was Inevitable. Only the other day Fleming, accom panied by his wife, visited San Fran cisco. It was the first time he had left his island home for 25 years, and he gazed with amazement upon trolley cars and electric lights. After his fill of sightseeing he sailed again for his home In the South Seas. "Perhaps It is a little lonely out there," he said, "but somehow it gets Into a man's blood and ho stays on." Bachcller His Own Model. An author who has embalmed himself in Action is Irving Bacheller. He is the "Eben Holden" of his well-known story of that name. The story is, of course, not a detailed account of the author's life, but in It he has "written himself up" .pretty closely and has set down an ac curate record, as far as he could re member, of the things he Baid and thought of as a child. The people "Eben Holden" tells about are the people that Bacheller knew as a child. "In my child hood," said the author to me recently, "I was told that my brother then a baby had been brought over the hills In a basket by old Mr. Bellows. That was how I supposed the little fellow had come to our home. I think it was that which gave me the notion of the- boy's Journey through the woods in a basket." In "Caleb West, Master Diver." F. Hopkinson 8mlth drew the portrait of Captain Thomas A. Bcott, of New Lon don, Conn. Scott was the "Captain Joe" of the story. Smith, among various other callings, is a first-class civil engineer, and was associated with Captain Scott In various engineering enterprises. Captain Scott was the head of the Scott Wreck ing Company, and as soon as Hopkinson Smith end he became acquainted It was a foregone conclusion that the Captain would go Into a book. The Captain had all the requisite qualifications for a hero of romance. When he died not long ago he was sincerely mourned by all who knew him and by no one more sincerely than by the author who had made such good use of him in fiction. Race Rock light, at the eastern en trance of Long Island Sound, is a monu ment to the engineering ability of F. Hopkinson Smith. Among engineers Smith is known not as the author of "Colonel Carter," or of "Caleb West," but as the builder of Race Rock Light. But Smith says "It was really Scott who built the Race Rock Light, not I." Going to sea when a boy, Scott rose to be a Captain before he was 20, and was stijl young when he became the head of the- wrecking company. Once he thought he would leave the sea and settle down at Fort Lee, N. J. It was while Hving there that he averted a panic and a prob able disaster on the ferrby-boat Union on the North River. The ferry-boat was rammed by a tug and a gash cut in her side. Scott, who happened to be on board, stuffed his body into the hole and thus stopped the Inrush of the water until the boat could make her slip. The ferry com pany gave him J100 to buy a new suit of clothes. Winston Churchill our Winston when he models a character sticks with great fidelity to his original. His Stephen Brlce in "The Crisis" is drawn from Henry Hitchcock, who died in 1902 after a career which included many of the stir ring incidents told of in the '.'The Crisis." He was a brother of Ethan Allen Hitch cock, until a few months ago Secretary of the Interior. Hitchcock went to St. Louis In the early '50s, studied law and then became a newspaper man. He first became prominent by reason of a speech he delivered In favor of Lincoln as a Judge advocate. Wrhen Johnston surren dered to Sherman. Hitchcock was sent with dispatches, formally announcing the event to Washington. The character of Jethro in Churchill's "Coniston" was drawn so accurately and so clearlv from Ruell Durkee, a New Hampshire "boss," that all the Granite State at once recognized it. Ruell Durkee has been dead some years now, but during his active political life he was as Churchill pictured him. The fame of Durkee haidly extended . across the borders of his state until Churchill drew him. Now It is spread over the country. He was a good sort' of a boss, too, a lovable, easy boss but nevertheless, a boss and could bid railroads come bow to him. In "Cape Cod Folks" the authoress wrote so closely to actual facts that she got into trouble. Not content with draw ing her characters from the life, she used, in some cases, the real names of the peoBle of the little village which she took for the scene of her story. Then the Cape Cod folks got "mad" and began a suit to have themselves taken out of the book. The matter was compromised by the authoress supplying fictitious names for those characters which at first she had -called by their real names. One of her characters was supposed to have been drawn from Bartlett. the father of the Ashmead-Bartlett boys. At one time Bartlett, a man of education and family, did live on the Cape Cod shore and his characteristics were said to have closely TALBOI' TciE 1W resembled those which Mrs. Sarah Pratt Greene described as pertaining to Mr. Cradlebow But that must have been be fore the days of the authoress and "Cradlebow" was drawn from a man probably still living in the village where Mra. Greene, when "Sally MacLean," taught school. He went Into the Army at the outbreak of the war and went with It to the sea as a Judge advocate. Thackeray drew his character of Henry Esmond from Thomas Fairfax, sixth Baronet of the name. It was this Lord Fairfax who settled in Virginia and started the line of American Barons which has recently ceased to be Amer ican by the naturalization of the pres ent Lord Fairfax as a British subject. Thomas Fairfax lnherted from his mother, the daughter and heiress of Sir Robert Berwick, a great land estate In England, and also a tract of land In Virginia containing 6,700,000 acres. As a young man, Thomas Fairfax held a commission in the Guards, and was one of the best swordsmen and gentlemen of hi time. He was an edu cated man, too, and could be serious as often as gay. But one day Lord Fairfax resigned his commission In the army, gave up his English estates to his brother and crossed the Atlantic to live the rest of his life far from courts, the follies and troubles of Eu rope. It was a love affair that trans formed the growing discontent of Thomas Fairfax with European life Into action and caused him to seek his home in Virginia. With the exception of Henry Esmond, probably the character In fiction most closely drawn from a great man Is the character of Sir William Ashton in "The Pride of Lammermoor." Sir Wal ter Scott took John Dalrymple. Vis count Stair, for his model and drew a picture so like the original that there could be no mistaking its subject. The career and the character of Lord Stair were those given by Scott to Sir Wil liam Ashton. This Lord Stair was mainly responsible for the massacre of Glencoe, he being at the time Secret tary of State for Scotland. Scott, how ever, rather curiously, does not lay much stress on that, but excoriates Stair under the name of Ashton for his other sine and his genial character. Lord Stair has never had a very friend ly biographer, but the most unfriendly he ever had was Sir Walter Scott. Vet probably a few million people have known Lord Stair through Sir William Ashton who would never otherwise have been even aware of the existence of the Viscount. The novel, and the opera written from it, have spread over the world a knowledge of Sir William Ashton, and In hlni John Dalrymple Is "damned to everlasting fame." (Copy right, 1908, by the Associated Literary Press.) There are now over 250.00(1 words in the . Hnfrlish language acknowledged by th best authorities. or about 70.000 more than In the German. French, Spanish aad Italian languages combined.
