EHE OREGON SUNDAY , JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SUNDAY CORNING, JUNE
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Laura Jean Libbey
Woo Coy Flowers and
Brave June Showers-
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T AURA JEAtf LIBBEY who is Mrs.
I Fan Mater S. Stilwell outside her
books writer of novels and plays, by
the score, is to take the first real vacation-; this
summer, that has been hers s'ince fame perch
ed upon her active pen and fortune deposited
its treasures at her feei.
It vms after completing her eightieth
play a little while ago -she had already
written forty or more novels that Miss Lib
bey Mrs. Stilwell threw down her pen in
the library of her handsome. home in Brook
lyn, N.Y.;and announced her purpose of tak
ing a rest, of enjoying a vacation.
Miss Libbey' 's claim to fame lies in the
number and heart-throbbing character of her
novels, rather than in the construction of
plays: Although she is now the authoress of
more plays than works of fiction, her novels
have made her name known throughout the
land; over them young women by hundreds of
thousands have wept and laughed.
After having turned out volume after
volume with astonishing ease and rapidity,
the widely known authoress will rest a vhile
before devoting herself entirely to playwrit
ing, which she announces as the serious voca
tion of her future.
. 'r ryjzi mi in
I'UJU' mil IS HE
now, when my brain la in the full fluah and vigor ot
bloom which baa ripened Into generous fruit.
There are many close behind eagerly pressing for
ward to grasp fame' laurel branch. I would give them
a chance, while hope, youth and ambition la theirs, that
the world might be benefited by geniuses who may ra
diate a brighter, more glorious light than any who have
gone before.
I have often wondered If those who read realise how
dear to the author's heart are the characters they por
tray; how they grieve with their sorrows and delight in
their Joys; If they knew there are noble characters au
thors shed tears over when the last word is written.
In the future I shall write plays. I sometimes think
there Is much more of my heart In the plays than In the
novels; they will appeal to those whose lives are Incom
plete and lonely, more perhaps than those whose lines
have fallen. Into sunny paths, mingling sunshine and
passing clouds, heart-throbs and tears.
The dominant thing In each drama Is love.
Why should it not be, since It Is love that rules the
world, from the mightiest to the lowliest human heart?
Only that emotion which is pure, Ood-glven, is digni
fied by the noble name love.
It Is the golden chalice around which the maiden's
roseate dreams hover, and which holds the heart and
the happiness of the wife who knows a love nobly re
turnedthe rose-bloom which Jewels her existence.
Can you wonder at the eager flame that Ignites a
novelist's longing to see those dear characters upon the
stage Hesh and blood realities making the dreamy
TV
fancies of which they were a vital part living portrayals
a thousand-fold dearer than they were upon the printed
page?
The stage picture Is surely the sweetest realization
that can thrill an author's being, and the approval of
the public the crowning Joy.
At the very outset of my career the drama was my
beacon light ahead, my guiding star. Playa have always
appealed to me more than novels. I never began a novel
without sketching out beforehand a four-act play per
feet as I could make it In every detail.
The Inspiration of each and every, novel was the out
growth of these drama-picture.
I feel that It Is my future llfework to give my readers
and the public the eighty plays which I have complete -during
the years they have stimulated my efforts by
their kind approval; without which I would have felt that
life was unsatisfying, youth a delusion; 'thar middle age
would be a struggle and old age a burden and a regret.
I do not know how long this vacation of mine is to
last, but while it does I am going; to have a merry play
enjoy every moment In the happiest, jolliest way possible.
like the schoolgirl at the end of the long term which has
brought delightful June at last Just think of it! No
school, no tasks, no lessons r That will be too lovely tor
anything!
I have a dear little garden, and I am going to
plant in it all the pretty flowers I love, and watch
the buds coyly coquette with the ardent aunbeama, and
burst at length into the aweet blushing flower adored
by the bees.
I shall make the acquaintance of my frlenda all
over again, go automobiltng In any and all aorta of '
weather, laughing at the raln'a endeavora to keep me
within doors, and reveling in-enjoyment under a July
aky, though the thermometer points to nine-and-ninoty
In the ahade. ' .
Oh, auch a merry lark Is this first vacation to be
alone, with no plana, no schedule, save to have all the
pleasure that comes my way.
I shall have plenty ot time to look In the store
wtndowa and admire the beautiful, aoft. shimmering
silks and gorgeous laces so inexpressibly dear to the
Dramas from Laura Jean Libbey's Pen
A Political Plot
Aunt Tommy.
Partd On Their Bridal Tour.
M hen True Hemrta Meet.
The Pretty Little Flirt.
Look Before You Leap
Love or Honor.
Po You Love Me. Dear?
When Tot sleet the Bight
One.
Wifn Love la True.
Could felie Foriret or Forgive T
Dulcie'a Devotion. In Sptta
of AH.
Finding Her Affinity.
Gertrude Dennins'a Love Af
fair. Rent Me a Lover Gay.
bhe'm a Merry. Innocent Co
quette. r,dr Promise,
he Sad Love-Romance of
Lola Pale.
Quickly They Fell In Love
Then
v-h-n We Vret Airatn.
Young and Ton Trunlng.
KSk But Tn,Bt,
T.lnda'i Pitiful Atonement
Marriage It Must Be.
J.nrre41a, the Belle of the
Ball.
Oiiuht tha World to Con
demn Her?
P)uing Her Parents or Los
ing a Lover.
ron Tell Mama.
Lsiranited, But They gun
Loved.
Fancy Free. Yet Linked For
Ciuie'n Moments ot Lovers.-' "'
Hastily Wooed and as
Jutck1y Parted.
n-hen Hla Love Waned,
nother Man's Treasure
he Bad Love Story of a -"
Pretty1-Village Belle.
'nly a Flirtation.
ine Price of a Young Girl's
Abandoned Brlda v
Heart of Saucy Susylyn.
A Young Glrl't Fatal Error.
Don't Judge Her Too Harsh
ly t
Riches, or a Poor Young
Man's Love.
Pretty Dorothy's Honor.
In an Unguarded Moment.
Love Me. and I Am a King.
The Waifa of Bag-Picker's
Alley.
In a Moment of Temptation.
A Sudden Betrothal.
When Love Takea Wing.
The First Kiss.
Ruled His Heart For a Day.
Because His Love Proved
False.
Plnce the Hour They Met
Tilly, the Slave of the Fam
ily. Sweethearts Once. But Now
We're Parted.
Vain Violet, the Beauty.
1'nlted by Mistake.
Waiting For Him Who Came
Not.
Xeda's Fickle Lover.
Yesterday's Affection. But
Not Today's.
Xoe, the Pride of Morgan's
Alley.
If the Heart Is Truly Mated.
Jolliest Little Maid in Town.
Kiss and Make Up Again.
Led by a Girlish Impulse.
Just What Sealed Her Fata.
Mischievous Madge Darling.
Nobody Knew But Her En
emies Guessed.
Only Love's Cross for Her.
A Poor Girl's Love.
Perhaps Mother Knew Best.
Quickly Mated. Then Re
pentant Beautiful Christie, the Pride
of My Heart.
' As the World Judged Her.
Her First Temptation,
lola'a Sin.
Just a Girl With a Heart
Evanell's Sad Secret.
. All the Way You Look at It
An Unhappy Love.
The Wife or the Other
Woman.
, k -- I
mwRl -
rillSrii it. W
. By Laura Jean Libbey '
I AM pleased to think that the readers of inylbooks
would lik to know my plans for the first vacation t
have had since t began writing. My graUtude for
the Interest my readers take in me, aside from my
writings, la aincere. - " , : : ;:r -. -.. ;i '
Though e have never met and clasped each other's
bands,' we aeem to know and understand each othera
l.rrt-thoughta as tried, true friends do.
The years that-come and go, Instead of drifting ua
rpart, seem to weld ua the more closely together.
I feel that my readers have been more then the mera
readers of an, hour they are my earnest well-wishers,
loyal and true to me; worthy of the life which haa
t n devoted to their pleasure. - . , . -
At the outset let me state) that I have concluded to
( ise writing novels, ao that I begin my vacation with
i o plots of forthcoming works to engage my attention.
I think it is wisest and beat to cease novel writing'
F SOME ONE should hang- out in London the '
sign, "Wanted, 250,000 Husbands," such a
distress signal would rery nearly represent
we actual conditions there. ,
In other words, London has a quarter of a
' """ion more women than men. All these, of course,
i no? P0111 Cupid's ad Yances. Many are
elderly, either widows or spinsters; a few, perhaps,
i; ,ttcn M, "nffragist leaders, would reject matrimonial
propositions from principle. ; It is safe to con
clude, however, that these are few. .
, Bttt tnick of ; a ; community a city where
' !eretr.t 25,0'000 mor ornen than men: Where :
. enould the lone bachelors,, or widowers, of ' earth
"7 P'omisino; field for the exercise of,
txteir captivating wika t . vr , : .,)i,...T.,lV;
fT5Srti oJt' that-femininity. tn England
- t- I ;! 1 U h "-ought tor the worlds
- JB. " suuragrette ' cootests. worktngwom
ens parades and all the Arguments et the.
quarter million Inhabitants of tha English Adamlesi
Eden. .- ,
- Strange It' Is why tha un trammeled manhood of
England refuses to consort with the awaiting maiden
hood. Yet, as long ago as 18i-l00 official statistics
indicated, on the one aide, astonishing evidences of
growth in wealth and other material directions, and,
on the ether, a steady, decline in the marriage and
birth rates. , . -
For instance, the marriage rate of London, which
In 1851 was 22.3 per 1000 persons, had declined In 18S
to 18.7 per 1000. This doesn't look so startling in the
.figures presented, but actually it la a source of deep
concern to the statesmen of Britain. The proportion
of marriages to population haa decreaaed much mora
ir the last ten years. - -
8o. ten years ago, this same problem of the small
proportion of marriages to the number of marriage
able persons women, we will say became a subject
. of atudy on the part of statesmen. At - that . time it '
was remarked:-. . "V- -
, "It would be an Interesting inquiry which would
discover the causes underlying the marked decllne.-
' The ordinary social lawi ia that marriages are closely
related to the condition of national prosperity or ad
versity. - '-- , -
"Perhaps even the higher education of " women,
giving tbem often' airs, if not exactly of superiority,
at least, of independence, and the lesa domestic,, less t
soft arul fascinating ways that coma with tha struggl
for a living which may be discovered In women any
and all of these can be Cited aa answerable for thla
retrograde social feature of metropolitan life, accord-
Ing to the point of view taken up." -
Of tha thousands of women who support them
selves In England, those who act as barmaids, per
haps, have been most written about,
. - As a rule, she is a charming conversationalist, ana '
her knowledge of current topics is by no means 11m-'
ited to the bar. As f or her morals, they compare
favorably with those of any other type- of English
girl whether In store, factory or farm and there is
nothing in -her environments or associations calcu
lated to Injure her reputation. . , , . . . " .
- On the contrary, the presence of a girl behind tha
bar compels common politeness and decency" among its?
patrons, and there are few offenders against the strict
rule that propriety be always maintained. . - '
Scores of barmaids have- married into wealthy 1
families, for the barmaid often cornea of Intelligent .
parents and knows how to conduct herself and her,:
business ywith credit, to both, v , ir-; - ; . ,
- With the thousands of other, womu In London who
support themselves and are eligible for selection as
' homemakers, - there remains scanty hope of such se- ,
lection. But this should not deter a wife hunter from
starting fori London at tha first opportunity.
heart feminine next to plays I adore ribbons, laces
and bonbons. '
, After playtime la over I ahall turn to the dramaa
with renewed sest and crowd all of the sunshine I
have gathered Into them.
For tha kindly sympathy and good nature of my
readera I am deeply grateful each seems to me a
dear companion to whom I can open rny heart And
the companionship la sweet; for though the world
held cruated jewels, and all that power, could give,
without some sympathetic ones to breathe our hopes,
aspirations, our valiant struggles and failures to.
there Is always something sadly wanting and tha
world grows cold, dark and desolate under any sky.
There la a twinge in my heart at the thought of
parting company from tha readers of my novels when
I turn away from books; but I earnestly hope to retain
a little niche in their affections, and that they will
not quite forget me in the years to come, remembering
me at my best f
From tha mere standpoint of the number of her
readera. Laura Jean Libbey la perhaps tha most popu
lar writer for women of tha generation. Since the
appearance of her first novel, ''Miss Middleton'a
Lover," about twenty yeara ago, her romances, one
coming apeedily upon the heela. almost of another,
have had a remarkable sale.
FORTUNE FROM HER PEN
She haa made a fortune from her pen; through the
alchemy of her particular genius she has literally
turned ink into gold. Four years after beginning her
literary career aha was paid, it is said. $10,000 a year
for editorial work upon a woman's magazine.
She also received $7,300 a year for' writing serial
ato'rles under contract, while the Income from her pub
lahed novels waa estimated at from $18,000 to $20,000
a year.
At that time it waa said that her home in Brook
lyn, costing $20,000, waa bought with the proceeds ot
one book.
Mlsa Libbey haa been a tireless worker from the
time tha success of hei- first book launched her upon
a literary career. She devoted herself aa completely
to the care of an invalid mother aa to her writing,
ao that tha demanda upon her time precluded any
thought of vacation, even though rlchea were pouring
into tier puree. 4
Although during all tha yeara of successful author
ship aha felt tied to her work and her filial duties.
Miss Libbey has been fond of entertaining and social
enjoyments. Scarcely s; week has passed for yeara
without a dinner or theater party or reception given
by her. r
She is accounted a delightful hostess, and always
proves the Ufa of her big receptions, at which aa
many aa 600 people have been entertained.
Horses occupy a big place in her heart for years
her beautiful team, Almont St. Claire and Robin
Adair, were well known on the Brooklyn driveways.
,9f a" th forty or so novels she has written. Miss
&,bbey oknowledgres that the first, "Parted on their
Bridal Tour; or, Miss Mlddleton's Lover," remains her
orite, just as "If the Heart Is Truly Mated' la
her favorite play. Among the early worka of fretlon
that placed her upon the highway to fame and fortune
, were: "Lovers Once, but Strangers Now," "That Pretty
Toung Girl," "Olive's Courtship," "He Loved, but Waa
Lured Away," "A Forbidden Marriage," "Little Leafy,
the Cloakmakera Beautiful Daughter," and others of
almilar heart throbs. .
WROTE WHEN IN SCHOOL
"1 waa a mere girl, a little eprite,- when' I began
to avrite," she said recently. "1 was then in school.
1 wrote nice little compositions every Friday afternoon
for teacher. My teacher liked them very much, and I
. had her encouragement to woik on and on and on.
and now well, here I am."
Miss Libbey now Mrs. 8 til welt remember Is now
a little more than 4 years old. Her own romance
came late In life. She waa 36,when she married. In
all her newspaper Interviews ana has confessed to be
ing happy, and in answer to the question if marriage
had changed her work she one said:
"In a way, yea I think it has become more gentle.
There la an Instinct awakened in a woman when aha
assumes the dutlea of a wife that ahe haa not before
known. It changea her whore existence. She general-
fy becomes gentler.,. She sees, too, trie affairs of tha
world from another point of view her husband's. As
ahe talka with him she absorbs some of his lAaa,
usually tha softer of them. This makes her mora
charitable. You see, I have fed the sentiments of
other women for so long a time that that work haa
become a part of myaelf. But sometimes, you know,
the purveyor becomes hungry and so well."
- Among the' maxims penned by tha famous author
ess are these: . . - .
- "Every woman needs a love story to read."
V p "Most women read love stories to excess."
' "Men love women who advance as they grow older,,
tut who still remain womanly.".
"Do not ba over-romantic, or your husband will tlra
-of you." .- ----- - v
'"Do not: at any time be too Independent. Thla Is'
one of the many things that wrecks homes."
. "Of course, this world is saturated with love. Wars
lt-'not, how do you think we would live?"
"A diary la the best and most appropriate place
for your sentimental confessions. " ,