The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-03-11

travel through them. and she halted long in tho
stages OF speculation and taste. But at length
she recognized what she terms the "supersti-
ton in its true character" of great fact in the
annals OF tho human race. and found herself
with the last link of her chain snapped" free
rover on tho broad bright. breezy common of
the universe"
1t was while she fingered in transitional
stage NJ conviction GU religious subjects that
Miss Martincau made her earliest essays in
authorship and gained her first substantial
honorarium, now become a natter Of vital
moment since tho failur, and death Of her
father had left the family in extremely straight
ened circumstances. Aftor contributing some
short papers and book notices TO an obscure
secarian periodical called tho Monthly Re-
pository." she undertook to compete for three
prizes offered by the Unitarian Association for
essays presenting the doctrines Of their sect to
the notice OF Jews. Catholics. and Mohnmmo-
dams. We may mention that she won all three
prizes. to the Joy and bewldcrment Of her small
circle. and the fact that this success was partly
due to tho treatment OF one theme in the form
of apologize seems to havo suggested the next
and most decisive step of her career. namely
the application Of a similar method Of exposl-
ton to the truths OF political economy. She
projected series OF twenty-four ddactic
stories. TO be called Political Economy Tales"
and after innumerabo rebufrs and failures.
found publisher. who. however subjected her
to very onerous conditions.
II would be dnlcultt to overcstimate the labor
which this work imposed upon a woman not
yet thirty. harassed 10y domestic anxietes, and
crippled by the want Of books and appliances.
Of n constitution too. always delicate and now
enfeebled by an acute disease. Not only had
she to study and assimilats the works Of Adam
Smith. Nautilus. Ricardo. Bentham. James MILL
and tho whole school OF economists. but the
characters and plots. the local manners and
scenery. in word tho artistic setting OF the
NOVELTIES which were 10 serve rs the vehicles Of
incubation. was worked up with n diligence
and conscientousncss Of which We have fow
examples. And hero we may refer to the
methods OF composition followed by one who.
II We look merely TO tho quantity of work pro-
duced in n given time. has seldom been cqualled
by professional Journalists She was convinced.
in the first place. by her own experience and OBJ
servntion that enormous waste OF energy and
time Is occasioned by the way people 20 TO work
in literature. as II its abors were in all respects
different from any other kind OF toll. In her
judgment intellectual industry and intellectual
puntuaty are rs practicable IA industry and
punctuality in any other direction. She had
suffered. she tells US. like other writer's. from
Incidence. irrcsolution distaste TO her work,
absence OF Inspiration" and all that,
but she had also found that sitting down.
however reluctantly with the pen in hor hand.
she never worked for one quarter Of an hour
without finding herself In full train. 30 that.
she says. all the quarter hours arguings.
doublings and hesitation a. 10 whether l should
work or not. which l gave way to in my mex
perience. l now regard much loss. not
v.ft l.,.ta
adds. that so far as the grosscr physical in
huences are concerned. an author has his lot
pretty much In his own hands. because It is in
his power u shape his habits in accordance
with the laws OF nature without resort TO stimu-
lnnts. and writer who does not do this has she
thinks. no business with the lofty vocation"
Coming To her own practice. Miss Martineau
states that during the last forty of her life
excluding periods OF complete prostraton by
illness. she had never passed Il day without
writing this being usually done in tho morning
between seven and two. During tho prepara-
ton OF the political economy stories she worked
fourteen hours day. sleeping but i've. We
may subjoin the testimony of the late Lord
Lytton. whom We heard affirm. in public lee
uire. that he had never let day 20 by since his
majority without seLlng at least Two hours for
literary labor.
apropos of composition can hardly fail to in
trrest those engaged in literary vocations. AL
most from her first venture in authorship she
discovered. she says that IL would not do to
copy what she wrote. and before she WAS TWEEN
ty discontinued the pra,tiee. thus savns an
immense deal Of time. which. in her opinion. Is
wasted 10y other authors. She maintains that
disunctness and precision must be lost If alter
atoms were made in II different state of mind
from that which suggested the first u,teranoe.
and she cites Cobbett's advice. to know first
what you want b. say and then say it in tho first
words that occur TO you. She thinks great mis-
chief arises from the notion that botching in
the second place will cure carelessness in the
Arst, aud she AYERS that in particular instances
she has perceived confusion of thought and
cOudiness or affectation in style. produced or
aggravated by faulty prepos-essions in regard
u tho method OF writing for tho press We Mood
not point out that the preoept and custom OF
Bon Jonson. Pope. Balzac. and hundred other
eminent names are arrayed against Miss Mar
tinoau on this question. The truth probably is.
that the amount of scratching imposed upon
the pen will depend largely on the capacity OF
the memory TO carry inyiolate q long para
graph, thus permitting it 10 be wrought out be-
tOrehand. and also ON tho writer's aim, whether
didactic OF art site. whcth he is using language
merely 70 convey Information Or t. delight the
aesthetic sense.
The pccuniary returns which followed the
publication OF the initial tales in the Political
L onomy series were sufficient ~ assure the
writer modest Independence; hut this was the
smallest Of its Results. Since the appearance of
Chldc Harold and Waverley the Englsh world
Of letters had not Witnessed such a sudden cor
ruscation OF popularity The SUCCESS OF Nacau-
lays article on Milton in the Eimb,T0h Kerier
was less prompt and decisive than NJ - Mar
unrnus. Tho entire periodical press daily.
weekly and, rs soon W. possible, monthly. came
out in hcr favor. and she was overwhelmed with
newspapers aud letters containing every sort OF
lutery. The Diffusion Society wanted u have
the Series now which i, had refused. before pro-
noun'ins the specimen furnished dull.' aud
Brougham, one Of its promoters t,ro his hair
over the ttos. unable. rs he said. to endure that
the whole association. Instituted for the worry
purpose, should be driven out OF the field by a
Little deaf woman at Norwch.'
Mr, Hume, the head of another society offered
any price the author would name for the uur-
chase Of the whole collection. ana from the mid
de of February, 1892 there was ~ rcuiissl on Of
such applications, tho mrauest of which -hp