Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-26

n GlFIEO hOmAN.
Mrs. Helen Hunt Jackson, known in
all literary circles as H. H." has just
sailed hence for summer vacation in
Europe. a good many cultured persons
regard her as one Of the most gifted, if
not the most gifted, of American womer.
Some of the most eminent authers, par
ticularly Emerson, are her most ardent
admirers. Not a great while ago a literary
man who happened to be at Concord, and
to be talking to the poetic philosopher
about native poetry, asked, Don't you
think Helen Hunt $50 her admirers are
won't to speak of herl the best of our
feminine poets 2" % Wouldn't it be as
well," remarked Emerson, in his quaint,
dry way, to omit the felninine?' The
best evidence of his exalted opinion OF her
is that he has in his ''Parnassus," which
he considers the choicest cuttings from all
poetic literature, eight or ten ample selec-
tons from her sonnets, remarkable for
exquisite sentiment and spiritual beauty.
pregnant with common sense-has usually
a practical drift. 1t is wholly unlike her
poetry but both her poetry and prose are
excellent in kind. It is some thirteen
years since she began to Write-affter
she had lost her husband and
boy-more for mental distraction than
from desire for literary fame. Her
contributions to the Independeat and some
other weeklies soon drew attention she
was greatly iauded by the critics she was
invited to write for the atlantic, and she
speedily became famous without any
thought of becoming go. She is very
spontaneous, always OVERLOOKING with
ideas, subjects aud suggestions. Her
writing is always improvisation. She does
deal of work, earning 5000 or more a
year. yet she seldom devotes two hours a
| day to manuscript -making. She has no
pecuniary need to write, but size likes to
write, expression being necessary to her
mental repose Her first husband was
Major Hunt, who invented during the war
a new kind of torpedo. Experiments, at
which he was assisting, were making with
it at Fortress Monroe. 1t failed to explode,
and he insisted on going down in diving
DELL to learn the cause. While under the
water the explosion took place, causing his
/ instant death. Her second and present
| husband is William jackson, engaged IN
railway and banking in Colorado, and
man of ability, character and fortune.
| Mrs. Jackson is an exception to what is
frequently declared to be the rule-that
| literary women do not make good wives.
HENRY WARD BEECHEa
Is unquestionably man of genius, and he
has some of the eceentricities of genius.
One of. these is incapaeity to take care OF
money, whose value he seems unable to
understand. His pastoral salary is $40, 600,
and he often makes nearly as much more.
Still he is always embarrassed financially.
Some years he has, l am told, earned above
$50, 600 but his pockets, even then, were
necessarily empty. What does he do with
his money? This is a question continually
asked by his friends but it has never
been answered. He cannot answer it him
self he has often tried to, though without
avail. In this respect he resembles Danie
Webster, who took from anybody and
every body willing to give, and never paic
anything back. Whatever was lent hin
was a permanent Investment, and thos'