The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-14
WOMEN OF WASHINGTON.
Continuation of the Gallery of Cele-
brated Literary Women.
Mary CIemmer Ames and Mrs. Frances
Hodgson Burnett-GIiss Abigail Dodge
Some Indianians of Note.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.

! Correspondence of the indianapolis Journal.
WAsHINGToN, ID. e. July 8, 1888.
There has been so much said about Mary
| Clemmer of late that would not include her
in my galaxy OF stars although she is by no
means of an inferior magnitude, but for one
statement that has been made by Washing
ton correspondent concerning Mr.. Ames.
People here who know him do not give him
the name of a shiftless neer-do-well, Mary
Clemmer herself has several times declared
that there was nothing wrong about him,
and he in speaking of her said: MARY could
never be happy in the circumscribed area OF
OF country life she longed for a wider
sphere than | could give her, as my business
kept me in the country. l desired her hap
piness more than anything else on earth,
and if separation from me could secure
that l felt willing to give it her, as 1 would
have given her every other good in life had
| been able" As these people never made
any charges against each other 1 think it is
just little previous for correspondent
to do so. As to the second marriage being a
love-match l can only say that Mrs Glenn
mer did not herself claim that it was such,
for several months ago when bantered about
it as thoughtless people will often do about
serious subjects, she replied, in these exact
words. You know a person owes some
thing to gratitude sometimes" Now as to
just what there was to be grateful for the
public is not informed, for in their
friendship the gentleman seemed to be
the advantaged one. He has already
gained fame by his connection with her, and
in marrying her he gains a beautiful home
and wife who can command an independ-
ent income She has achieved husband who
owns two newspapers-in Washington. Bright
as Mary %emmer is as a correspondent, she
prostituted her genius for filthy lucre when
she became one, for she could have added
another name to our list of poets, had she
been willing to sacrifice the fesh-pots of
Egypt to do so. But her genius could not
rise to that sublimity; it was too sodden with
earthiness to soar on ethereal wings. She
must have them ribbed with gold, and poetry
doesn't pay. N. P. Willis was right when he
wrote to young poet friend: Poetry is an
angel in your breast and you had better not
turn her out to be your maid of all work"
Yet, he added, "You could not sell piece of
poetry now in America. The competition for
notoriety alone gives the editors more than
they can use. The literary avenues are all
overcrowded, and you cannot live by the per,
except as drudge to a newspaper" Mary
Clemmer has gained fortune, but she has
robbed the world to do so.
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett is by birth
an English woman, but she grew up in Amer
lea, and America appreciated and fostered
her genius. L think, therefore, we have a
right to claim her Washington is her place
of residence, though at present she is domi-
ciled at Camp Cottage, Ocean avenue, Lynn,
Mass. Her home in this city is by
no means pretentous, but it is
replete with the beauty of fine, cultivated
taste Tor rather two of them, for DIR. Burnett
is an artist as well as physician) rich rugs
on the floor, touches and chairs full of fluffy
comfort, elegant draperies at the windows
and the arched entrance to the back parlor,
books, pictures statuary and bric-a-brac,
with even veritable pug lying costly in a
great seepy-hollow chair, form as distinctive
a contrast to Mrs. Southworth's home at
Prospect Cottage" as Mrs. Burnett's mod
ern idea, plain, common sense stories do to
that lady's wonderful tales, full of plots and
strange weird situations. The lady herself is
not the stately, dignifed, matronly person
age that one naturally expects to find in one
who has achieved SO much renown; but a
rather small, girlish body, whose efforts at
dignity only make her seem affected to i'll
natured people, and somewhat stiff to those
more charitably inclined; a semi-blonde,
with brown hair-a la Langtry-and blue
eyes Ibid you ever notice that deep women
almost always have blue, brown or grey eyes,
and sharp ones black?) looking scarcely out
of her teens; and, in fact, she cannot be
very aged, for she was only sixteen when her
first story was published a few years ago.
Like almost every other woman who has
conquered in a fight for fame her
first incentive TO undertake the
work was love. Her parents were
poor, with a large family to support,
and the affectopate child wanted to help
those who had always cared for her. From
the time she had been seven years old she
had written stories This was the little lonely
child's amusement in the wilds of Tennessee,
instead of building baby houses and making
mud pies as the average little woman does
"Surly Tins Trouble" the story sent to
GCdey, as her first attempt to earn money,
was really written when she was twelve
years old, and only slightly revised at the
time she sent it, 1t would be almost startling
to think even a sixteen-year-old girl capable
of that delicate delineation of a sentiment so
far beyond the province of a chid's knowl-
| edge, but for mere babe of twelve it seems
more unreal romance than any she
ever conjured from the realms of fancy. 1t
was so wonderful for beginner and so very
English for county girl in Tennessee that
the editor feared to accept it, and wrote to
her requesting if the story was really her
own" that she would send another she did
so Immediately, and received by return mail
$50 each for her very first venture in the
great lottery of letters. She has never pub
lished line for which she has not been paid,
so she informed me. and pretty well paid at
| tbot She did not reoar d her inn ediate suc-