The Portland daily press., 1883-11-17
A Literary Life and It's LIE

man being alive" and of all these years
remembering nothing satisfactory except
the way that he clicked one boy who had to
be taken home TO be cured" we find him
entering the General Postoffice in 1884 as a
clerk of the lowest grade, at 500 year.
The story of the examination under the
civil service rules, and his induction into
office is told in one of the late novels, "The
Three Clerks" Opponents of citil-ser-
vice reform will find many crumbs of comfort
IN the treatment of this subject by Mr.. Troi-
lope, VINO insists that the only thing that
has been accomplished is the transferring Of
the bestowal of favor and patronage from
members Of the House of Commons to diff
ferent class, "making the members hands
cleaner and .heir hearts lighter; but doubt
whether the offices are better manned .
= Seven years he spent here, struggling with
tie hard problem how to live as a young
gentleman should in London, on his meagre
salary. Seven years of unhappy strife, al
ways in debt, often in serious danger of be-
ing imprisoned upon The precepts of watch
full sheriffs' officers, who. it would seem,
At last in transfer TO the service as Survey
or's clerk in Ireland at only e100 year,
With an allowance for travelling expenses
that helped out somewhat, which en-
ploymeDt gave opportunity to study the
country and the people, and lay the ground
werk fer the novels that were to follow.
Mr.. Trollope appears to have been a
most Industrious official during the whole
sojourn in Ireland, gradually winning the
confidence of his superiors; and his subse
quent career, now known to have comprised
some distinguished services both at home
and abroad. was eminenlly satisfactory even
to himself, who hardly expected that anything
good could come from his unhappy begin
ming in London. One trait-the true Brit.
sh trait-the love of out-of-doors work and
recreation marked all this early life.
He bought hunter with the first
money he could command, and made
long journeys on horseback, doing fifty miles
some days, in the line of his official inspect
ions, while in the government employ. In
rain and sunshine, and in all seasons, he
kept every appointment to hunt, ''and''
continues he, in the account of his love of
the sport, cit has been for more than thirty
years duty TO me to ride to hounds
Although literary career was his absorb
ing desire and hope, Mr. Trollope never Sc
riously set about writing an ambitious
novel TIL the year of his marriage, 1874 and
it was more than twelve years afterwards
that he received any pay for his literary
work that really added to his income. His
first books were dismal failures, not even ar
irving at the distraction of being reviewed,
but fell dead upon the reading public Still,
without being discouraged, or even delayed,
by these failures, he kept hard at work all
the time attending sharply to his public du-
ties. Not 10 lose any time, while on bis
railway journeys he kept to the habit of
v--s.i,ee ~asrs..a osssAsA~. ~s.esssssas.-.
that lone should not read while travelling,
but sit still and label his thoughts
Few authors have shown so much worldly
wisdom along with such ambition and such
confidence in self He never had hard
thought of those who discredired his efforts,
nor for moment lost his head. Not even
true literary courage when he declared that
one should not claim to be equipped for
writing till he can hear all criticism without
resentment. Book after book he turned out,
each particularly and deliberately wrought.
He made an actual map of one county in
Ireland, and a most Intimate acquaintance
with its whole people, and tried to produce
all in novel. How well he succeeded at
last, is told by Hawthorne in bit of criti-
cism marvellous for its comprehensiveness.-
''These books said he, in speaking of
Trollopes novels, "ate just as English as
beefsteak; just as real as if some giant had
hewn great lump out of the earth and put
it under glass case, with all its inhabitants
going about their daily business, and not
suspecting that they were being made a
show off,
Directing that these memoirs were not to
see the light until bis death, the author has
left sketches of his brother story-telers that
are charming reading since they are so
frank, and on the whole, SO just. Mr.. Troll
lopes style is always heavy, and often very
clumsy; but it is clear and strong, with a
quaint humor that is Enthusiastically genuine
yet too sturdy to quite run into froIc.
These sketches Of famous Englishmen of
letters are, nevertheless, much less interest
ing than his story of his final successes, and
how, in all, he earned $350,0o0 by his ro-
mances, all by that logged purpose to snc-
coed. He tells how, in his judgment, Iitera-
~ work can be more properly undertaken
when one has a prop of support already pre-
vlded If one fails then, there is no disas-
Ter. Then to write every day-never more
than three hours-is the sure way to accom-
plish much work. On this point he says:
"when have commenced new book have al
ways prepared diary, divided into weeks and car
vied it on for the period which have allowed n.y.
self for the completion of the work In this have
entered day by day the number of pages have writ
ten, that if any time have slipped into idleness
for day or two, the record of that idleness has
been there staring me in the face and demanding of
nae to increase labor SO that the deficiency might
be supplied. According to the circumstances of the
time-whether my other business might be then
heavy or light, or whether the book which was
writing was or not, wanted with speed-I have
allotted myself so many pages week. Tie average
nuulDcl ilde DoSu dDOut Az. III mas been placed
low as 20, and has risen to 112. And as page is
an ambiguous term, my page has been made to cor
tain 250 words; and az words il not watched, will
have tendency to struggle, have had every word
eounted as / went. In the bargains 1 have made
with publishers 1 have-nct, of course, with their
knowledge but in my own mind-undertaken al
ways to sugply them with SO many words, and have
never put book out of hand short of the number
byA single word. may also say that the excess has
been very small. L have prided myself on complet-
ing my work exactly within the proposed dimen-
sons. But have prided myself especially in COM
pleting it within the proposed time-and have al
ways done So There has been the record before
me, and week passed with insufficient num-
ber Of pages has been iblister to my eye, and
month so disgraced would have been sorrow to
my heart. I have been told that such appliances
are beneath the notice of man Of genius. l have
never fancied myself to be of genius, bat had
boon SO think might well have subjected myself
to these trammels Nothing, surely, is 60 potent as
Law that may not be disobeyed. 1t has the force
OF the water-drop that hollows the stone small
daily task If it be really daily will beat the labors
Of q spasmodic Hercules.