National Republican., 1883-01-27
MEN And WOMEN WHO WRITE.
Something About the Homes and Habits Of
New York Literary People.
How the Makers Of Books and News
papers Live and Enjoy Themselves.
Pleasant Afternoons and Evenings with Mrs, Frank
Leslie and Jennie June
The Newspaper Men OF This and Past
Generations.
Specia, Letter.

fVCctW lseUeT.
New YoRK Jan 23.-The characteristics
of authors are not known to the public from
what they write, widely as their productions
may be read, and it is but natural curiosity
that asks, "where does so and so livep and
chow does he or she lools?" Asa general thing
literary people are very shy and they do not
appear to advantage or develope attractively
under the microscopic process of interview
ing. Left to themselves, however, they are
unembarrassed by the very fact of not being
under inspection, and the good that is in them
comes out in charming traits of character
which makes those hitherto shy, sensitive
people delightful acquaintance, and often
kind, sympathetic friends. A case in point
occurs to me at this writing. One evening
MR.. GEORGE vANDENHoTF,
the tragedian, met at my house in the coun-
try party of people who had repeatedly
heard of him, but had never seen him. They
knew that most of his evenings that summer
had been passed, with Mrs. NandenhoF on my
broad piazza, where his inimitabe drolery
and piquant stories had kept my household
in rOars of laughter hours together, and they
expected lots of fun" But as one after an
other came, enlarging our circle to quite re-
speotable-sized audience. Mr.. Vandenhoff
shrank within himself and only answered,
without leading the conversation as had hith-
erto been his wont. After endurance ceased,
he ensconsed himself into corner with
prosaic old gentleman and discussed the po-
litical question ofthe day until people went
off and we were all ourselves again. Then Mr..
Vandenhoff said: "Those people thought |
was to be shown up for their edifcation like
a clown in n circus, and because they did ex-
pect something of me could not have said
anything but commonplaces If had died for
it," But, relieved OF the feeling that he must
give book talk or stage character the sup
pressed mirthfulness, wit, and artists remin-
iscenCes poured forth more brilliantly than
ever, and 1t was far into the "wee small
hours " before our home circle broke up.
Everybody remembers Hawthorne's books;
as they have been universally read.
Has he been judged from his English
traits" he would have been pronounced cold,
unapproachable, anything but the genial,
liberal-minded nature-loving man that his
friends always found him. His son, Julian,
is now in New York, and at a reception few
evenings since at Mrs. Frank Leslie's some of
the readers of his own books and also of his
fathers met him for the first time, and were
most favorably impressed with his personal.
In appear ance and manners
MR.. JULIAN HAWTHORNE
is more English than Yankee, and can be
called with truth a very handsome man, with
refined, cultivated, well-bred air. He is
about 30 years old, and has travelled the world
over, and is pleasantly chatty about whore he
has been and who he has seen. Mrs. Haw
thorne isa pretty, petite woman, with ladylike
manners, and wears dresses made in Paris,
which settles her for the women. Mrs. Frank
Leslie, whose receptions are now one of the
features of fashionable society, Is very hand
some woman, with Jewish cast of features.
She lives in one of the expensive "brownstone
fronts" among the fifty streets, which is fitted
up in luxuriant style, but in exceeding good
taste, and here one evening of every week Mrs.
Leslie is at home to her friends. This winter
Lady Hardy, the English tourist and author
ess, with her daughter, are guests of Mrs.
Leslie, and this takes many agreeable for
eigners to the house, which is an added at
traction to Mrs. Leslies evenings. But society
does not interfere with Mrs. Leslie's attention
TO business. Every morning at o'clock her
coupe is at the door to take her down town to
the Office of Leslie's magazines, where she re-
mains superintending the business of that inn
mensc establishment until her coupe arrives
TO take her home in time to make her toilet
for dinner.
"JENNY JUNE'
is the acknowledged lady leader of lite
rnry society in New York, now that
Mrs. Batta (Anna Lynch that was) is
getting SO very much into the sere and
yellow leaf. Jenny June" is, what Mrs.
Batta never was, in sympathy with young
literati and they are received kindly and en-
couragingly at her house. "Jenny June"
lives uongntlully III her own mousse way
up town, where every Sunday evening
she and Mr.. CrOly, her husband, SEQ their
friends. The house is neither large nor cle-
CANT, but it looks what it really is, the home
of cultivated, intellectual people. 1t stature
Mrs. Croly is petite, with young, bright,
sympathetic face, in which is expressed much
intelligence. She speaks with slight inn
pediment, as if thoughts came faster than
words, and is very earnest about anything
that interests her. Mrs. Croly dresses in eX-
quisito taste, and can truly bo called q
charming woman" Like Mrs. Leslie,
she is thorough business woman, and
her days arc passed in her little eyrie
of an Office ON Fourteenth street. at
tending to every detail connected with tho
Dem0reSt Magazine, of which she is editress.
Jenny June also contributes New York let
tors to q Boston and u Chicago paper; is an
excellent hOnsekeeper, as every department of
her house indicates, and has large family of
daughters, one ofwhOm is married. How she
does all these things and sees everything 60
ing on in the world is u mystery, but her En-
glish constitution gives her wonderful powers
of endurance.
MIR. cRoLY
is not simply Jenny Junes husband, but Is
himself man of letters. For many years he
was connected with the New York World but
left that office when Manton Marble retired
from the paper. At present he is manager of
tho Daily Graphic. Mr., Croly Is of Irish
descent bright, intelligent, and as ready for
fun as with quotation or reference from the
innumerable books that he must have care
fully read to DO SO ready with applications
from them.
Another woman of note in literary circles is
MRS. GEORGE vANDENHoFF
Though she has never written, except very
clever newspaper correspondence some years
SINCE she has taught innumerable people how
TO comprehend and render attractive other
peoples writings. In her younger days Mrs
Naudenhof was on the stage, where she made
the acquaintance of the English tragedian
George pandenhotl, and in time married him.
Together they played several engagements in
this country and in England Later Mrs.
Nandenhoif and her husband read in public
together, then alone. Still later she has
taught elocution, and this winter her Shak-
speare classes are a pleasant feature among
young literary people, though real learner
might notice there was more talk than study.
OF the literati whose very existence is so
mysterious that doubts are entertained Of his
actual being is
WILLIAM HENRY HURLBURT,
editor of the New York World. A newspaper
man, he appreciates interyiewers, and 1t is
said even the people of his own paper do not
know where he lives. His visits to the World
are at midnight; otherwise his business rela-
tons with that paper are by telegraph, and
his time is spent principally in study, though
lt, pniOVs thp gDciptV of a fpw nprgnrn1