St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-07
SOME GREAT WRITERS.
Difieisitfes They Hare Encountered IN
PerTecff,aq Their FORKS


well what comes before me 20 perform"
And the correctness OF Hamiliton's defni-
ton OF the term is fully sustained by the ex-
ample Of so many eminent inieilects whom
the world takes pleasure in referring TO as
linen of genius" The great Plato, whose
thoughts seemed 20 come so easily, is said to
have toiled over his manuscripts working
with slow and tedious elaboration The open
ing sentence OF The Republic" on the au-
thor's tablets, vas found 70 be written ia
thirteen different versions. When death
called him from bis work, the great phiiosD-
pher was at bis cesk, "oon5ing aud curling,
and weaving, and unweaying his writings
after variety Of fashions"
Coming TO the gifted Addison, whose die
ton Is full OF such grace and sim plicity, SO
much so as 70 create envy, yet admiration,
IN the mind OF every writer who has -four
ished since his day, We find that the great
author wrote with the most painful Gelibcra-
ton. II is narrated mat the press was
stopped again and again, after whole edi-
ton 81 the Spectator had been thrown OF, in
order that its author might make slight
change in a sentence. AT the time be occu-
pied the position Of under secretary IL be-
came necessary for him 10 inform Prince
George, Of Hanover. Of the deinise Of Queen
Anne, and To make known TO his real nigh
ness that tho throne of England was vacant
But the fastidious secretary was in such
dilemma with respect 10 the choice Of expires
sim in which 10 convey the information. g
WAS found a: the last moment, that tie dutA
OF writing the prince would have 10 "a dele
gated 10 u very humble clerk, WHO aficTward
boosted Of doing what his superior-ihe great
Addison-lound 20 impossible to perform.
The historian Gibbon, in speaking OF the
manner in which be wrote his decline and
Fan of tie Roman Empire" said: ''Mauy
experiments were made before / could hit
the middle tone between . dull tone and
rhetorical declaration. Three times did
compose tie first chapter, and twice the
second and third, before l was tolerably salts
fed with the effect" Lamb toied most
laboriousy over his essays. These papers,
which long ago became as classics in the
English language, which are replete with the
most delicate fancies, were composed with
the most exacting nicely. Yet the author Is
regarded the world over as possessed Of
genius Of a high order. La Rochefoucauld
Eas occupied for the space OF fifteen years in
preparing for publication his little work Of
''Aiaxims," rewriting many Of them more
than thirty times.
The celebrated French critic, Saint Beauve,
preparation OF y single one Of his
weekly articles. A large portion Of
his time was passed in the retirement
of his chamber, 10 which, on such occasions,
10 individual-with the one exception of his
favorite servant-was allowed TO enter under
any circumstances whatever. Here he wrote
those critical papers which carried captive
the heart of France and filed with wonder
the cultivated mind everywhere. 1t took
Button fifty years TO write his ''Studies of
Nature" After the first draft was made he
would rewrite it some eighteen times before
he deemed IL ready TO go 10 the printer. His
manuscript was peculiar. He used large
sized letter paper, on which he ruled five dis
tinct columns. In the first column he jotted
down his first thoughts, in the second he en-
larged upon and pruned his thoughts, and so
on TO the fifth column he would labor, IN
which column he az last wrote down the
result of all his toll. And vet it is told OF
him that after all this excessive labor OF mind
be would rewrite a sentence 10 the extent Of
twenty-eight times on one occasion spend
ing fourteen hours in discovering the proper
word with which TO finish a sentence.
In the early career Of Bulwer he found
that seventeen lines in a single day were all
he was able TO write. AS he became exper-
fenced, however, in authorship, he acquired
such facility that he was easily able 10 write
several pages every day. Still, with all his
genius as a novelist, ,Bulwer was never reck-
oned as a eady writer. The poet Rogers
) once toiled for two weeks in the preparation
of a note 10 his ''Italy," and the note was
made up of only a very few lines at that.
Albany Fonblanoue, editor of the once IA
nous Examiner, wrote in such a labored
manner that the very best he was able TO do
was TO write two, sometimes three, editorials
each week, and these were always carefully
revised, and TO such degree that several OF
them were rewritten dozen times each.
The great BalZac, after he had made Q
plan of a novel, and had, after the most
laborious research, gathered together the
material which he was to embody in it, would
lock himself in his private apartment, shut
out all the lightof day, and then, by the aid
of his student lamp, he would toll night and
day over the work before him. His servants
knowing so well his peculiar habits, would
attend TO his every want fetching him the
necessary needs, and thus be would toll on
and on, until finally, with his task completed,
as he thought, he came forth from his retire
ment, looking more dead than alive. But
invariably his task would not be altogether
satisfactory 10 him after all, for again he
would seek the seclusion Of his chamber tc
, rearrange and make more perfect that which
. he had before supposed wholly complete.
Then, 10, when in the hands Of the printer
God pity the poor printer, he would be ss
apt TO alter, in one way and an other, the
D manuscript, until both printer and publisher
I were on the verge Of dispair. Kinglake':
beautiful 'sEothen" was rewritted half
. dozen times before il was given 10 the pub
(; Usher for consideration. Tennyson's song,
"Come into the Garden, Maud" was rewrit
ten some fifty times before it gave complete
satisfaction to the laureate, while he spent
eight hours q day for six weeks rewriting
"Locksley HAIL. though the first draf
= of the exquisite poem occupied two days in
its composition.
''Tom Moore, with all his wonderful bril-
liancy, considered it doing very well IL be
wrote fifty lines Of bis 'Lalla Rookh" in
week. Our own matehless Hawthorne wa.
: slow in composing. Sometimes he could
write only what would amount TO half
, dozen pages in a week; often only few
lines in the same space of time, and, alas, ht
would frequently 60 10 his chamber and takt
his pen, only TO find himself wholly unabll
10 perform any literary work. Il fancy thi:
trait Of character peculiarly Of genius.
The author of pleasures of Hope" was SLOW
. OF thought, and consequently his composition
!, was toilsome in the highest degree. III
wrote extremely cautiously, weighing an,
shaping the effect Of each particular line be
: fore he permitted it to stand. He used I,
> say that his Gertrude of Wyoming
was his best performance, while at tn
same time he expressed himself t.
the effect that il was sadly in need Of a care
. ful revision. II was rarely the case tina
:. he was satisfied with his poetry. 0ftentime