, 1885-07-19

Chicago Herald
The practice OF writing under an as
sumed name, said one of the attendants
at the public library TO a reporter. HIS
been made use of from the earliest times
Authors, from modosty or other reasons
have hidden their identity by using
fictitious names. The story of Bcowulf
the first known composition in English
wa written anonymously, and the Gus
tom Is still acommon one with all degrees
Of genius from the crossroads scribbler
10 sir Walter Scott and Washington Try
ing. The reasons for putting n book
before the public under a ~pseudonym
may be because Of a fear that critic and
pnblic will roughly handle the first
attempts of an obscure author. The
history OF literature shows that tho best
judges have often been deceived in
their opinions on n new composition.
and young writers recall tho reception
offered to Cartoons best pieces in
Farm Ballads, " holding n latent belief
that theirs may turn out so fortunate.
Another idea among writers is that
the anonymous work piques curiosity
aud RAISES speculation, thereby bringing
the book prominently before the public.
Most of the great novels were written
under mons dc plumes. lrving's first
efforts appeared under the name
of knickerbocker, and the novels
of Sir Walter Scott created the
greatest discussion by being signed
by the Author OF Waverly." Humor-
lists use a namo that is in itself a lest.
such as Petroleum V. Nasty by Locke,
Josh Billings by Shaw, Artemus Ward,
manager of wax figures by Browne;
Mart 1tu+aiu bs tho frraof.ttb1a TIa..ou.
Uncle Remus by the southern negro dia-
lect author Harris, and the recently
known to fame Orpheus G. Ker fo.iee-
seeker by the funny writer Newell.
Had the author of the Jnnius letters
made known his identity, the nan
books written and warm discussions
argued would never have been put forth
TO discover the authorship of the ia
nous classic. Ben amin Franklin's en-
trance into print was made anonymously.
The men in the printing office where he
was serving as an apprentice were ac-
customed to put in short articles in the
paper, and the comments they made on
one another aroused him to a feeling of
emulation. Very carefully writing an
article in n disguised hand, he slipped it
in under the door Of The New England
Courant, which paper his brother
printed, and awaited the next morn
ing.
They read It ana commented upon
1t in my hearing, says Franklin, "and
! had the exquisite pleasure of finding
that 1t met their appreciation, and that
In their different guesses at the author,
none were named but some character
among us for learning and ingenuity"
Artemus Ward was another printers
devil whose first appearance IN public
print was by slyly slipping in a contri.
button INTO the editorial box. After
loyfully seeing it accepted and set up in
type he went up and down the streets,
and, a he said; 81 thought | was the
greatest man in Roston." No such feel
ing oil happy emotion has ever been ex-
pcrieuoed by any great writer rs the
appearance in print of the first poem OF
story, written generally anonymously.
The late finding of Mr., Charles
ebert Paddock the now famous
author of In the Tennessee Noun
tains' and Where the Battle
Aas Fought, to be n woman.
re-llls 10 mind q similar instance OF
mistaken sex in m anonymous writer.
hen Charlotte Bronte appeared Mt the
house OF the publishing irm hat had ac-
cepted and printed Jane Eyre" and
announced herself as its author, she
was met with incrcdulity, and witnesses
had to be brought in to prove that
Currer Fell and Charlotte Bronte were
on.
ickens wrote his first articles for the
ondon papers under the %pseudonym OF
Boz. Everybody in Boston knew the
author of the Bigelow papers, but James
ussell Dwell was known more widely
rs Bigelow than he was as the poet.
thousands who have been charmed
with the graceful Lnglish of George
lillian Curtis know him only as Easy
Chair. Eli Perkins is another name
for Melville y. Landon; L~abouchere.
tho ondon editor, formerly signed
many Of his articles ''Besieged Gosi
dent G. G. Colin, the war correspond
ent, wrote his picturesque war papers
ami juvenile books with the nom de
plume Of Carleton.