St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-12-09
GENERAL LEW WALLACE.
How Ben-Hur Came to he written.

How Ben-Hur Came to be Written.
"Lewis Wallace, "remarks the chron-
icler of Indiana's share in the war fol
the Union, "handles the pen and the
brush with ease and TASTE" And af-
ter paying tribute also to his skill as a
lawyer the historian adds, "But his
genius is military" During General
Wallace's administration as governor
of New Mexico he turned his legal and
literary and military attachments to
such good purpose that it was said his
genius was executive. AS minister of
the United States to Turkey, he es-
tablshed reputation as "a diploma
tist and his religious romance, Ben
Hur: A Tale of the Christ, has be-
come one of the most popular of Amer
lean novels. Since the judgment was
pronounced twenty years ago that his
genius was military, it has therefore
been shown that he has at least tai
ent of high order for politics, diplo-
macy and literature.
Though General Wallace has gained
distinction in such variety of pur-
suits, he has not yet reached his six
tieth year aud lie is as hale in body
as when he first won bis spur, and as
youthful in mind as when his pen first
attracted local attention. While he
was laying the foundations of prac-
tice at the law, as a volunteer, though
hardly past his youth, he entered the
army in the war with Mexico, and won
the rank of second lieutenant in the
First Indiana volunteers. While he
was in service in Mexico he became
interested in Mexican history, and his
studies many years later bore fruit in
The Fair God or, the Last of the
'Tzins: A Tale of the Conquest of
Mexico, which was published in 1874.
General Wallace's war record is a
part of the history of the country. AS
soldier he led "a division at the cap
| ture of Fort DOnelsOn, and he was the
| first Federal officer of rank who en-
tered the fort. On that memorable
morning he breakfasted with his old
friend General Buckner, the cOnfeder-
ate commander. For gallantry he was
now promoted to the rank of ma Or
general, and he was cOmplimented for
his brave conduct in the battle of Shi-
lob.
Although after the war General Wal
lace was active in military and pOliti-
cal discussions, he rested on the hOnOrs
he had won in war for nearly ten years
and then turned seriously to literary
work. His Mexican romance was hail
ed as "the great American novel;" and
by reason of such high praise it pro-
vOked correspOndingly severe criti-
cism. Though it has been published
twelve years, it is yet among the
books that are seldom left long on the
shelves of the circulating libraries. AS
first novel" it was remarkably sue
cessful. In 1878 President Hayes APP
pointed him governor of New Mexico,
and during his residence there he re-
sumed continuous literary work, and
Ben-Hu came from the press in 1880.
The readers of this extraordinary rO-
nance owe the pleasure and profit
they have got from it to a suggestion
unconsciously made by Colonel Rob
ert G. IngersOll. General Wallace
met Col. Ingersoll on the train, and
they sat down for long talk.
"What shall we talk about9" asked
the distinguished unbeliever.
"Oh, don't care" replied General
Wallace.
"Let's discuss religion, them" said
IngersOll; and he recited his argu-
ments and exercised his wit against
Christianity until, to use General Wal
lace's own words, "sOmehOw | felt
ashamed of myself" In general way
General Wallace had accepted the
Christian religion, bat he had not in
vestigated its history nor grounded
himself in his faith. He now set seri-
Ously to work at religious study. He
became devOutly convinced gifts truth
and determined to embOdy his cOnvic-
ton and his reasons for it in rO-
nance.
1t has thus happened, doubtless to
General Wallace's own surprise, and
certainly to the surprise of his early
friends, that he has won his most last
ing fame with his pen, and as the au
thor of perhaps the most popular re-
ligiOus romance in the language. The
sales of Ben Hur have doubled every
year since it's publication. The va
riety of his accomplishments and his
intellectual activity have made him a
great favOrite in society as his bravery
and bOnhOmie made him among his
military comrades. His manners are
the manners of an accomplished SOL
der rather than of man of letters,
though there is in his bearing a GER
tain unsoldierly but not ungallant
modesty.
During his residence of three years
at Constantinople he became interest
ed not only in his official duties, but
in such political, literary and arch9O-
logical questions as his acquaintance
and studies there brought to his atten-
ton. 1t was while there that he gath
cred together the materials for the
lectures on "Turkey and the Turks"
that will be delivered in ST. JOhnsbury
next week.