Telegram-herald., 1886-05-02
A CHAT WITH A POETESS,
what Mrs Ella wheeler wilcox said tn =
New York World" Reporter Of Her
Work and Aspirations.

RECEPTION was given 10 Mrs. Fila
Wheeler Wilcox the pOeiess and novelist,
Monday evening last by Miss Lily Carry,
the pretty young authoress Of a Bohemian
Tragedy" Many well-known writers were
present among them Mrs Cynthia Leonard,
Mr.. and Mrs Ira Lathrop, Mr.. and Mrs.
Fregnd, Mr.. Stephen Massett and Mr.. W. A.
Eddy Mrs. Wilcox wore costume Of
black six with abbreviated neck ard
sleeves, and was received by the assemb' d
guests with marked respect The poetess is
not pretty. Her face, on the contrary, IS
plain almost 20 hOmeliness but her manner
is refined and devoid of cOnstraint, SO that
IL IS easy and pleasant 20 converse with her.
In short conversation with World re-
porter she said.
Il have spent good part of the winter in
Philadelphia and " Washington and have en-
JOyed my self very much. IL is SO interest
ing, you know, - meet people that you
have read about and 10 be able To form
your own individual idea of them. / came
10 New York To attend the dinner of the
Pot Luck club and they were SO kind as to
have one OF my pet poems recited at table.
You have no idea how pleasant sucn like
things are 10 a writer. or az least they are TO
me. You may think il silly. but allowed
myself a great deal of happiness day or
two ago, just on account Of the praise of a
little shop girl. went into Stewarts to
make some purchases and ordered the goods
home c. o. b. When I gave the young
lady my address. she looked very much
surprised and asked me II wrote poetry.
She said how glad she was To have seen me
and how much she liked nv verses and
even had one or two Of them at her tongue ;
end. really never felt SO much eOmpl-
mented before in all my life.
There is one thing that I find very
ds,asteful In my career IS a writer, and
that Is the publicity that has been given TO
matters entirely personal 10 me. IL is very
uice 20 have the newspapers say pleasant
things about me and ms writings but some
Of them not only say dreadful things but
they exhibit my domestic affairs and
relations in print. Speaking Of newspaper
criticism, they all seem To have gone to
extremes. Some Of them praise me 20 the
skies and others dash me away down into
the depths OF infsny as IL / were one Of the
most abandoned Of pOeteSses. l myself
don't believe thar | am so very good or
50 very swfIlly bad, and I assure you
should be oHiy too happy 10 have my
various criticisers striks happy medium.
q Nv enemies treat nae a little better now
than they did when first began 20 write,
however. and think thas have earned the
promotion. You SEE. - tne beginning
vas supporting myself with my composi-
tions and oflen nave written As msnv a.
esght poems a day Some If them certainly
we're poor but | could not afford 20 throw
them away. Recently I have taken to
writing less and exercising more pains. and
F ( am concerted enough 20 think that hsye
improved considerably.
Have / anything nov in The hands 0fthe
publishers Yes. Liupiaron'Sthe C,lgsrg and
- Nieaoffs have al petiiem accepted poem
which have not yet appeared. Its like
waiting for your epifsph for them 20 come
out Ny. novst, Mai M0ule2 OBJ that
has been very successful. A hundred copies
were scid the first week aud the sale still
continues % De good. don Q pretend % De
a novsiist, however. and would never have
written. Mai Mosle'. III had not been snx-
ious 20 express The IDEAS it contained