Wichita daily eagle., 1886-08-03
9ai19 II eagle
STORY OF HER CAREER.
CONFESSIONS OF A POETESs, BY ONE
WHO HAS PARTIALLY REFORMED.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox Tells How She
Spun Rhymes While tho Hired Girl
Did the Housework-A Plucky WOman'a
Well-Earned success-Criticisms.
In less than a years time after that 1.-THE
rejection Of a tale of love, adventure,
jealousy, and woe, which ended happily with
the peal of wedding bellsl / received my
first check, and felt fully launched on the
great sea Of literature. Poems and stories
flowed from my pen like water running
down hi /; and when I was barely IL years
old l was clothing myself with the proceeds
of my pen and helping to furnish and
brighten up the humbe little home The
prices received were small. but wrote so
voluminously that managed to earn quite
little income
When l was about 10 wrote eight poems
IN q single day! and l considered two in q
day only a small achievement OF course
sent out into the world an immense
amount of trash, which l would gladly re-
call now. All my friends told me was
shaming the Muses. by my reckless use Of
her gifts l was urged to devote more time
to study and to the perfecting of my work.
But, look you! ! was earning money to
relieve the absolute necessities of life, and
was lifting many a burden from my moth
er's shoulders With the wisdom of the
world, our neighbors called me a lazy
dreamer who sat scribbling all day while
her folks" hired help had to do the work
ought to do. The truth was, my pen paid
a servant to tighten my mothers dreary
labors, besides supporting myself
Those were memorable days to me- 1 was
intoxicated with m / ra6iafa1
with love for all the world l knew nothing
OF the world as yet, nothing of human
nature, nothing Of myself even. People of
intellect, and wealth, and social position be-
gan to seek me out Invitations began to
flow in upon me to visit in city homes
These visits increased my ambitions and my
necessities. l saw how other people lived
and dressed and my desire for money ex-
ceeded my love for art l was passionately
fond OF social pleasures, and the desire to
appear in a becoming toilet at party over
came my resolve to write only two poems a
week L wrote ten instead and sacrificed
art TO fashion And the next day when l
found that | had danced through my slip
pers | wrote four more extremely faulty
poems But they purchased new pair of
slippers and pair of gloves These are
shocking confessions. But they are abso-
lutely true, and | hope my brethren and
sisters who listen to these experiences of one
who is partially re ormed will offer up
prayers in my behalf
MARKETING BRAIN-wAREs
Everything was material to me. The
singing of a bird outside my window, the
compliments paid me by my escort at the
play, the sound of the reapers in the harvest
fields, the conversation of callers, my own
restless heart, all gave me food for verses
and romances
l used to go to the bookstores and write
down a list of addresses of various periodi-
Gals in different parts Of the country. To
these l would send out my manuscripts,
often ten or twelve by one mail l con-
sidered it great misfortune that was
often denied credit for my work; think
now it was blessing that SO many of these
waits went nameless into the world 1t
never occurred to me to seek the assistance
of older writers in marketing my brain
wares, and L was too independent and too
impatient to ask or allow any one to criti-
else my work before l sent it out l was
imbued with the foolish idea that it would
he no longer my own original composition
if l allowed any one to make sugg, stions
So of went my half-iedged birdlings
shell 1t all seems great pity to me now
But I enjoyed life and caused others to
enjoy it After all, what is better than
that.
That woman is endowed with more
delicate physical organization and more
nervous sensibilities than man Is an undis-
puted fact, and centuries of hot-house
breeding have rendered her still more sus-
ceptible to the cold winds of publicity. In
my early youth and ignorance Of these I
things, l used to look upon a woman who |
had arrived at eminence, and say, ''She |
has been blessed by the gods and favored |
10y mankind; how fortunate the star
under which she was born" In the light |
OF maturer years and experience l |
say now, "What courage, what patient |
endurance, what perseverance,, what suffer-
ing have been hers"
One of the most important things for a |
woman to remember who sets forth on a |
selfsupporting career is the necessity of
transacting all financial matters in a strictly
business-like manner. If she borrows money
she must repay it with interest, as a man
would do Ii she contracts debts she must
pay them. And she must not expect especial |
consideration or favor in these things "be-
cause she is a woman" Not until women
fully realize this can they expect to sue
ceed.
RECOGNITION AND REMUNERATION
We are dependent on the gallantries and
affections Of men in society and in the
domestic relations; they are our courtiers or
our kings, by nature and custom bound to
give us the comfortable seat in the car or
fetch our fan at the ball; but in business
transactions We must forget all this and
consider them simply our equa S, neither
our masters nor our slaves: and if we would
win their respect and encouragement, We
must merit it by well balanced accounts
As l read over my own works and pain
fully realize their great defects, am moved
to wonder why | have been accorded such
unusual success, when many writers who
far excel me as poets and artists have failed
to win recognition or remuneration l
think it must be due 10 the fact that |
threw into my work great deal of the ex-
treme vitality with which l was endowed
1t touched the public like an electric wave
and brought my verses into immediate
notice
Yet shall be forgotten while more care
sui and conscientious artists live in the
memory of the world While l realize all
my shortcomings, do not see how | could
have have done differently in the past |
performed the duty nearest me as well as
knew how to do. Sweeter than fame
which is, like st Johns little book, only
sweet in the mouth, is to me the conscious
ness that have been Of practical assistance
to those dear to me. / heard recently that
Mr.. Edmund Clarence Stedman honored me
by the remark that be wished hs could have
had the literary training OF me from my
18th year: be would have made better
poet of me- / believe this to be true He
would have taught me that the manner of
is as worthy of consideration as
the thought to be expressed-a fact l was
sadly tardy in discovering He would have
casued me to contribute more to art. but,
fear less to duty, than l have dona l
should have teen a poet, but a less useful