The Washington critic., 1886-07-14
WASHINGTON CRITIC
49, ---------- ----------- ---- -------
WASHINGTON, JULY Ii, 1856.
TOPICS OF TE7 DAY.


George Bancroft, historian, statesman
and gentleman of the old school, Mrs.
Burnett is pretty blonde woman,
nearing forty, perhaps, but looking
many years younger. She is an Eng.
lish woman by birth, her family com.
ing from one of the mining and manu-
featuring districts of England, the
scenes of which she so well repro
duced In "That Lass O. Lowrie +"
Her family were originally well-to-do,
middle-class people, but in her girl.
hood her father died, aud the circum-
stances of the family altered much for
the worse. They had rich uncle in
this country, so the family concluded
TO leave England and come to the
United States. But Uncle Crmsus was
not overjoyed to see them, and the
niece-then Frances Hodgson--who
was to shed luster upon very plain
name, had hardships and poverty be.
fore her. They driftcd Off to Tennessee,
and in the Tennessee mountains,
where Mary Murfree has need to weave
those powerful stories of hers, Frances
Hodgson first sent forth her argosy
upon the hurricane.swept Atlantic Of
literature. 1t would be an interesting
study to follow the experiences of those
two extraordinary women. They were
as entirely opposite in their develop.
ment as In their styles. Charles
Egbeit Craddock" apparently had no
mental childhood. Her first efforts are
as strong and mastery as her last, and,
to borrow the simile of the college
graduates valedictory, her genius
sprang into being like Minerva, full.
grown and armed. Not so with
Frances-or Fanny Hodgson, as she is
called by her family and friends. Her
earliest stories, printed In second and
third class periodicals, are painfully
amateurish. But by degrees her style
strengthened and improved until she
came to rank among the writers.
Her books became nice reading for
warm afternoons in summer, but they
might have become good, wholesome
reading for long winter nights. A hi.
atus has come into her work for the
last year or two, and when next she
writes serious novel one may look
for something better than her last
books-something in the style
of "That Lass O. Lowries."
Fanny Hodgson's literary career fol-
lowed the conventional path-hard and
uncertain at first and then achieving
success Meanwhile she had met and
married DR.. Burnett, an oculist, who
concluded to settle in Washington.
The life thus opened up before Mrs.
Burnett was peculiarly agreeable to
her. Deprived in her early life of the
gayety and brilliance which young
and pretty woman naturally Graves,
she found herself finally an important
figure In a charming society, ad-
mired and successful She lived
on l street in modest house,
of which General Grant was
the owner, and which was situated only
few doors from the Garfield house.
She had two beautiful boys-Lionel
and Vivian-and looked as happy as q
woman ought who possessed youth, at
tractiveness, an agreeable home, easy
circumstances and noble reputation in
literature. She was an immense social
success, and like others before her she
tried to combine work and pleasure
She was under iron-b bound contracts at
the time with the Scribners, and al
though the publishers were not illib-
Ciolt 9Ct tuC VI tuC DuullSu-
ing trade in this country made work
like Mrs. Burnett's hard and not very
remunerative. But, being con-
scientious worker, she must write, and
write her best, and, being an attractive
woman, she must go to dinners and
balls and hold receptions herself.
Every Tuesday afternoon in her own
house she received hundreds of guests,
and every Tuesday evening she had a
delightful soiree. The most agree
able people in Washington as.
sembled at her house and enjoyed
music and conversation. On these
occasions, in the height of the season,
the two large drawing-rooms on the
first floor were opened, but when there
were only few Mrs Burnett would
lead the way up to her own particular
sanctum on the third floor. Here, in
the room facing the street, were the
tools of her work on writing table,
and books, piano, and on cool even
ings an open fire sparkled on the
hearth. 1t was very pleasant, but 1t
was too much work and pleasure COM
bined for delicate woman. She
found 1t impossible to seclude herself
in Washington where social ties and
social habits had been formed which
were hard to break So about two
years ago she went to Boston on a
visit, which lasted on and off until very
lately. There she lived, usually at the
Hotel Vendome, doing but little, enjoy
ing in quiet way what was to be en-
joyed, and dcvoting herself to the res
toration of her health. In the spring
her husband gave up the old fashioned
l street house and took handsome
modern one on II street, near Farragut
Square, and next winter Mrs. Burnett
1t is hoped, will be again n figure in
Washington society
~
A mile away, as the crow flies, from
Mrs. Burnett, is the cottage of Mrs E.
ID. Il. N. Southworth, who has been
for many years winter resident OF
Georgetown, which has now become
West Washington. She is now an
elderly, gray-haired, strong-featured
woman, keeping closely at home and
welded to the writing of the wildly
sensational tales that gave her fame
and fortune nearly forty years ago
Her summers are spent on the lIud
son, where she owns country
place. She is but rarely seen in Wash.
ington, and probably not hundred
persons in the town know her by sight
Her contract with Mr.. Robert Bonner
of the New York Ledger still holds
good, and 1t is said that he pays hel
So 600 year for the monopoly of hei
stories. In that case she is the best
paid woman writer, If not the best. PAID
writer, In the United States Mr.. B,n
ner perhaps remembers that much OF
his success with the Ledger came from
the publication of Mrs; southworth''