The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-04-03
HOWELLS ON A HOLIDAY.

A Man Who, Having Achieved Quite a Lot,
Finds Greatnes Thrust Upon HIM.
''Cd,p'' in tie t9er,Ioad Leqdn..
w. ID. Howells, the greatest of Ameri-
can novelists, is spending month or Two
in Washington. called upon him yes
terday, and had chat with him in re-
gard to himself and his work. found
him different i'll appearance from the i'm
preston conveyed in his pictures. lie is
short and stout, and his every feature is
that of a college bred business man,
rather than the cranky, conventional
litteratuer. II, looks upon his profession
much as a merchant does upon his stc1e.
and he is free from egotism and not at
all snobbish. Mr.. Howells has a large
head, covered with fine brown hair cut
close at the back, and falling in thin
locks over his temples at the front. His
complexion is dark, with florid tinge,
md his head is joired to pair of broaa
healthy shoulders by short well-padded
neck. His face is full, and its forehead
high and broad. Twinklng blue eyes
smile at you from under it as lie talks,
and thick iron-gray moustache hal5
covers his mouth from view. H. dresses
in business clothes, and wore this morn
ing getaway coat of dark goods, with
vest to match, and pair of light pauta.
looms. His collar, of the whitest, was
turnover one, and his neckte scarf,
which entirely filled the front opening
Of his vest.
MIR. Howells was very modest i'll speak
ing of his work, and told me he did not
believe in the word genius. He thought,
he said, that he had natural bent to-
Yards literature, and that his success had
oecn due to hard work lie does not be
licve that long terms OF intellectual in
cti, ity are beneficial, and says that they
ne injurious to the writer. He works
tight along the year round, and prefers
10 take his rest day by day, rather than
N lump. In response to questions as
% his habits of work Mr.. Howells said:
Il devote my mornings to writing. |
rise at about :, breakfast at s, and then
go to work i eat the usual American
breakfast and don't find that a good,
hearty meal disagrees with my labors.
lid think at one time when | came back
rom Europe that | would keep mp the
foreign custom of a light breakfast of
coffee and rolls. But l dropped it after
time. 1t is not adapted to our climate.
,nd it is not suited to our habits, with
he children going to school SO early and
pthing but a lunch at noon"
What is your average days work."
[ asked
about a page Of Horp0's Nonthlg
or an editorial column of the Cleveland
Leader do not like to write fast. and
] write, rewrite and change both words
and matter over and over again. have
Just finished the novel 'Lemuel Barker
which is now appearing in the CcatHy,
and had five or six months of copy
ahead before | allowed it to go to the Of.
fee. Al have at the beginning is tie
general idea. invent chapters and inc-
dents as go along. Thus, each morn.
ing consists of new Inventions and tie
work is pleasant and does not grow
stale. When first began to write | had
;reat trouble as to the plot, and | wor-
yied over my incidents and conversations.
could not make the people talk. |
afterwards found that the reason why Il
could not do this was because had roth
ing t. say myself. 1t a man has ideas
and experiences he finds his conversation
coming easily in the illustration of them.
ICONTINIrEn ON ENIrKTH PACE