The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-06-11
NO. 20.
STORY OF HER CAREEa.
Ella wheeler wilcox Tells How she
spun Rhymes While the Hired Girl
Did fue EEOuseworh

onsy, and woe, which ended happily viii
the peal Of wedding bells] ! received ms
first check, and felt fully launched on the
great sea Of literature Poems and stories
flowed from my pen like water running
down hill; and when ! was barely rs years
old was clothing myself with the proceeds
of my pen and helping to furnish and
brighten up the humble little home The
prices | received were small. bnt wrote so
voluminously that managed TO earn
! quite little income
When ! was about ~ ! wrote eight
poems in single day and considered
two in a day only a small achievement. OF
course sent out into the world an i'm
mense amount Of trash. which would
gladly recall now Ali my friends told me
| was shaming the MUSES. by my reckless
use of her gifts | was urged to devote
more time to study and to tie periecfing OF
my work But, look you was earning
| money To relieve the absolute necessities OF
life. and | was lifting many a burden from
my mothers shoulders With the wisdom
Of the world. our neighbors called me
lazy dreamer whe sat scrbbling all day
while her folks hired help had to do
the work ought to do. The truth was.
my pen paid servant to tighten my
mothers dreary labors. besides supporting
myself
These We're memorable days to me
was intoxicated with my success. | radi-
ated with love for all the world | knew
nothing Of the world as yet, nothing Of
human nature, nothing IF myself even.
People of intellect. and wealth and social
position began to seek me out Invitations
began to flow in upon me 10 visit in city
homes These visits increased my ambi-
tions and my necessities saw now other
people lived and dressed. and my desire for
money exceeded my love for art was
passionatcly fond Of social pleasures. and
the desire to appear in a becoming toilet at
a party oYereamc nay resolve to write only
two poems week. I wrote ten instead
and sacrificed art to fashion And the
next day when found that | had danced
through my slippers wrote fonr more ex-
tremeIy faulty poems. But they purchased
A new pair Of slippers and pair Of gloves.
These are shocking confessions; but
they are absolutely TRUE. and hope my
brethren and sisters who listen 10 these cx-
periences Of one who is partially reformed
will offer up prayers in my behalf
AYtUt-Isq-tNFs nt..4.- "a. ,,,ra.
Everything was material TO me The
singing Of bird outside my window, the
compliments paid me by my escort at the
play, the sound Of the reapcrs IN the har-
vest fields the conversation Of callers. my
own restless heart, ali gave me food for
verses and romances
! used 10 go 10 the hnok-store4 and write
down list Of addresses OF various ,eriodi-
Gals in different parts Of the country. TO
these | would send ont my manuscripts,
often ten or twelve by one mail con-
sidercd it great misfortune that | WAS
often denied credit for my work; think
now it was blessing that So many Of these
waits went namcless into the world. 1t
never occurred 70 me Ia seek the assistance
Of older writers in marketing my brain
wares. and was too independent and too
impatient to ask OF allow any one to cr;ti-
else my work before | sent it out was
imbued with the foolish idea that it would
be no longer my own original composition
if allowed any one to make suggestions
So off went my half-iledgcd birllings
almost as soon as they We're through the
shell. It all seems a great pity 10 ac now
But | enjoyed life and caused others to
enjoy it, After all, what is better than
thar
That woman is endowed with a more
delicate physical organization and more
nervous sensibilites than man is an undiS-
puted fact, and centuries Of dollhouse
breeding have rendered her still more sus-
ceptible to the cold winds Of publicity III
my carly youth and ignorance of these
things, | used to look upon a woman who
had arrived ii emnence aud say, ''She
has been blessed by the gods and favored
by mankind; how fortunate the star under
which She was born. In the light Of
mature years and experience | say now,
"What courage what patient endurance,
what perseverance, what suffering have
been hers.
One of the most important things for
woman TO remember who sets forth ON a
sclf-supporting career is the necessity Of
transacting all financial matters in strict
ly business-like manner If She borrowS
money she must repay it with interest. as
a man would do If She contracts debts
she must pay them And she mustnot ex-
pect especial consideration or favor in these
things because She Is woman. Not
until women fully realize this can they ex-
pect to succeed
RECOGNITION NNp REMUNERATION.
We are dependent on the gallantlies and
affections Of men in society and in the
domestic relations; they are our eouriers
or oar kings, By nature and custom bound
to give us the comfortable seat in the ear
or fetch our fan at the ball; but in business
| transactions we must forget all this and
consider them simply orr equals. neither
our masters nor oar slaves, and if We
would win their respect and encourage