Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-08-13
\ CHAT WITH HOWELLS.
The Great Novelist in His beacon street
study.

study.
Boston Advertiscr,l
MI ". u. Howellsls at present occupy
ing his Beacon street residence, where he
spends portion of each day upon his lit
eraly work. Knowing that this work of
the famous American novelist is
always of interest to the public, an
advertiser reporter called upon him yes
terday with view Of obtaning some ac-
count of il.
Every glad to see you come right up
said Mir Howels smiling cheerily and
CHANGING at the reporters card After
the ascent of IA single, easy flight of stairs
the reporter was ushered into the novel
SITS library. This is spacious and airy
room, Its sides lined with numerous
shelves containing the works Of many
well-known authors, the walls above
adorned with portraits and paintings,
with a large table or writing desk in its
centre, and one large window from which
one can obtain grand view of the Charles
river and Cambridge in the distance. and
through which the cool breezes from of
the river sweep delightfully."- through the
room.
Take a seat" said Mr.. Howels, push
ing an exceedingly comfortable easy
chair toward the scribe, and seating him
self near by, preparatory to Il chat. In
answer To II question as to how long he
had been in town, Mr. Howells said :
we spent the winter i'll Auburndale
then went to Washington for a month
We're at Fortress Monroe for while
stopped month in New York, returned
TO Boston about May l. and have been here
ever since"
"You are connected with the Harpers
now, are you not ~
"My contract is to give all my writings
10 the Harpers, Shat is everything that
print. II | were to write play, that
would not be included in the catalogue
everything else is theirs, no matter what
it is
You are, then, officially connected
with them -
II have no official relation with them
except to write the Study in Harpers
Monthly but that does not require my
presence in New York.
When did you begin to write the
study ?"
Last November"
Did your contract for the writing Of
stories BEGIN then -
No; that began the first of last March,
w hat is the nature of the study :"
We'll, here is the August number for
instance" said Mr.. Howells, picking up
The Monthly from the table. 1T begins
with Il sort OF essay on criticism then |
pass to Grants last volume, then to
Lieut.. Greely's, and naturally compari.
son is Instituted between them. Then |
take up East Angels | like very much
the new historical romance, Constance
of Acadia, and | pass to that. / try to
nave a thread of thought running through
the whole thing, sort of keynote that
| can come back to and strike from time
TO time, and yet try to treat good many
different topics. But there is always
great dead in the Study about the novels
of which | am always thinking; perhaps
say too much about them. The Study
j really series of literary topics drawn
from books"
is that work congenial to you -
Yes, | like 1t very much. When be-
gan TO write the study | was little out
of practice in that kind of writing When
first took hold of the Atlantic Monthly,
| wrote all the book notices. Then when
| left that magazine ceased writing any,
and did not do any sort of critical work
for four or five years. 1t is peasant, OF
course, TO get back into the current OF
literature, to SEE all the new books. etc"
Are you engaged in any other literary
work at present.
Il am writing a story for HarperS'"
"Wlll it be out soon -
ut goes into the magazine first the
opening chapters will probably appear ear.
~ in the year don't know just when" /
What is the nature of it :"
i cannot say much about that, on aC- |
count of my contract with the Harpers.
Then, again, | change the plan of my
stories somewhat as write them out. | |
am not really in a position to speak about
it"
1T will he novel ,"
ION, yes it will be Il novel. The story
now running in the Century, The Min
isters Charge, will end in November or
December and hereafter my stories will
all belong to the Harpers."
VIII this be your first story published
in Harpers> ~
The Indian Summer was published
IN Harper's"
How long will your new story be -
About as long as the Lady of the
Aroostook p"
What will be its title -
II have not yet decided"
Where will the scene be laid -
1t VII be connected with Amer
rican life and society, rs most of my
other works have been. | do not
believe in doing anything else. There
have been only two of my books-'A
Foregone Conclusion and An Indian
Summer'-whOse scenes are laid abroad.
One was laid in Venice, the other in
Florence. A part of the scene of 1.-The
Lady of the Aroostook' was laid in Venice
but that of all the rest of my works is in
and about Boston. don't seem to get
away from there. noticed one thing in
much. 1t said had let one man 90
away from Boston, but | brought him
back on the steamer AS soon as possible.
Boston is the most interesting town in
the world to me-"
ITO change the subject-have you at
tended any of the sessions of the Concord
school in philosopy ?"
'No; have always had an intention to
do so, but ! am not directly interested
in metaphysics, and have never got out
there
do you consider that there is any prac-
teal value attaching to the school -
You may say that there is no practical
value attaching to anything that is philo-
sophical. And yet if 1t comes out of life
and goes off into life it is practical. If
you stir up mems minds about great
topic, you do some good you make them
think not only of those things but of
other things
What do You think of Professor Day
idson on lola ?"
81 only saw that little bit of a scrap
about it in the Transcript, so could not