The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-18
A GROUP OF FAIR EOyELISTS.

try in northeastern Massachusetts,, including
Concord and Andover, which has been the
cradle of much good and great American litera-
| ture.
| Andover the little seminary town, with its
theological and female seminaries and its Phil
lips Academy, seems not only to disseminate
learning, but to foster the genius of production
in literature; for there Mrs. Harriet Beecher
Stowe wrote her "Uncle Toms Cabin" while
her husband, Professor Stowe. instructed
| the theological students in the embryosities
Of divinity. Though Mrs. Stowe has now
removed her household goods from Andover
| 20 that sunny plantation IN Florida, where she
can bask in the gratitude Of the emancipated
/ slave the people of Andover still point out
! lovingly the landmarks of her New England
stories. and one can easily recognize about the
!! village stores and postofice the Yankee figures
that have appeared in "Old Town Folks" Up
under the brow of the beautiful hill is Mrs.
Stoves log cabin, built in memory of Uncle
| Toms. but in a style to meet the rigorous re-
| 9uiremenis of New England climate.
| Of a younger generation, the daughter and
| not the wife of a professor, is Miss
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps. still q resident of
| of Professor Phelps is pointed out as one of
| the sights of the village. Miss Phelps made her
| debut some fifteen years ago with the Coates
! Ajar.' This singular story which 6wells upon
| the life beyond the grave with intcnse reality,
was prompted by an acute personal experience,
| and the agony of the loss of n friend for whose
sake Miss Phelps though very beautiful and
attractive woman, still remains single. Some OF
| the experiences and joys of single blessedness
Miss Phelps has put into charming little story
called "Old Maids Paradise which has Sc
| quel now running through the independents.
! The real scene of ''Old Maids Paradise" is a
little cottage which Miss Phelps has built for her
self at Gloucester, on Cape Ann. where she spends
much of her time, doing good among the Usher
| folk and feeding her imagination upon the wild
scenery Of the lonely Massachusetts coast Her
| most ambitious books, Doctor Zay" and 1.-The
Story of Avis" are striking character sketches,
with strong New England flavor of philosophy
| rather than locality.
the home of Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau and
| Bronson Alcott the summer rendezvous of all
| thosa philosophers who take the dog-days for
| starry speculation, whether with special refer
ence to the dog star or not we do not know.
| Concord is the home Of Miss Louisa M. Alcott,
than whom no writer of the day is better known
or more dearly loved. Miss Alcott, like all true
Concordians, lives in an old square New Eng
land house, and leads quiet harmonious life,
| but contrary to the precepts of her townsman,
Emerson, she finds the country place far from
conducive to the times, and when eager to do
| her writing she goes to Boston, hires room,
and works with the city din in her ears and the
| Boston east winds breathing neuralgia and cult
ure around her. This need of change of base
for inspiration is not peculiar to Miss Alcott, for
| Miss Phelps the other day went to Lynn and
| hired house for week, for avowed pur-
pose, although her public may well expect a
Little Women" is known now all over
the world. and her stories in the St.
| Nicholas and Youths Companion are looked
| for periodically with eagerness by children and
| grown people. Her path wasn't always smooth
and spread with laurels, and even Little
| Women" met with rebuffs and criticism from
| publishers who later regretted its rejection.
Ii Massachusetts is rich in contributions to
resentatves in the field and Miss Jareth's ma
| terials for her charming stories, 'Deephaven"
and "A Country Doctor" were all about her
home in Norrigwaik. Miss Blanche Willis How
ard too, whose first novel; Zone Sum
mer,' was one OF the phenomenal lite
| rary successes of 1875, is a daughter of Maine,
and the bright little summer story found
| its scene on the shores Of Maine, in the quaint,
| attractive old town of Wiscasset Those who
are familiar with che pretty bits of description in
'One Summer can hardly fell to recognize .'The
Elms,' where the story was laid as the home of
Miss Towards sisters Miss Howard is the
daughter of D. NJ. Howard, a prominent business
man of Bangor, Me- 10 those who knew her
of purpose and wealth of language which have
been among the secrets of her literary success.
Yet, except as the home of her youth,
Bangor can hardly lay claim to having
inspired either Zone Summer or any Of those
novels which have since added so much fame to
her name. Wiscasset had also much influence
upon Aunt Serena" though but q portion of the
manuscript was written there, the bulk of the
| material being obtained and nodded in Stuttgart
A new and hitherto unheard-of writer who
q I'd Inv hnr
first novel, can hardly fail to excite curiosity and
| interest," and she was the subject of more nc
tions than even her versatile pen could devise in
score OF years. Not the slightest economy was
used in the description of her appearance the
details of her life and the circumstances under
| which her book was written. She was now said
| to be precocious schoolgirl. now q fair young
widow, now a sour old maid. now bright socie-
| ty belle. AS fact, Miss Howard is a handsome
woman, we should say in the neighborhood of
| thirty five. Though claim her rs a literary
representative of Maine. she has been, since
1876. resident of Stuttgart, Wurtemburc re-
turning TO her native shores only periodically to
present her favored publishers with some
new work of her hands The beautiful
American authoress is well-known fig
ure in the promenade and in the park
at Stuttgart, often surrounded by 5evy of fair
young compatriOts who have been lntr0sterl 10
her charge. Among these few years since
| might have been the young daughters of
Lawrence Barrett one of whom has since be-
come resident OF Stuttgart as German Baron.
ess. Miss Howard's life abroad has given to her
later books character foreign to s'One Sum
mer" and also free from the international spirit
| of criticism which one finds in Henry James.
| The charm of "GueDn" is that which one finds
| in beautiful French painting by Millais aho
| loved the peasants Of Brittany 80 we'll Miss
| Howard is conscientious and indefatgable
worker IN her craft and the materials for
| ''Guenn' were gathered in summers soiaurn
among the French peasants she has SO faithfully
portrayed. Last winter she was urged tn draua
| tize 'Guenn," and although then deep in AN.
bray Torres which was to be published i'm the
summer. she applied herself to- that work; and
wemay expect soon to see that spirited novel in
action on the stage. Miss Howard, unlike so
| many of her craft, is blessed with superb health.
unfagging courage and generous spirits. Her
creed may be expressed in two words--ndustry
and exercise. With these two habits she can