Evening journal., 1888-08-16
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
SOMETHING OF THE LIFE AND
WORK or JULIAN HAWTHORNE.
The Son of a Great Novelist Critic, Es-
sayist, Interviewer, Story Writer and
Trayeler-His Extraordinary Candor on
Paper-Raising the wrath OF the Poets.
IspeeIal correspondence.l

Af"NNiSA Ills 1-ALf'tordlnhfy SAndor on
Paper-Raising the Wrath OF the Poets.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YoRK, Aug. l4.-The name Of Haw-
thorne has magic in It to cultivated literary
ears on both sides of the Atlantic But it Is
vision Of the elder, Nathaniel with his shy.
melancholy face, that presents itself at
sound Of the name; he whom the world
means when it simply says "Hawthorne: p
he Of the weird pen and gentle yet gloomy
soul
Julian Hawthorne, whose name greets us
from the pages of magazines, from the COW
ers of many paper covered book on the
news stands, and more frequently still from
the columns Of newspapers, is the only son
Of the great novelist Hawthorne. In person
he does not in the least resemble the sby.
delicate man who was his father, being big
and burly Of figure, with u stride like a
grangers.
Neither does he produce similar literary
work, though showing a pronounced taste
for the mystic, the psychological, even the
occult. There are stories afloat, too. about
queer things happening in his presence. One,
! remember, is to the effect that his wife on
going up stairs one day passed him on the
landing. Entering his study almost in the
same instant she saw him sitting there. and
lo he had neither gone up nor down stairs
within the hour. ! cannot take oath on this
story. give it as / heard it. In fact did
nothear it. readSt; and l need not repeat
the caution not To believe everything one
secs in print without due and careful renec-
ton.
But as these are the days when everybody
IS telling creepy things, perhaps tho story
will have interest for many, particularly as
Mr.. Julian Hawthorne puts creepy things
into his romances.
have heard persons express surprise when
they found this writer's name on the cover
OF detective story whose very title sayored
Of crooks police courts and prisons. To the
inexperienced in the dim and dubious land
Of the quill this might DO a matter of aston
ishment Not so to him who is familiar with
the hard, thorny and impecunious road OF
the literary Jordan. Alasl he knows that
the writer to whom literature is a crutch.
his only dependence, the privilege of exercis
ing his taste, or even sustaining the dignity
OF his name by refusing to bestow it upon
works not OF his choice, is not his Indeed
however high his aspirations, the awful
pressure OF necessity brought daily to bear
upon him will at last not only reduce him to
literary
drudgery, but will even make him receive il
with gratitude. Remember this. all yor
who yearn and long to throw comfort to tho
dogs and earn your living by your pen
They who succeed best in it are SO situated
that they use it as walking stick, not as
crutch.
Julian Hawthorne was graduated from the
scientific school OF Harvard He is said
not TO have been very studious, and was moi
considered a particularly good scholar. He
made It all up, however, in being first class il
all athletic sports, on which he occasionally
writes some charming articles He rowed
IN the Harvard regatta Of 1868. Not until
1877 did he begin to write stories and
sketches He has Travelled abroad exten.
sively
In talking about Julian Hawthorne. let ii
be remembered that he had a mother as well
as father Julian himself, writing Of bis
parents, says; 1.-THE most fortunate event n
Nathanial Hawthorne's life was. probably,
his marriage with Sophia Peabody. 10 IL.
tempt to explain and describe Ills career
without taking this event into consideration
would be Ike trying to imagine sun with,
out heat or day without a SUM-
Let it not be forgotten either, that there Is
Mrs. Julian Hawthorne. She is described
as pretty, petite and tastefully dressed.
AS critic Of literature Mr. Hawthorne
makes very interesting reading. Two years
or more ago he was employed on a daily
newspaper of New York ia the capacity OF q
book reviewer. Every Sunday he filed tive
or three columns about other writers and
what they had written, not sparing the rod
on occasions. It was said that lie got very
comfortable salary for this work, one which
brought him the easy mind which all
writers pray Tor and few ever possess. But
alas and alack! one day presumably he re
ceived the document with which most writers
are RECALLED once, II not many times, during
their lifetime, containing the disgusting and
arrogant assertion that his services were nc
longer required at least he disappeared
from the columns of that newspaper and the
literary gossipers who know everything
said that he had offended by writing for
some other paper; that in that office no other
gods were permitted. The proprietor alone
nust be worshiped.
On one occasion Hawthorne interviewed
James Russell Lowell when that gentleman
says he didn't know that he was being inter.
viewed, and when Mr. Hawthorne did not
see how he could have any doubt on the sub
1ect. Several miles of column length articles
were written about this, ia which Mr. Haw-
thorne received the benefit Of the dark side
of the picture.
Still later he was so unwise as to write an
open letter to poets, advising them not to send
verses to newspapers. This occurred while
he was the literary editor Of a New York
daily. He said poem couldn't have the jus
tice done TO it in newspaper that it would
receive in a magazine, and he urged the
mighty army Of young American poets to fire
their verse at the magazines. Yes, and he
plainly intimated that the literary editors Of
newspapers would regard it as a favor if
Pegasus was no longer brought to a halt ia
front Of their doors.
Now if there is anything that poets win
not stand, it is advice In fact, nobody likes
it, and when it is Of the gratuitous order it
passes from the unwelcome to the offensive
Accordingly, as was fit and proper, a bed Of
smoking Goals was prepared, over which Mr.
Hawthorne was hauled, and Ella Wheeler
Wilcox did the broiling, and very neatly did
she do it, too. She made it quite plain that
the magazines would not look at a poem IN
til the newspapers had first made fame for its
writer She also made it quite as plain that
Mr.. Hawthorne could not be kindly disposed
toward the editors Of the magazines, or he
never would have urged the poets to send
them their poems.
Perhaps Julian Hawthorne finds it a little
awkward sometimes 10 be the son Of his
father People are always looking for points
Of mental resemblance and are apt to he dis
appointed when they don't find them. Yet
man may DO the son Of a famous man. be
gifted in his why and yet not be like his
father He is yet under 40, and in point of