Evening journal., 1888-07-02
william DEAN howeLLs.
A Young Man from Ohio who Has Won
Fame and Wealth.

1OWellS IS SAID to be the foremost Ameri-
can novelist of the day He is the
fashion. It is the mode TO read him and
admire him, notwithstanding many critics.
and many who are not critics, assert that
there is nothing in his stories There is
nothing" in them. IL by nothing" is
meant the absence of the exciting and
extraordinary. He deliberately deied the
old superstition that a novel, TO be interest
ing. must be based on the unusual and
awful; must depict characters and phases
Of life not common; must have villains Of
high degree and angels of the most an
gelic type.
lie has demonstrated what everybody
knows, but what writer's are prone TO ig-
more or forget-that it is not so much
what is said as the manner Of saying it
that makes success in literature. How
ellis strength is style. It is masterful
AS young lady of very moderate intel
lcctual caliber said after reading one Of
his romances: why, these characters are
not bit like the people in books. ! have
known just such folks in real life. often"
He has q gift for textures and details A
pace Of one of his stories may be devoted
TO telling how his heroine sits down; but
if we are fond Of the young lady we are
content to put in that length Of time on
her manner Of taking q seat. Anyhow,
one doesn't read Mr.. Howells stories Just
to 'see how they turn out" Frequently
thero isn't much "tuin out" to them; but
they interest the reader to the last word
Not madly, as do the fiery yarns Of Ouida,
the CORY adventures OF Horseback Rider
Haggard, or the weird tales Of Stevenson,
but pleasantly and benefcially. Assuredly
our time is not wasted in reading How
ellis, for he is a study in style and good
English The old schoolmaster who said
he only read the first and last chapters of
a novel-the first to get acquainted with
the man and the girl upon whom the
mans heart was set; the last, to see
whether he got her or not-would not read
Howells at all.
Howels' system is naturalism which
Is the very reverse or what is called real
ism, for the reason ist it deals with the
wholesome and true, and not the excres-
cences Of life. He is the herald of the new
school Of fiction for which the world is
believed to sbe getti ready-the clean
school whose disciples care less and less
for intricate plots, thrilling episodes and
terrific encounters, which were won't to
curdle the blood Of our predecessors.
Even the English say that tho novel of
the sweetness and light" is the novel Of
the future.
In the summer Of 1861, when the late
civil war was but fairly begun, Mr.. Howells
came to New York from Ohio with the
laudable intention Of going into metropoli-
tan journalism as q career. His father
was a printer and editor OF a country
paper, and ne was brought up to under
stand the awful mysteries Of a printing
Office. 1t was but natural that he should
have il in him to write. Before coming
to New York he had attained the distinc-
tion Of doing editorial work on The Gin
cinnati Commercial and Columbus State
Journal, and had lifted up his voice in
song within the respectable covers Of The
Atlantic Monthly. He was then "a
His first ineision into the New York
press was in the form Of an article en-
titled Italian Politics, published in The
Times and paid for with a FIVE dollar
note. The young man had his eye on an
Italian consulship at the time and got it,
from President Lincoln. When ne be-
came United States consul at Venice, one
youthful dream was realized. The lady
whom he married, also an Ohioan, was
engaged to him then, and went over the
sea alone to marry him later
Howells returned to this country after
the expiration Of his term of Office, still
full Of desire to 60 into metropolitan
journalism. But the fates had fixed it
that he wasn't to spend his life in that
thankless business. He became editor Of
The Atlantic Monthly, and a literary
life opened before him. the past fifteen
years Of which have been devoted almost
entirely to the production of novels.
"rheir Wedding Journey" and "A
Chance Acquaintance" laid the foundation
Of his fame.
An old friend says Of him that the
young poet who was proud to get any
coin for his poems, the young writer for
the press whose ambition did not go be-
yond petty salary, is able as a novelist
to command terms which have never been
equaled by any other American member
of his craft, and never exceeded by more
than half dozen OF his fellow craftsmen
in other countries. He is a renowned
literary figure, yet he wrote play which
he had trouble in finding a manager to
bring out, and which was not a success
when it was brought out.
The published portraits OF Howells
usually make him look loggy and heavy
sleepy. if not stupid. Sleepy he probably
is sometimes, but stupid never. Not
quite Of medium height. he is coinpactly
built. and as the years 60 by is acquiring
what Oscar Wilde describes as "that
stateliness Of figure which the vulgar call
stoutness." And he is getting frosted on
head and lip. His eyes are bright, humor-
Gus and expressive.
Mr. Howells has children. One Of his
daughters is now almost grown. elves
in Boston, IN that part known a. the Back
Bay extension, on what is called 1.-THE
Milldam' It is red brick house with
brown stone trimmings. In short, within
and without it is Silas Lapham's house.
Those who are familiar with it say it isn't
particularly bookish. In comfort il sug-
gest the banker or merchant rather than
the literary man. At the back. on the
second floor, the author has his studio,
the windows of which overlook Charles
river, Bunker Hill monument and the tops
of the buildings Of Harvard college BY
the way, Mr.. Howells is not college
graduate. His education Is frM and fine
nevertheless. ,
His diversion is Horticulture. lie has
splendid beds Of flowers and attends tC
them himself. He works from a. m. tC
D. m, dining ct p. m. and devotes tn,
remainder Of the day to doing whatever
he wishes to do. He writes about i,00I
or 500 words day, and with this stint
can turn out two novels and various
smaller productions In the course Of ,
year. He is careful reviser. frequentl,
rewriting every word In dozens of pages.
The typical literary man. as he wa
popularity depicted, and AS he frequentl,
afr4fr