The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-01
WILLIAM DEAN HoWells.
A Young Man from Ohio Who rsas Won
Fame and Wealth.
SPECIAL Correspondence


admire him. notwithstanding many critics,
and many who are not critics. asser, that
there is nothing in his stories There is
nothing" in them. If by nothing" is
meant the absence Of the exciting and
extraordinary. He deliberately detcd tho
old superstition that novel, tobe interest.
ing. must be based on the unusual and
awful; must depict characters and phases
Of life not common: must have villains OK
high degree and angels ST the most an.
gelc type.
He has demonstrated what erybody
knows but what writers are prone to ig-
more or forget-that it is not 50 much
what is said as the manner Of saying il
that makes success in literature. How.
els strength is style. 1t is masterful.
As Il Young lady OF very moderate intel.
lectual caliber said after reading one of
his romances: why. these characters arc
not bit like the people in books. have
known Just such folks in real life. often
He has gift for texture and details
page 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 20 pat in that length OF time on
her manner of taking a seat. Anyhow,
one doesn't read Mr. llowells stories just
TO see how they turn out. Frequently
| there isn't much turn out 20 them; but
they interest the reader To the last word.
/ Not madiy. as do the iery yarns of ouica,
| the CORY adventures ~ Horseback RIDER
| HacCard. or the weird tales of Stevenson,
| but pleasantly and beneiicially 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 NOVELETTE, first to get acquainted with
| the man and the girl upon whom the
mans heart WAS SCI. the last. To see
whether lie got her or rot-would not read
| Howells at all.
Howels' system is naturalism, which
Is the very reverse of what is called real
ism. for the reason that il deals with tho
wholesome and true, and not the excres.
eences Of life He is the herald of the new
school of fiction for which the world is
believed to tbe getting ready-the clean
school whose disciples care less and less
for intricate plots. thrilling episodes and
terrific encounters, which were wont to
curdle the blood of our predecessors.
Even the English say that the 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. Eowells
came to New lorl, from Ohio with tho
laudable intention of going into metropoli-
tan journalism as a career. His father
WAS a printer and editor of country
paper. and he was brought up to under
stand the awful mysteries of printing
Office. 1t was but natural that he should
| have il in him TO write. Before coming
| 10 New York he had attained the distinc-
/ ton of doing editorial work on The Gin
cinnati Commercial and Columbus State
| Journal. aud had lifted up his voice in
song within the respectable covers OF Tho
Atlantic Monthly. He was then "a
His first incision into the New York
press was in the form of an article en-
titled italian Politics published in Tho
| Times and paid for with FIVE dollar
note. The young man had his eye on an
Italian consulship at the time and got it.
| from President Lincoln. When he 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 tho
sea alone to marry him later.
| the expiration of his term of office, still
fun of desire TO 20 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.
Their Wedding Journey and "A
/ Chance Acquaintance laid the foundation
/ OF his fame.
An old friend says of him that tho
young poet, who WAS proud to get any
coin for his poems the young writer tor
the press whose ambition did not go be-
yond petty salary. is able as 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 renowned
! literary figure yet he wrote Il play which
! he had trouble in finding manager TO
! bring ont. and which was not success
when il was brought out.
The Published portraits OF towels
usually make him look loggy and heavy
sleepy if not stupid Sleepy lie probably
is sometimes, but stupid never. Not
quite of medium height, he is cor,E actly
! built. and as the years go by is acquiring
/ what Oscar Wilde describes as that
statelness Of figure which tie vulgar call
stoutness" And he is getting frosted on
head and lip. His eyes are bright. humor'
/ ous and expressive.
Mr. Howells has children. One # his
daughters is now almost grown. He lives
in Boston. in that part known IS the Back
BAY extension, on what is called the
Milldam." 1t is rcd blic@ house with
| brown stone trimmings. In short, within
and without it is Slas Laphams house.
! Those who are familiar with it say it isn't
particularly bookish. In comfort it 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 che tops
of the buildings of Harvard college. by
the way, Mr. Howells is not coilege