The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-03-11
A VISIT TO "BEN-HUR. "
How Lew Wallace Wrote His
Famous Book.
METHODS OF IT'S AUTHOR.
The Story of Its Writing as Told by a
Friend-How the Imaginary Child
Ben-Hur Grew up-Etc.
METHODS OF IT'S AUTHOR
(Copyrighted, 1883

1t April, 1878, the writer was in the
golden age when the years are all
summers" Her happy lot it was to
visit Mrs. Lew Wallace In Crawfords-
vile, Ind, the home where the imag-
mary child Ben-Hur was growing up.
The famous chariot race was on" at
that very time, and one might fancy it
would have destroyed the family peace
as thoroughly as the car of Juggernaut
crashing through the house, but not so,
for General Wallace adds to his great
ness the supreme grace of being
amiable at home.
1t is a pleasure to remember that
during the week spent so near Ben HUI
and the wife Of his youth" the skv
was not darkened by one impatient
word. The crack of that chariot whip
is heard around the world in seven
different languages. but it never fell
Upon those of his own household. The
book was dedicated to his lady-love,
royal offering, worn with every
womanly grace BETTING it.
General Wallace's manner was so
courtly that the first half day the
visitor trembled and wished him away,
that she might enjoy the charming wife
unoppressed by his imperial presence
But the gulf was bridged by his own
music. The nsxt morning the house
fairly Quaked as he paced his study, to
the tune of "good old Ort nVille," or
some other bulWark of the Methodist
hymn-book, roared so Justify that it
might have walked mummy! At the
breakfast-tabie he said, with awful
stateliness. Did you hear sounds of
melody from my room this morning 2"
yes" said the bashful maiden (who
still had the ear-ache,) "but I should
call that bellow-dy." The singer s;ared
an instant, not being used to such very
plain English, then purst into a laugh
IS merry as the Cheeryble Brothers.
The ice was broken, and behold the
waters beneath were warm-the veriest
fountain of.life and good cheer.
The Ben-Hur study had but few
requirements for this easily satisfied
man, so he had chosen little nook as
far from the household sounds as pos
slble, and as barren of modern con-
veniences" as monks cell. The chill
dren OF his fancy needed no seats-theY
peopied the air-and he occupied the
only chair in the room. All the rest of
the furniture stood on the fur legs Of a
table pens and paper heapec con-
fusedly on big blotter, the New Testa-
ment, Geikie's Life of Christ"
"lvanhoe, and few reference books.
The door was always shut for work,
but opened readily for play, and the
visitor usually Knocked as she passed
and always heard the cordial Come in"
responsive to her Interruptions. Then
he would tilt back in his chair and
POCKET his hands, like all other men,
and laugh and talk like precious few
other men. Often he would read aloud
what he had just written, and ask If it
would do in way that would have
hattered the very elect. and whlch gave
rise to the VISITORS doubtful boast that
she had helped write -Hur"-that !
is, she hindered; but it was all the same |
50 the author had made her think.
This was courtesy, pure and simple, |
and an example to less busy men. He !
wrote first on a slate to rub out easily, |
then On soft paper with a pencil. His |
PoOASA@OS III SOlh6 ONCl anu ON6G Tie |
same ground till he had brought it I'D
to his standard would have commanded |
the respect of an ant. The final copy
of the book was on large unruled paper,
In violet ink, so eXquisitely done that
the professional reader of the Franklin
Square house pronounced it the finest
manuscript ever offered him.
l remember little dispute between
Ben Hur and his wife over a word. He
said that when he began the book he
was two days searching for an adjective
" tn just the right color in il to describe
/ certain thing and at last he found it
n OpnLoScent. Mrs. Wallace declared
or opaline as being simpler, but, wife
ike, she yielded to the stronger
authority, and, no doubt, fGurished
,paline in her next publication.
We find this jewel of a word in the
march OF the wise men-"By and bv j
he moon came up, and as the three tall
White figures spread with soundless {
read through the opalescent light, thew 6
like stectres flying from /
hateful shadows"
General Wallace's absent mindedness {
J proverb in bis family, which brings I
own many gib3 on his head, and I
efore the laughter at his putting sugar C
] his soft-boiled egg 1.-TWO heaping il
poonfulsl had died down. he MIGHT be y
cen, just. ss deliberately, sailing his q
Offee. This quality might be one of o
eredity, if certain wild legends point. B
lg toward his maternal grandfather Il
re true. n
He is peculiarly a man of reserved
,rce. He lives in the background of
imself, and the casual observer fails to
70 the big heart buttoned 10 within.
le laughter carried in his sleeve, and d.
le inexhaustible industry in his =,
ockets. Read the record of what be n
IS accomplished in the fields of battle. eI
plomacy, art, and literature, and YOU p
e how great his energy is, though b
cry trace of it is suppressed, some ii
,w, as he goes about his daily duties b,
ith less buster 4 and hurry-skurry to
an the ordinary man takes to get his Ii
le talent buried in the ground. So b
J always had time for household pc
alters, and could and did minister to m
EN- as well as he could, and did or
mister plenipotentiate. His wife by
id one day, Lew, the little bantam ia
N has Matched her family" Has m
e?" said he-"how many?" with as liy
UGH interest as if they were American ch