The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-08
FRANCES HDGsON BURNETT.
How She works-yfer First stories-What
shr Receives
ISpecial Correspondence ]

New YORK, July DIT Is conceded that
at the present time there is an Immensely
large number of persons earning tier
livelihood tolcly by the exercise of their
literary faculties and capacity Than was
the case fivcand wonty years ago. lh's
is to be partially accounted for by the
amazing development and multi iplicdtIoh
Of the newspaper and literary periodical.
Nearly everyday writes nowadays,
until it mas become almost n distinction
not 20 write Ye. among the many are
few who have reapcd rich financial ne
ward. They who h;vc done 80 fornd
their harvest in the field OF fiction 10 Is
an old. trito assertion that the imagina.
ton is tho faculty whose exercise COM
mands the highest price. 30 1t does II
said imagination runs Oh Oh path and as
a pace that plcases. Then IT makes what
is slangily called Il hit; it, books sell;
publishers are gracious 10 IFS owner,
newspapers publish tlattering sketches of
him; the public run after him, and other
writers envy him
Rare. indeed is the writer who re
ceives. as docs Mrs Frances Hodgson
Burnett. 5000 for novel published
serially and as much again when put III
book form. Happily, literature. like tho
stage. is n profession IN which women are
paid ~ well as men. Sex is rot taken
into account. In fact. it Is gcnerally ad-
mittcd that gonius is seyless.
Let beginners take heart and be en-
Outraged rather than cast down by Mrs.
Burnctt's success. She had t. climb from
the ground slowly 70 her present cnyiable
= 10, l.IIgp ,4 " Inc
there is q story of her that when a girl OF
10 and living with her mother, sisters
and brothers on fam near hnoNvillo,
Tenn. she gathered wild grapes and
hired a little colorcd girl to take them
into the town and sell them, in order to
buy postage 10 send some stories to pub
l.shcrs. Her sister, who read these tales
with pleasure, suggested that she try 20
find a market for them; but they kept
AL this 2 profound secret from the two
teasing brothers, who knew of Fra.ccs
recollection for writing, and were given 70
missing fun Of &. One Of them ire
qucntiy indulged in long conversations
with imaginary persons, gravely remark
iug that these were dialogues from book
tv Frances Hodgson, now in press and
soon 90 te published. Many genius has
fci. tho whitening sidicule of big broth
crs and grown up sisters SO koen!y tiat
81 life time of success could scarcely N.r
back his self confidence. think il is
George Eliot who speaks Of the lrgtI
ii..uhuoss OF - near relation.
lt-. and when Yoaug lpr. Burnett MAJ
red Frances llodescn the first families
u their locality thought ho had con
descended But the sequel proved. as is
often tAc case. tLat the provision of ,hc
FIRST f4miiio. had been al fault. Ali..ic
later, AZ his wife S earnest solicitation they
went 20 England TO give him an oppor-
tUuity 81 tUuyug diseases Of the eye, -
speciality in which he las since ..tairo4
cmiuence At that time Mrs. Bur
nets was beginning &c succeed with her
pen. and it IS said that her wor,, sup
ported them during this time
Mr- Burnett IS Of English birth. She
vas born in Manchester England, aud
lived there until her tenth year. On the
death Of Lor father her mother brought
the family 10 Knoxville, where size had q
brother living, who had repeatedly as
sured his sister that America was the bet
ter country I'm which to bring up Il family.
Mrs. lodgsou tool. q farm, where her TWO
sons and three daughters could wori, and
earn their bread. Yet they grew poorer
instead o. richer
Frances first stO-y was sent to ball0u
Monthly Tie editor praised it in let
yer 80 tie young author. and said he
would plu.lsh b.. Dat Wouli not promise
T. pay anything for it. She had the good
sense 20 reply that what was good enough
% publish was good enough TO pay tol.
Tho story was returned To hcr She sent
10 and o,hcra 90 Cooley and Peterson, and
one day received Il chccl. for @3j from
Cooley H. payment Of two stories She
I.rSeycrcd and sool had a market for her
work ptierscns Magazine published
many Of her stories before She became
famous enough to enter The Century and
other periodicals who are apt to wait for
AL author to win his literary spurs before
they will give him hearing
Now. Mrs. Burnett commands as high
price as any American novelist. her
fame was founded on That Lass o Low
RIGS, an English story, drawn from the
memory Of her life in Manchester, and III
which the dialect of the lowly people Of
Manchester is admirably portrayed. "ila-
worths, another English story, she con
siders her best literary effort. and il
brought her the highest financial reward.
Little Lord FauntleIoy' has also been q
tremendous success. and is one of the
sweetest stories in the English tongue.
1t has been translated into many Ian
guagcs. Ouc of the authors own little
boys is the hero These children are said
70 ic extraordinarily beautiful, and their
parents are devoted 10 each other and
to'them. "Fa"ntlcroy' and one short
story arr ID she ha written in fouryears,
owing to much suffering from nervous
IrOstldtiCu.
MIR. Burnett is ycry fond Of society,
ana is greatly lionizei in it, but her health
is too delicate to enable her to give time
TO both society aad literary work She is
young 10 have accomplished 50 much,
being yet in her thirties it is said.
She writes in the morning, usually
from until o'clock. A certain stint Of
labor is vigorously insisted upon, neither
health nor mood being consulted. Ii the
inspiration comes, perhaps the writing
goes on until dusk Ii il does not. the
afternoon is given TO recreation. She has
often told her friends how she would go
u 4 l.