Telegram-herald., 1889-12-06


I've osnEs c9py 81 tas psPsT s-lIloa.
whs1h. On Eae ssjes = |. 80 eoEass ssek.
Azae-sass y tAs snsg IEooD2s y a. .ssss
49, Tals s1U&aE1lGAEy sele, Unpre-
e~1eute1 a-aos HsrEaeS kseeheF s4oSss
Uncls Toms C4uln. - whieh. ~ ths
way. thls book las h~S2 eesn t&rxd. h~s
only beSD y fsll swing ssnos the nrss -
ssly
Although having known kin for over
year aEd meeting hlEn many times. l
could nog hs.p being struck whsn ~
dinnsT. shoTg tine GS0, - wiach be.
" ID E0wslls AID several other &A-
thOrs and newspaper usa were present.
by TIE diftersnee bst~eea hia and iNF-
ter. They are two II ths taoss success
f0l authors of the year, snd YET how ar
fsFent IN looks, Ia style and constructive
method In fact. they seem almost an
upOd2l. yet the great public enjoys
both. IL seemed 70 Iae that the same
personal difference found = parallel IA
the sub lects OF uaelr novels and the man
ner IN which they were treated Porter's
personal outlines have been already
given. His novels are = succession of
pictures, devoid Of plot. and are realistic
and Zolaesque 70 tie verge Of suimality.
Bellamy : novels are, on the contrary,
of more or less intrieAey ia plot, and,
like himself. II delicate. sensitive
organism. OF about the1nsdium height,
Mr. BellaDy is rather slender in build.
His dark, grave face Is Illuminated by
pair Of kindly gray eyes. which have at
times a shTewd. and occasionally quiEzi-
cal look about their corners. His fore
head is large and finely formed. A
heavy, dropping mustache covers his
mouth. he talks IN q warm. sympa-
thetic voice, which Immediately com
mands attention. In manner he Is quiet.
and liable TO be introspective His whole
appearance, when in repose. stamps him
as the man Of Imagination. Any one
who has read his shorter stories Of re-
cent date, TO Whom This May Come"
and "A Positive Romance, or his earlier
works. Miss Ludington's Sister" and
''Dr. Heidenhof's Process" must admit
that in him Is present delicate, playful
and exuberant imagination such as is
possessed by no modern author since
Hawthorne. His Looking Backward"
considered simply as a work Of the
Imagination, commands the respect even
Of the enemies Of its theories.
lie has often told the writer that he
had never read any book on social ques-
tions before he wrote Looking Back
ward" and believed that he never would
have written il il he had read them, for
his mind would have then been confused.
Although comparatively wealthy now,
he is not happy, as he is long and pa
tient sufferer from that old fashioned
New England disease. dyspepsia. On
this account he will this winter take
trip 10 Cuba for several months. he has
orders for a number of books that he
cannot yet see his way to write, and is
now engaged on dramatization of
Looking Backward" This winter he
hopes TO write a work which shall pre-
sent in didactic form the social theories
contained in that book. He is now about
80 years of age. and lives with his charm
Ing family in the old homestead at Chico
pee Falls, Mass. An enormous mail
comes to this little postoffice for him
from all over the world. Many of his
literary brethren in and near Boston have
expressed great desire TO meet him, and
were he in good health he would be over
loaded with courtesies from them. In
vitations have also come across the sea
from England from several prominent
literary men and artists asking him 10
come over there. Already Looking
Backward" "a pirated edition. by the
way) is selling there very rapidly. Is, 900
copies having been disposed of at the
shilling rate.
Like Porter. he has served IN news
paper work, having been for eight years
actively engaged on Springfield and
New York papers. He, in addition, has
been admitted 10 the bar, but has done
but little practicing. Both men are of
old New England stock.
Such is q hasty pen picture of the two
most talked about authors of the day,
and the men who. with but one or two
notable exceptions. are making the most
money out Of fiction.
docs novel writing pay?"
With Bellamy making $50, 900 year
and Porter $4,000. what is your answer?
CYRUS FIELD WILLARD.