The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-24
HOWELLSLOVES GOTHAM.
He DENIES THE REPORT THAT he
WILL RETURN TO BOSTON.
The Only Person in the Country Who
Makes Literature a Professionals
Defends His Methods in Fiction.

n, june CIV. - nOHGuS mas
gone TO his summer house near Boston.
Just before he started had the rare good
fortune TO meet him socially, and he enter
tanned me for something like two hours
with a talk largely OF personal nature
which am conf lent all lovers of this emil
nent writer will be only too glad to know
about. The author of The Undiscovered
ham, is one of the most unaffected of
mortals in every way possible, both in per-
sonal appearance and ia what he has to
say.
Recalling that Boston people had always
felt a just pride in the fact that Mr.. How
ellis had resided for so many years in their
midst, and that the press of that city from
time 10 time of late had given expression to
the opinion that their former townsman
was only contented with residence at the
Hub, ventured to inquire of Mr.. Howehs
how he was enjoying life in the metropolis
"Oh, very much,n was his ready re-
Spouse. II regard New York as an es-
peclally attractive city in which to reside,
eve more So than London or Paris. Yes,
| like New York, my work is here, aud
here | am content to live and toll. 60
away with my family very soon to one of
the suburban towns near Boston, to pass
the summer; but we shall be back again in
the autumn
"Can literature be made profession to-
day, the same as any otherp
Il don't see why it cannot be. With me
1t Is profession, wholly so, and in fact it
has always bsen, at least ever since l seri-
ously took up the work of writing. How
ever, l suppose I'm the only person in this
country to-day VINO makes literature
strictly a profession. Still, in the case of
one who has the necessary adaptation to
the work, with the same energy and zeal
expended as IN any other pursuit, / do {
see why authorship may not be made a
profession, or business, the same as any
thing else. 1t is simply a question of fit
ness aud presidency, and that aloue.n
AT the prese 1t time what is the outlook
for p etry in this country?n
"Of course this may be regarded as a
period when the drift of taste is almost en-
tlrely in the direction of the novel or short
story. Yet | would by no means seek to
discourage any one from attempting verse
as medium II exore,sion, though, regarded
from pecuniary standpoint, tho returns are
very slight. We have In this country some
writer's of verse; refer to the younger
poets-who are doing most excellent work,
and certainly they ought receive more en-
couragement from the public"
Il recall very pleasantly, Mr.. Howells, "
l remarked, "a little poem of yours which
L came across in some paper ma " years
ago. 1t bore no name, but ran as follows:
'opceon my mothers breast, child, I crept. -
''Yes,n he returned with a smile. II re-
member it. 1t was the work of my early
years, away back in the days when my
great ambition was to become a poet.
That, and several other poems of mine,
came to the nOlce of re editor of the At
Ldntic Monthly, and he gave them a place
in the pages of the magazine. Thinking of
those verses now, especially of the one you
refer to, it seems almost incredible that l
wrote them. 1t seems to me it would be
next to impossible for me to write them
now. My gift, rude as it is, lies il quite
another direction. Sometime ago lady
friend of mine importuned me to write a
poem for her for given purpose, and after
a good deal of labor succeeded in my
efforts, but it really amounted TO a strug-
gle."
Did story-writing come easy to you at
firstm
Dear me, no. | remember very dis
tinctly the first story | attempted to write,
the only one in fact, before the one entitled
Their Wedding journey" though the lat
ter is hardly in The nature of story, being
more properly series of sketches 1t was
long ago as lived In Ohio. At the time
was assisting my father in editing a paper.
got along very well with my story until l
wanted to draw it to close, and in nv
efforts to do so got into most horrible
condition of affairs
81 suppose it is comparatively easy for
you to write a story nowadaysW
"Oh! very far from it. Why, returning
to story after | have left it for only few
hours, l find it exceedingly difficult to re-
sumo work. SO many new ideas will have
come to me during the interim that it is
impossible to know for some time IN what
way to use the material. With me at the
best, composition is slow and Luxurious, and
yet there is something about it that rem
ders it very fascinating. But few of US are
constituted as Anthony Trollope was, who
could perform given amount of work each
day during the entire year. and keep it up
year after year. Trollope was a man not
merely of wonderful system, but OF great
physical endu ance. In my own case am
far from strong, and am obliged to limit
my work to tue condition of my health and
state of mind. AS a general thing three
and four hours day is all the time feel
able to give to my work; the rest of my
time devote to outdoor exercise of mod
crate character, aside fro 4 few hours set
apart for reading aud social enjoyment
"Do you consider it a Iva ltageous for
literary worker to reside east, that is, in or
near the great centersp
"Most assuredly do. A writer so situa-
ted can take his work in person from one
editor to another, in cases where it has
been declined. Then, too, a writer residing
in or close by the great centers, like Boston
or New York for instance, has an op oortu-
nifty to be thrown more into social contact
with other writers. This fact has its great
advantages
do you mean to have me understand
that editors like writer's submit their con-
tribrtions in persona"
"Why, editors don't like TO have manu-
scripts submitted any way, but as they are
dependent on contributions in order to
keep the magazines in existence l see no
reason why they should object in the least
to this method of receiving contributions
more than in the other case"
SIS there any reason for the theory ad-
vanced by some persons, to the effect that
magazine editors do not read all contribu-
tions sent thema'
LAS rule all articles are carefully ex-
amined no matter from what source they
emanate. OF course there are certain ex-
ceptions as for ms ance the subject of a
given article may not strike an editor favor
ably, or he may have material on hand
bearing upon the subject. Again, after
reading few lines of an article an editor
very often can decide respecting its avail
ability. The style of the article may be
against it, aud the practical editor rarely
ever NAL eS mistake N judgment. But
editors are always on the outlook for new
material as well as new writer's, and are
only too glad to get hold of something
which is fresh and original, even if it