The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-13
I'm HlvOaIIE BooxS.


declining years IN 3ufet tUu1tky
home 1t Stamford, Conn. Her hair
Is snow white and her complexion is
nearly as fresh as young girls Of
sixteen A pretty cap OF Honiton lace
with blue ribbons adds . charm TO her
face. She is old-fAshioned enough in
her manners, bat she is even more so
In her dress. Her toilet Is adorned
with modest display OF old style
jewelry: pearl brooch and two rings
with old-fime settings, one an anne
thyst. the other diamond.
What there is In Robert Elsmere'
that people find ., say so much about,
I cannot See she said 10 me the 9TH
er day, ''and as to the ministers who
are spending their time preaching
about the story, think it would be
much better ii they would confne
themselves TO their Bibles and conn
mentaries for the Sunday discourses.
at is book with a strong Unitarian
tendency. Robert himself is a namby-
pamby sort of character; Catherine is
hard calvinist, who leads double
life as far as her religion is concerned,
and as to the squire-weli. his charac-
ter is not worth discussing. Before !
had read the story she continued.
"a friend told me that she had read it
six times, and thought If am going
70 be as fascinated as that must wait
until / have plenty of leisure at com
mand, so that it Is only recently that |
have read the story, and must say
that one perusal has satisfied me-"
She agrees with the author that the
story Is entirely unsuited for theatrical
presentation, and wonders that any
one should have attempted TO drama
the il.
Mrs. Ward, / understand, has been
invited by newspaper syndicate TO
come to this country. Whether she
comes TO lecture or to write the great
American novel do not know.
In regard to Little Lord Fauntle-
row. Mrs. Beecher thinks it q pretty
story, but that it hardly possesses suf-
ficient material upon which to found a
drama and that il has met with such
success upon the stage, she thinks is
| in great measure due to the charm
ing acting of the little Lord and Lady
Fauntleroy. She considers That
Lass o. Lowrie'sH strong novel. In
regard TO that much talked about story
THE Quick or the Dead" she does
not hesitate to express her utter dis
approval most forcibly. remarked that
the only redeeming part OF the story TO
me was the photograph OF the author
ess which formed the frontispiece of
the magazine in which the story was
published and represented anything
but coarse woman.
"Ohl" said Mrs Beecher, rather
abruptly, lone cannot judge anything
by a photograph
| II was asked not long ago." she
| said. ITO write a paper about The
People | Have Known but value
| their feelings too much to make them
| the subjects of newspaper articles.
Not long ago some editor asked me to
write something for his magazine
about Florida. This shall do as soon
as can find the time"
| The first thing Mrs. Beecher ever
| wrote for publication was in 1859 when
she was lying on sick k.t, and to
| pass away the time she wrote what
afterwards grew into the story From
Dawn to Daylight" These were sto-
ries OF Western life, many of them
drawn from her own experience. The
sheets of paper upon which the story
was written were thrown into bureau
drawer, without any thought on the
part of the writer OF ever making
any use of them; but one day her
daughter, a young girl about II years
old, came across the manuscript and
became so much interested in the
Il hat ohn tAr -,
have il published. And for that, nv
first production, received 500, she
added
Not long ago the manuscript OF q
story was sent TO Der, accompanied By
u note i'll which the writer declared in
no very polished terms, that the rich
should help the poor. and that as she
was very poor indeed-but whether it
was ton OF coal or a new bonnet she
was in pursuit of was not mentioned
she wanted Mrs. Beecher To get her
manuscript published in some maya
zine, and that If she succeeded in do
ing so she would make ii all right
with her
And what did you dof"
Il threw her letter in the waste
basket and the manuscript | returned
| to the author. No stamps were en-
closed The latest effusion was a
ridiculous rhyming letter from some
one who wanted my opinion as TO her
ability as poetess."
For fourteen wears Mrs, Beecher has
conducted the household department
of fashionable magazine. and on
subjects pertaining To housekeeping
she is an authority.
1--WE have heard much lately about
the restricted sphere of women. We
have been told how many spirits among
women are of wider, stronger, more
heroic mold than BELTS the mere
routine of housekeeping. IL may be
true that there are many women far
too great. too wise, for mere hoase-
keeping. But where is the woman in
any way too great or too high, or too
wise, to spend herself in creating a
homer What can any woman make
diyiner, higher. better9 From such
homes 90 forth all heroisms, all i'm
spirations, all great deeds.
" A rare gift TO man is wife who
possesses the rare power of-~what for
want OF better term will call the
economy Of beauty. All that she
touches falls at once into harmony
and proportion. Her eye for color and
form is intuitiye; let her arrange a
garrett, with nothing but boxes, bar
rels and cast-off furniture in il, and
ten 10 one she makes ii seem the most
attractive place in the house. Ii is a
yerltahle gift of good faerie,' this
tact OF identifying and arranging that
some women have.
Mrs. Beeeher would settle the much
vexed and discussed question of SER
wants by having houses built and ar
ranged IN such n way that we shall
need as few as possible. There Is the
greatest conceivable difference in the
planning and building of houses as To
the amount of work which will he
necessary TO keep them in respectable
condition. Some houses require a
perfect staff OF house maids there are
plated hinges TO be rubbed. paint TO b..
cleaned, with intricacieS of moulding
and carving which daily consumes
hours OF busting Ia preserve them
from a Slovenlv look.
4 perfect house, according TO my
dlea. should always include in il a
little compartment where plants
can he kept. aud have the sunshine
and ali the conditions OF growth.
People have generally supposed a
conservatory 10 he one os the last
tFappinaS of wealth. something not to
be thought of for those in modest cir
IcatuStAfiees. Bat is this 50 You