Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-30

| mere ana write on American SUBJECTS Tor an
American market. Productions Of the pen
seem to be worth more money from here
than as if done at home, and il is so much
easier to gather material and write it that
every year the number of Americans who
earn money with their pen will increase.
Think OF Bronson Howard living here in
his own home and at work on a new Ameri-
can drama which he will have ready in the
spring, and which Charles Frohman has Sc
cured the American rights for. He came
here to see about producing "Shenandoah,"
took a new notion and sat down to work.
He has travelled mnch since he reached this
side of the water, and is said to have gath
cred some material for play based on Euro
pean life and scenes.
OUTSIDE HIS REGULAR WORK.
Harold Frederic has been here for seven
wears and more, and besides doing his news
paper work, has turned out new book al
most every year. He is about the only one
of the regular newspaper representatives
who do much outside of their weekly work,
his local market here is very considerable,
but his books are printed in New York.
s'The Lawton Grip is his latest novel, but
the greatest piece of work from his pen is
the life of the present German Emperor,
which is just out. He has desire to write
other works of a similar character about
other potentates. But doubt if he will
ever get his heart quite as much in any,
thing of like character as he has done in his
estimate of the life and character of the
present ruler of Germany.
l asked him why it was that so many
people preferred to do their work in Lon
don. His answer was: Because it is the
best atmosphere in the world for literary
endeaVor. More men of like thoughts and
desires can be reached here in less time
than in any place in the world. Every
thing is agreeable. Everyone is polite.
All ones surroundings tend to make him
happy and contented. Living is cheap, and
there is less friction here than in any other
center 1 have ever known"
THE ROARING CAMP GENIUS.
Bret Harte has been here a number of
years, and will probably never return to the
United States. He leads rather secluded
life, and Americans see very little of him.
met MIN down at Brighton and the vet
eran seemed to be enjoying himself better
than in the Roaring Camp" of the far
West. He does not pretend to do very
much work any more. Years of success
have brought him conteatment, and he
seems willing to enjoy the remaining davs
as q compensation for the struggles of his
early life.
LINZ uOSL OlHeT WTlIerS from the New
World, his stories are sold at home, but his
books are more widelyjread here than in the
United States. In fact, this is book-buy-
ing country, and that is the reason why so
many people of alh classes are trying to
write something THAT will Strike the popu-
lar taste. Poetry doesn't have anything
like the chance iIi England that it has in
the United States fand there are less poets,
but the people wlao are ambitious to write
good stories ands descriptive matter are as
numerous as thesands of the sea.
SUCCESS AT THE START.
Harry Harland, who hides his real name
under the nom de plume of "Sidna Luska,"
is popular representative of American
literary life. His publisher told me the
other day that his book, CAS- 1t Was Writ
ten," had Igreater sale than any first work
from the pen of an American author. His
Mrs. Peixada" has also been a success,
and Mr.. Harland is fully within strong
literary career. He has so far dwelt upon
the Hebrew life of New York, but is branch
ing out2 into other themes. He is the
youngest of the American colony of
writers, 5being less than 80, believe.
Mr.. conway still divides his slime between
writing and preaching. His latest effort in
the literary line is a Life OF Hawthorne"
which 5has been we'll spoken Of 1t is not so
many years ago since remember Mr.. Con-
way as newspaper writer, but he seems to
have Erifted out of journalism and to have
gone Unto what may be called the contented
sphete of writing. He is another example
OF the well-known fact that as soon as a man
gets TO writing books or essays he dislikes
Journalistic work. That is because the last
is xActing and the first easy. In weaving
stories one can put off until tomorrow what
ought to be done to-day. Newspaper work
hasft exactions every hour.
SOME TALENTED WOMEN.
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett was here
a bart of the summer, but went to the CONT
nent with her dying boy. She is doing
nSthing whatever in literary way, her
hbme sorrows destroying her abilities to use
her pen. Louise Imogene Gurney is new
American poe:ess who has been seeing con-
siderable OF London life this summer. She
! is here like the rest of them to get new SUBJ
jects for lyrics
A. Oakley Hall, who used to be Mayor of
New York in the old Tweed DAYS, can be
seen along the Strand almost every day,
still looking well and hearty. He has a
quiet home, and seems to be very we'll con-
tented with life declaring that man can
buy great deal IN England for what he
earns, and does not seem 20 want SO much
as in the United States.
1t is becoming really popular custom
with busy men with the pen to run over
here, gather lot of material and then 90
home and WRITE but it is a fact that no
American writer who has come here and
stayed any length of time ever wanted to re-
turn. Their testimony is that living is so
cheap and all the requisites of literary
life SO numerous that it is easy to STAY here
and be contented. FRANK A. BURR.