The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-28

man and to write book is much like the
part Of literary man who decides to so on
the stage and makes his first appearance in
the part Of Hamlet. | am glad to see that
my work was popular and it is a wonder
to me that have succeeded in making it
so. I have had the book in my mind for a
long time and had intended to have put the
matter forth in book form and not in a
magazine. My friend. Mr.. Glider, however,
advised me that he could give me wider
circulation through the magazine and the
result shows that he was right.
Did you have any regular habit of writ
ing!' 1 asked.
mo" replied Mr.. Jefferson. 81 began
the book about three years ago and wrote
at it by fits and starts, as the humor took
me. At first l kept no notes at all, but
after l began my writing | found that my
memory OF events and persons would be
very vivid at times, and that | could not
recall them at all at others. | then carried
a note book and made memoranda of ma
terial for the book wherever it struck me.
1t seemed curious to see the way my mind
worked / would awake in the middle of
the night from sound sleep for no reason
that | can see, and would think of some
part of my past experiences. If | went to
sleep again | would find in the morning
that knew ] had remembered something
during the night which | intended TO re-
cord when | got Up, but l could not think
what that something was. After this l
had a pencil and note book by my bedside,
and at such times as | woke and thought of
matter for the book ] would rise and write
out the material. In preparing the book
finally, ! found these memoranda of great
value, and that in most cases the first
records were better than anything l could
write. l think on the whole am fortu-
nate IN not having kept diary. 1t might
have caused me to draw out my story TO an
insufferable length, and l might have mag
nified details which were better omitted
am, of course, pleased that the book did
succeed, and | am told that the sale of it
has been good"
LITERATURE AND ACTORS.
The conversation here turned to litera-
ture and actors. and Mr.. Jefferson spoke
very kindly of the memoirs Mr. Florence
is now writing and which promise to be
full of interest. Mr.. Jefferson said:
81 don't see why an actor should not
have a natural heart toward literature and
why he should not write fiuently and well.
His whole life is made up of the interpre-
tation of literature. He has to study and
play the classics. He has to appreciate all
the phases of thought and expression, and
in the rendering of these great literary pro-
auctions his whole life is, to certain ex-
tent, time of education. 1t would be
strange, indeed, if he did not absorb some
thing, and he has also to study the people
and to make his idea of his parts plain to
them. | feel delicacy in saying anything
about such subjects. | am not profes-
sional writer, and l doubt if | ever write
again. | had a story to tell, and my life
has been so eventful and | have met so
many men about whom l could talk, that
this, perhaps, is one of the reasons of it's
success
There are few better read men than Mr..
Jefferson. He possesses a remarkable
culture, has done some work as an artist
which has been well spoken of by the art
critics and he carries his paints and easel
with him during his acting. / was curious
to know how he found time for such va
rlety OF work, and l asked him as to
whether he had been a systematic student
during his life time. Beginning his career
as boy on the stage for the past fifty
years he has been playing to the people,
and you will find few college bred men SO
cultured or well-read as he. In response
tony question he said
No, / don't think | have ever been much
of a student, and indeed 1 don't believe in
hard study. / would not give bow any-
thing to learn that would make his head
ache, any more than would ask him to lift
anything that would make his back ache
don't believe that it is the study that knits
the brow, that improves the mind, but it is