Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-21
FOUND RECREATION IN WRITING.
Professional Men who Have Made Hits
In Literature.
Especial Correspondence

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In Literature.
Especial Correspondenoe1
New York, Nov. Alt Is strange fact
that when professional men do venture
Into the fields Of literature they are usual
ly numbered among the busiest and most
successful members OF their profession.
When Oakley Hall was q practicing lawyer
OF New York city he wrote a play, and
even appeared In 1t as an actor, yet he was
at that time regarded one OF the brilliant
members of the New York bar. Judge
Barrett, one of the hardest working men,
bers Of the supreme court bench Of New
York. also wrote play. and where he
could find the time for this diversion from
his judicial duties was mystery to his
friends.
William Allen Butler, who ranks among
the first half dozen ut the New York bar
was able to write poem which gave him
far wider public repute than his eminence
as lawyer has done, and recently Mr.. f.
Hopkinson Smith, who is one of the most
tireless workers In business pursuits in
New York city. has written story which
gained him wide reputation and led many
to suppose that literature was his vocation.
Perhaps the most remarkable example
nished by Mr.. William A. Hammond He
had won great fame as specialist, some
of his cures were pronounced wonderful,
and bis fees have been great enough to en-
able him to retire from active practice.
Yet, when Dr. Hammond was one of the
busiest physicians in New York city, and
his office WAS thronged with patients, he
wrote and published two novels, both of
which were of such merit as to receive fa-
vorable comment from the critics and to
attain a very wide sale. 1t puzzled those
who knew how busy DR.. Hammond was to
understand how he was ever able to write
these two stories.
For long time he kept his friends in
state of mystery about his methods of
work, but he at last confessed what his
habit was. He said that in his study of
mental and nervous diseases he had
reached the conclusion that rest for the
brain did not mean stagnation, at least
healthy rest did not. A change in mental
occupation, the doing of that which, while
it was work, was also recreation, was fire.
quently OF the greatest benefit to brain
which had been absorbed in professional
work. DR.. Hammond discovered that the
mental processes employed in creative
work of fiction were singular recreation
and rest for him, and after day of ex-
haustive thought in the treatment of diff
cult cases of disease, if he turned his mind
to the composition of story for an hour
or two he was able to get his brain in q
condition where sleep came naturally
when he sought his bed. Therefore, for
two or three hours before midnight, he
was accustomed to take up his pen, and in
this way his stories were written. He
found the same recreation in this habit
that other busy workers do in playing
chess or whist or billiards, or in an even
ing at the theater.
Perhaps the most striking example, at
least in its literary quality, of this habit of
turning to literature as diversion from
professional work, is furnished by DIR. s.
Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia, and his
capacity as literary artist is suggested
just at this time by the fact that he has
completed the manuscript of another novel,
which will be published very soon as q Sc
rial in one of the leading magazines. Dr.
Mitchell is one of the most eminent physi-
clans of America, and his professional work
has been the subject of discussion in the
highest medical schools of Europe. His
fame rests principally upon some very re-
markable cures which he effected in pecul-
lar cases of hysteria and acute attacks OF
those forms of nervous diseases which high
pressure life in the great cities induces.
Yet Notwithstanding the very great
mental labor and exhaustive study which
have been required to gain such profes-
sional successes, DIR. Mitchell is known to
the majority of men rather as an author
than physician. Some years ago one of
the magazines published novel written by
him. which in literary merit was deemed
worthy to be classed with the works of
Henry James or of William ID. Howels.
Moreover, it had what the stories of these
authors frequently did not have, and that
is plot The literary success was so
great that DIR. Mitchell received many'of-
fers from publishers and has furnished
some short stories and sketches, and some
verses which have the true ring of poetry
in them.
In speaking of this byplay in literature
of professional men it may be said that
one of the most successful novels ever
written, "Ten Thousand Year." was
written by an English physician, who had
very large practice, and partly as a men
tai diversion and partly on account of a
wager which this physician made that any
man Of fair intellectual ability could, if he
applied himself, write novel which would
be a success The success of this novel as
tonished it's author, DR.. Warren, and
brought him handsome sum of money
His son is now one of the pulpit orators of
New York, being the rector of Holy Trinity
church. +. J. EDWARDS.