The Indianapolis journal., 1892-05-01

SMH thatIs In him. Some
thing perhaps the
creative tempera-
ment. perhaps the fact
that literary production draws from the
vitality and causes seIf-distrust that
can only be removed by intelligent
notwithstanding leads the liter
ary worker to crave, unconsciously
it may be- tho society of those having
tastes and pursuits akin to his own. This
necessity of an artistic or musical atmos-
phere for the proper DEVELOPMENT Of these
respective talents is generally recognized
and provided for. The writer must trust
to chance for the friendly interest in and un-
derstandng of his aims and aspirations that
when encountered do 30 muoh to aid him.
To few indeed, Is it given to find this need
supplied within their own doors. Among
these fortunate few are Gen. Lew w allace
and his wife. Susan L. Wallace. When
such close companionshIp and comman-
ity of tastes exist as between these two 1t
is always o matter of speculation with the
curious where the influence of one upon
the other begins and ends.
Two people in intimate association are
inevitably influenced by each other. 1t Is
O matter of common observation that
man and his wife with features totally
dissimilar often come to bear q singular
resemblance to each other, owing to the
unity of thought that creates q likeness OF
expression. If this is the case in every
day life and where ordinary affairs are
concerned. the reciprocal influence cannot
he less where there is mutual sympathy
lnfpllSCtual
Being SO happily mated, it is difficult to
write of Mrs. Wallace without reference
TO her husband. 1t cannot be known,
doubtless they are themselves unaware,
how much her interest and her ideas I'M
pressed themselves upon the author or
Ben Hur." and, through him. upon that
| great book. Whether he began first TO
| write romances OF she to produce essays.
verses and children's stories is not mat
| ter of consequence. Maurice Thompson
| says, in q sketch written some years ago.
| that Mrs. Wallace first ate Of the golden
| fruit hanging over the walls of literary
Eden. and then, like true daughter OF
| Eve, spoke of its exquisite flavor to her
| husband. and he fell" 1t is true. at least.
| that she. q woman of literary tastes from
| her youth, and he. with leaning to books
| In the intervals of leisure granted to
soldier ana lawy er. both gravitated TO lit
| erature and found themselves at home.
| How much her faith III him had To do with
| his success is an unsofved problem. 10 a
the "Fair God" - II did not know your hns-
band had il in him to write such u book"
she replied: II have known it for twenty
| years." -
Though her fugitive verses and sketches
had floated about through the newspapers
much earlier Mrs Wallace became known
| to the public after the Generals appoint
ment as Governor of New Mexico. when
she wrote series of letters TO the New
York Independent touching upon the his
tory and legends of the old Spanish days
| in the Southwest. These were published IN
| a book called The Land of the Pueblos."
| Later. when they went to Turkey. and.
| daring the Generals term as United States
minister to that country, wandered over
| Egypt and Palestine. she found material
| In abundance for other letters that first
appeared in various periodicals. and were
| then gathered into two volumes entitled
| The StOried Sea" and The RepOse IN
| Egypt" Both of these have a charm that
few of the many books written by travel
| ers IN that region possess. Although the
scenes through which she jOurneyed have
| been described times without number. and
have been mOrtalized over by medivative
| writer's until the theme is hackneyed. there
| IS vain repetition in Mrs. Wallace's
| books. She has the good Judgment not at
! all common with travellers who write.
to talk about those things that attract
her. even if many things referred to in the
| gnide- books and consld cred proper objects
| of in terest are excluded. The consequence
| is. her selections being good, that her inter-
| est is conveyed to her readers. and her
| pages are lifted above the dry level of
| chronicles. Her style has the direct charm
| of simplicity. and the negative one of q
| freedom from tho visible effort to he enter
| tanning that mars 80 many recent books Of
| travel. -
Speaking one day of her own aud her
husbands work, Mrs Wallace said that
she had memory and could tell what che
had seen md heard but that she had no
invention. The General. on the other
hand, had deficient memory, but pos
sessed the creative power This estimate
of herself is. perhaps. correct. but does not
preclude the possession by her OF an imas,-
| inatioR of the poetic sOrt-a fancy that
| casts a glamours over what she eees, but
does not necessarily involve the creative
| faculty. her prose ~ very poetic at times
"a poetry inspired not only by the
classic and sacred scenes through which
she passes, but 10y the events of daily life.
| She has pretty gitt at narrative, a thread
| OF story. in which her travelling companions
| figure, running through both her latest
volumes and helping TO give the Oriental
| pictures that 'bit of color and touch of
| life without which no picture is artistic.
| Ono OF their companions Is young widow
who lay aside her mourning earb, having
| reached q time when it was no longer the
symbol of an inner grief. Tins the Pro-
| cess is described Fainter and fainter
| grow the voices from the tombs. little by
little the day light of the world gains on
| the dreary light of mourning the stars
| have willed it; destiny foretOld it; now it
was gray, now purple. now a blushing
| gleam. now full dawn again. and 10, in the
| golden kerchief, clad with beauty. she is
radiant US ever Ia the outlook to a second
| marriage. Strangely enough. the
| spectator In these familiar dramas some
times has lingering pity for the beloved
| dead W hich the main actor does not share" I"
Egypt" particularly the latter. are Curl
novel is often used to illustrate scripturaI
study and ancient history. and chapters in
these books are we'll ADAPTED to the same
| purpose. -
I'm Mohsmmedan fable.' che tells "tbe
legend runs that the point where the stiff
necked Pharaoh was wbelmed in the hill
of waters there are always reefs breakers
and dangerous currents. over whose
troubled depth since that awful day, the
spirit of the storm has never ceased to flap
his sable wings. and the ghosts of the
drowned Egy ptians may be seen by him
| who sees ariRhtl ever moving in sad m
| rest at the bottom of the sea. The lost
| souls are always busy there recruiting
| their numbers with ship p-wrecked mariners,
| and sometimes hundreds come down at
once. when their meanings can be heard
like the moaning OF the waves when the
winds are low"
Speaking of the stories that give pcrsou-
II. aN...L