The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-06
EDW
::?BELLAMY
HOW THE AUTHOR OF
HOOKING BACKWARD"
WORKS.
n. Y. Herald.

The IfPrery DeJuouS VI ruo>e0''N'
writcrs are rot only Interesting to
the curious, bat are oftent.mes help
ful to other writer's, especially youn-
ger ones, who have opportunity TO
study them; for pirate as we may Off
depence and originality, we humans
rely very much on each other hno
really do but little that is not snR'
pested to us ia one way ar another
by our fellows.
To what extent Edward Bellamy's
plsn OF n4tiOnal reorganization is
INDEBTED TO the author Of "Utopia,'
Mr.. BeIlamy himself probably could
not say, but he did say to me the
other day when be began to write
"LonkIng Backward" h3 had no in
teutlt Of mapping out practical
reform out rather intended to write
mere fancituI sketch for his own
amusement and for the entertainment
If bis readers. He had hegun litera
nv c"rccr-a career If literature for lit
sue it 10 the ED. He had had about
sixteen your5 Of tralulLg in journa-
li8m, had written three small books
and number of stories for nigga
zines, and In the summer of 1887 sat
down to write a1oLt.er bit of fiction
"a literary fantasy 10 which al
ideal condition Of things was to be
described after the manner, though
nowiSc in imitation, Of Sir Thomas
M0re's most famous work.
To make his story interesting he
must make it plausible; must play
that trick Of art which makes the
ideal seem to be practical and real.
And so he did-played 1t so we'll
that he lured himself into the trap
be had set for others, aud endci by
believing his own fairy tale 10 be
true. In the SIX months duling
which he was engaged in writing
this book his entire career was
changed. He sat down poet and
arose statesman. He went Ii to
his study to write 8 fanciful yarn
aud came out to Tev0lutiOnize ii e
foremost government Of earth. Ard
now he SAYS :-'!Literature with me
is only g means to practical en1e.
1t IS generally supposed that Ed
ward BPlIawy is the author of
'!Looking Backward" but there is
some reason to believe that "LO, k
ing Backward" Is really the au,t or
of Edward Bellamy.
DEVOTED TO HIS BIG SCHEME.
Almost everybody has at some
time in his life stood upon a dizzy
height and felt al impulse to jar p
off. They say-and "they," Yen
know. alw&v. speak with authority
that if van had some great pur-
pose IN mind wien you stood Oh
that height, some purpose which
kept You ftom thinking about your.
self, you would not feel this suicidal
Impulse. If that be trIe then Ed
ward Bellamy might stand upon the
tip Of horn of the moon tnd never
be tempted to leap, for he seems
never to be thinking Of himself. He
is so utterly devoted to his gigantic
scheme Of industrial reorgaaiza. ion
that IT is difficult to draw him into
conversation Oh any other suffice,
and we'll nigh impossible to indIc &C
him to say anything about hun eff
"There ia utterly nothing 10 my
life" he said to me worth writing
about. AS for literary method, ]
never had any. | used to try to be
regular, hut 7 was always subject tt
moods. | ain q slow writer and some
times have to rewrite thing a dozen
tlmesbefOre it suits me-"
This last was confessed as if il
were a grievous fault.
am told by those who nave
known Mr.. Bellamy for many years
that mOdesty and reticence have
always been marked features of his
character. Much of the time be
seems to be utterly oblivious TO bis
surroundings. In Chicopee Falls
Mass, his native village aud his
present home, nobody thinks a,y.
thing of his passing half dozen OF
his reighbors without recognizing
them or hearing their salutations. He
is often seen satisfactorily paciu 6
the river bank or the depot platform
and since be has few Intimate per
sOnal friends his raverIes are seldom
interrupted. His room, when be is
at work, looks like paper junk shop
and he himself is at such times the
embodiment of disorderlv toilet