The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-02

valid wife, and that the incidents described
with so much humor in it had foundation
in the exploits of two of his own children.
1t was also said that the manuscript went
from publisher to publisher, who declined
1t to their sorrow afterward. Miss Oh
colts Little Women" Mark Twain's "In-
nocents Abroad" General Wallace's "Ben-
Hur" and Robert Elsnere" are the only
books published since the civil war which
have had so great a sale
Mr.. Habberton, however, did not quit
Journalistic life, and although it is nearly
twenty years since "Helen's Babies" ap-
pcared he has continued in the ranks Of
hardwcrking newspaper men. 1t is now
announced that he is to give up newspaper,
work and devote himself entirely to litera
ture.
n number of his stories have been print
ed since 'Helen's Babies came out al
though none of them has had the success
of that phenomenal work. In this respect
MIR. Habberton's experience does not differ
from that of others who have made great
literary hits with their first efforts He
has pretty place Mt New Rochelle, a few
miles out OF New York, where there is
quite colony of literary persons, and he
has as Il neighbor the actor Francis Will
son, whose little thcater under the roof OF
his house Mr.. Habberton has recently
helped dedicate.
There are some other changes in the pur-
poses and pursuits of literary men who
have gained fame. Mr.. Howells for the
third time has discovered that the work
of an editor is such drudgery that it tires
him. lie has the same aversion for exam
ming manuscripts that made Thackeray's
life as an editor of Cornhill Magazine a
burden. Therefore he has retired from his
connection with The Cosmopolitan Maga-
In &c hi la l,.,t
would have had to give that up even ii he
liked the work The demand for hi9 stories
Is SO great that he would not have had the
time to wade through the bushels of man
uscript which are offered to him. He re
ceives the highest prices for his stories of
any American writer of fiction, and it is IA
rather curious fact that while they seem
TO have popularity when published scri-
ally they do not have correspondingly
great sale when published between covers
MIR. Howells' earnings are larger even
than those of Robert l.. Stevenson.
Mr.. Brander Matthews, who now may
be called with propriety Professor Mat
thews, has given up editorial work, so that
he may devote himself partly to literature
and partly to his duties as professor of
English literature in Columbia college.
George Parsons Lathrop has been com
PEELED to give up his purpose Of writing
novel in collaboration with Edison. 1t was
to be IL novel of electricity, so to speak
Edison was to furnish suggestions based
upon his experience with electricity, and
ne was at first so interested in this scheme
that he wrote out good many pages Of
manuscript and had several interviews
with Mr.. Lathrop. Then for some reason
Edison's enthusiasm cooled, and Iathrop
found himself with mass of material on
hand and yet with not enough to complete
the novel as it was designed and he was
Obliged to abandon it, He is now greatly
interested in the attempt to establish !.
thc;iter in which American plays of hi.,
artistic worth shall be produced