The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-20
WIEN tAwrnossg was SAD
An Insight Into the Early Career 81 tn
Fanaous Americas Eom aactet-

An Insight Into the Ezriy Career 81 tn
Fanaous American Eonsactst-
In the Erst decade after Hawthorne lefi
college be formed several plans OF life ons
Of which WAS thst of entering his uncle
Manning's counting house. In one Of MS
letters 20 me be spoke OF this - . settled
purpose. bur his repugaance 20 commercial
life WAS such that the plan was ultimately
abandoned. and he relapsed into the ststt
of partial inacsion which 50 often results
from unsettled plans
Ii Is well known that soon after gradual
ing be prepared for tie press little vel
une Of tales entitled, Seven Tales Of N,
Native Land The publisher who en-
gagged 20 bring olt the book was 80 dilatoTy
that At isst Hawthorne, becoming impS
tieat and dissatisfied with the excuses
given, pereraptoriiy demanded the retarSs
Of the manuscript The publisher, aroused
70 a sense Of his duty and ashamed OF his
broken promises, apoiogiked and offered x
proceed with the work st once. but Havg~
thorne WAS iaexorable. and though. Ss he
wrote ne ~ the time. be was conscious o
having been too harsh in his cens1res. be
would not rece<ie. and he burned the man
uscriDt in a mood half savage. hall de
spairing
A / expressed to him perhaps too
strongly nv regret for this proceeding. he
did not. when FanShawe was published
coufide TO me the fact Hearing. though,
OF the publication. procured a copy, and
subsequently mentioned il TO Hawthorne.
He had meantime become dissatisfied with
the book. and be called in and destroyed
all the copies he could reach- AZ his ~
quest burned my copy and We never al
Iufsed 20 FanShawe afSerward IL wsS
at this time. think. that be became ut
terIy disheartened. and though conscious
Of possessing more than ordinary literary
talent he almost abandoned all expectar
ton Of success IS an author.
In one OF his letters 20 me, after relating
some OF his disappointments, be compared
himself 10 one drifting helplessiy toward
cataract. and closed with these despairing
words, I'm q doomed nan. and over l
must GO"
Happily the Respondent mood was nos
permanent. and be continued 20 write.
though subjected TO frequens disappoint-
mentA he was contributor for = little
while TO a magazine published. believe.
IN New York The compensation was
small. and even that the publisher pro
| fessed his inability to pay; 50 Hawthorne
stopped his contributions aRd Withdrew.
At the parting characteristic inetdens
occurred The editor begged FOR = mass OF
manuscript in his possession. ss yet unpul.-
| hshed, and il was scornfully bestowed
THUS" wrote Hawthorne. has this man.
| who would be considered n Msscenas. taken
/ frosn penniless writer material moon
| parably better than any his own brain can
| supply" And be closed with bitter male
/ diction upon the graspirg ciitor.
He had the experiences Of being more
than once deceived by those who professed
20 have the power and wish 70 befrfsnd
him A young man. with some means and
greater aspirations. commenced the publ
cation OF a literary newspaper In Boston
| and offered Hawthorne the position OF 90
editor. Another persC Il backed BY rich
father, supplanted Hawthorne. who VA
| civiIly bowed out. and the newspaper. aftsi
a brief and sickly life. expired
In the Hawthorne biography there an
peared several old and carelessly written
letters Of my own. answers TO some o.
Hawthcrne's that were long since de
stroyed at his request
These letters I should hardly have rrpro
duced except for the purpose OF showini
that Hawthorne was az times quite de
soaring and in need Of all the encourages
ment his friends could givs - Horat.'
Bridge in Harpers