Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-03
A Budget of Gossip About Hap
penings in the Metropolis.
VISIT TO JOSIAH ALIENS WIFE.
Charley Hoyt and the Crilics-Dr. Parkhurst
in the Pulpit.
VIII Booth Play Again?-The Land of
Divorces-A Glimpse of Julian
Hawthorne-No Public Spirit
In New York.

NEW YORK, Feb 22.-Thousands of per-
sons have read with interest, and no small
amount of pleasure as well, the novels
written by Josiah Aliens Wife" without
knowing much of the strong and charming
personality behind that nom de plume.
Thousands of persons, too, have, no doubt,
pictured wife whose originality, pathoS
and humor, as shown in her writings, were
continual source of pride and Joy TO her
husband, Mr.. Allen. The fact is, Josiah
Aliens Wife, is a woman who has no hus-
band. Her name is Miss Marietta Holley.
At first glance one wonders where the
wholesome humor, so delightful III her
writings, is going to reveal itself in Miss
Holley's fine, intellectual, although serious
looking face.
Only few minutes conversation is
necessary to bring forth the humorous
sparkle in her large, brown eyes. Her face
is sad at times, and when I saw her she was
pale. having just recovered from an attack
Of grip. Miss Holley is of medium height,
not stout, but giving one the idea of solidity
and robustness. Her thick hair combed
gracefully back is beginning to turn gray.
Strength of character, tenacity of purpose
and Yankee originality, accompanied by
gentle, lovable nature, are traits that
shrewd observer might say that the au-
thoress possessed in no small degree. In
conversation she has a slight lisp that adds
to rather than detracts from tho euphon-
iousness of her words.
Miss Holley lives where she was born, in
Adams, jefferson county, N. Y. In this re-
treat some twenty years ago Miss Holley
wrote her first book, entitled my Opinions
and Betsy Robbett's." She was then poor
and ambitious to make money. Since then
she has written about dozen novels, and
has long since become aftuent. Her first
book was written in the dialect of Josiah
Aliens Wife, - and was very successful.
Some of her other well known novels are
''Sweet Cicely, Samantha at the Centen-
NAL" My Maynard Partner" ''Miss
Richards Boy' and 1.-THE Mormon Wife,
Recently I had chat with her about her
work. She was inclined to be non-com-
municative until asked her if she wrote or
dictated her books. She said she had not
only to write, but to copy her novels, be-
cause copyist, as a rule, could not copy
dialect correctly. She loved to work when
it was composition. but she did not enjoy
the drudgery of copying.
Miss Holly has no sympathy with the
sensational school of noyelists. Every
thing that is pure, natural and healthy"
she said, should be incorporated in a
novel. l do not care to write anything that
would not do to leave behind me when 1 am
gone. And l am careful not to make use of
my friends or acquaintance to draw char
acters, The peculiar psychological process
by which the mind creates or evolves a
number of characters is something for meta
physicians TO discuss at length. Now, it is
said that Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe,
while in church one day, had vision, and
saw Uncle Tom dying. She had not writ
ten her great novel then, but the deathbed
scene of Uncle Tom moved her to tears.
am now writing book on the race ques-
ton. which would say, if it did not seem
egotistical, was inspired"
Miss Holley then related the following
story of the book: One year ago she was
ignorant of the race question and had not
given it a thought Baptist minister
called on her and asked her why she did not
write something on the race question, as it
was OF vital interest, and expressed his
opinion that we were on the eve of great
race war. Several days afterward another
minister, who lived thousands of miles from
the first and had been in the South many
years of his life, visited the authoress and
used almost the identical language of the
Baptist divine.
sit seemed to me that the two wise men
had come, and I hesitated no longer about
writing book on the race question" she
said. ''Since then 1 have studied the race
question thoroughly, ann one day vision,
similar to the one Mrs. Stowe had, came to
me, and distinctly saw the death of the
colored man, such as it will occur in my
BOOK
About some Of the women writer's of the
day she said many were pleasing and had
made their mark in the literary world.
Sometimes" she continued, 1.-THE prom
ises of to-day are not fulfilled by the works
of tomorrow I have been looking for
America to produce q George Eliot, and
when Amehe Rives- Chanler wrote The
Farrier Lass of Piping Pebworth,' 1
thought had discovered the great novelist
But must confess that was not so much
pleased with her subsequent novels. Moth
ing could be more natural and stronger than
The Farrier Lass and the earmarks of
genius are visible in every line"
The conversation turned on books, and !
Miss Holley said that the two books that
had the greatest influence upon her life
were the Bible and Emerson's works. The |
Bible and Emerson, she added, made her
feel as if she had been down in a valley
and had come up again TO view the beauty
of the surrounding world,