Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-28
A Budget of Gossip About Hap
penings in the Metropolis.
VISIT TOJ0SIAH ALIENS WIFE.
Charley HQyt and the Critics-Dr. Parkhurst
in the Pulpit.
Will 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
a continual source of pride and joy TO her
husband, Mr.. Allen. The fact is, Josiah
Aliens Wife, is woman who has no hus-
band. Her name is Miss Marietta Holley.
At first glance one wonders where the
wholesome humor, so delightful in 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 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 a
gentle, lovable nature, are traits that a
shrewd observer might say that the au-
thoress possessed in no small degree In
conversation she has 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 afhuent. Her first
book was written in the dialect of Josiah
Aliens Wife" and was very successful
Of Oth a,.T nl
"Sweet Cicely," Samantha at the Centen-
NAL" my Hayward Partner ''Miss
Richards Boy'' and ''The Mormon Wife
Recently had chat with her about her
work. She was inclined to be non-com-
municative until 1 asked her If she wrote or
dictated her books. She said she had not
only to write, but to copy her novels, be-
cause a 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 novelists. Every
thing that is pure, natural and healthy
she said, SHOULD be Incorporated in
novel do not care to write anything that
would not do to leave behind me when am
gone. And 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
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. 1
am now writing a 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 thought. A 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 a great
race war. Several days afterwaFd 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.
at seemed to me that the two wise men
had come, and 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 writers of the
day she said many were pleasing and had
made their mark in the literary world.
Sometimes, size continued, 1.-The prom
ises Of to-day are not fulfilled BIZ the works
Of ita,ERRpw. 1 have been locking for
America to produce George Eliot, and
when Amehe Rires. Chznler wrote The
Farrier Lass Of Piping Pebworth.' I