Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-27
WHEN HAWTHORNE WAS SAD.
An Insight Into the Early Career of the
Famous American Romancist.

An Insight Into the Early Career of the
Famous American Romancist.
In the first decade after Hawthorne left
college he formed several plans of life, one
of which was that of entering his uncle
Manning's counting house. In one of his
letters to me he spoke of this as settled
purpose, but his repugnancc to commercial
life was such that the plan was ultimately
abandoned and he relapsed into the state
of partial inaction which so often results
from unsettled plans.
IL is well known that soon after gradual
ing he prepared for the press a little vol
ume of tales entitled, Seven Tales of My
Native Land" The publisher who en-
gagged to bring out the book was so dilatory
that at last Hawthorne, becoming impa-
tent and dissatisfied with the excuses
given, peremptorily demanded the return
Of the manuscript. Thepublisher, aroused
to a sense of his duty and ashamed of his
broken promises. apologized and offered to
proceed with the work at once, but Haw-
thorne was memorable, and though, as he
wrote me nc the time, he was conscious of
having been too harsh in his censures, he
would not recede, and he burned the man
uscript in mood half savage, half de-
spairing
As L expressed to him perhaps too
strongly my regret for this proceeding, he
did not, when Fanshawe was published,
confde TO me the fact. Hearing, though,
of the publication, I procured a copy, and
subsequently mentioned il to Hawthorne.
He had meantime become dissatisfied with
| the book, and he called in and destroyed
/ all the copies he could reach. At his re
quest l burned my copy and we never al
/ luded to Fanshawe afterward 1t was
at this time. / think, that he became ut
/ terly disheartened, and though conscious
! Of possessing more than ordinary literary
/ talent he almost abandoned all eXpecta
! tion Of success as an author
/ In one Of his letters 10 me, after relating
/ some of his appointments, he compared
/ himself to one drifting helplessly toward a
cataract, and closed with these despairing
words, Pm "A doomed man, and over
must 60"
Happily the dependent mood was not
permanent, and be continued to write
though subiy ted t. frequent disappoint
ments He was contributor TOR little
while to a magazine published I believe
in New York The compensation wa
small, and even TAI J4e publisher pro
fessed his INABILITY 90 D~-; so Hawthorne
stopped his contributions and withdrew
At the parting a Characteristic incident
occurred. The editor begged for a mass Of
manuscript in his possession, as yet unpub
lished, and it was scornfuuy bestowed
Thus" wrote Hawthorne, has this man
who would be considered a MRcenas, takeI
from a penniless writer material incom
parably better than any his own brain car
supply" And he closed with a bitter male
diction upon the grasping editor.
He had the experience Of being NOR,
than once deceived by those who professeC
to have the power and wish TO befrienC
him. A young man, with some means anC
| greater aspirations, commenced the publ
cation Of a literary newspaper in Boston
and offered Hawthorne the position Of co
editor. Another person, backed by a ricl
father, supplanted Hawthorne, who wa
civilly bowed out, and the newspaper, afte
a brief and sickly life expired.
In the Hawthorne biography there ap
peared several old and carelessly writer
letters Of my own, answers to some o
Hawthorne's that were long since de
stroyed at his request.
These letters I should hardly have repro
duced except for the purpose Of showing
that Hawthorne was at times quite de
spairing and in need Of all the encourage
ment his friends could give - Horati
Bridge in Harper's.