Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-17
WILL BE HERE SOON
Chat With the Author Of
"hoosSer Schoolmaster."
HOW he CAME TO WRITE IT

HOW he CAME TO WRITE IT
Views Of Edward Eggiesson. Critic. Nov
eiisi. Editor and Historian on Liter
aIy Subjects Hotel News.
DIR. Edward Eggleston Of New
York, critic, novelist, editor and hls-
torisn, was guest At the Morton yes-
terdsy. DR.. Esgleston is well known
to the literary public as the pioneer
writer of dialect stories. and perhaps
the most successfui. i.s "iooslsr
Schoolmaster" 10 familiar to every
reader of fiction. Many II his other
novels are well known. and his maga-
zine articles have been published in the
North American Review, Forum. Cen
tury, and other leading magazines for
years. His school history OF the
United States is recognized as the stan
dard school history of the country.
Toa reporter for THE HERALD, he
said:
al lectured at Ionia last night, and
am on my way to Madison, Indiana, TO
spend Sunday with relatives. believe
l close my lecture engagement here in
Grand Rapids. Lleft the lecture plat
form fifteen years ago, but last winter l
went to Ireland. WAS very much IN
terested IN homo rule and the govern
ment of Ireland. 90 when returned
Major Pond suggested that deliver
course of lectures OH Ireland and the
condition of Its people. While deliver
ing these lectures l have practically
suspended my literary labors.
L am at work on history
that will occupy most Of my
time for the next seven years. My
small school history was 90 successful
that have been tempted 70 try my
hand at a more comprehensive and
scholarly work. There IA very little
money however in historical. or for
that matter. any learned work. Fic-
ton is about the only thing that pays
now. / have q new novel III mind aud
/ expect to 40 some work on that too"
Character of the Coming Novel.
"What In your opinion will be the
$OthAuk A0vSi. ooACA shO ROAANAs
"Well; that is a very difficult thing
to saw. You can't tell what the novel
of the twentieth century will be unless
You know the character and mind of
the man who will write it. There can
he no permanent and fixed taste in
felton,. 1t varies according to uncx-
plainable tastes and incomprehensibie
laws. Fiction has passed from the real
&c al 10 hA ~, nT
Scott, and back 70 the realism of Tol-
stoi. ZoIa, Jane Austen, George Eliot,
Howells. and countless otherl l will
not say back, either. for fiction does
not travel in u circle. 1t moves in q
spiral. 1t gets back TO the same place;
but still, IL ,ss little above what IT was
before. DARWIN IL responsible for the
present realism in our fiction. lie
first of all taught the English people
~ examine closely and describe
minutely. This scientific agitation
took firm hold of the public mind.
Readers we're imbued with the spirit Of
il, ard demanded that all descriptions
he minute aud exact. But there is
difference between the offensive
minuteness of Zola's realism and the
artistic ideality of George El;ots'. A
story must not be too realistic. Ii II
be, 1t will Jar our moral and artistic
sense. do not mean our religiously
moral sense, but that refined, cultured
senslbility that Mathew Arnold has SO
admiralty defined. A writer, however,
III avoiding realism, must not bc too
ideal either. Idcalism, pure and SIM
pie, leaves HIM nothing to stand on,
AID he can draw forth no sympathy
from his reader. The true novel
should he a jud'cious blending of the
ideal and tie real, and the number of
phases and types of the novel based
upon this principle is practically un-
limited"
Fate OF the D,aiect Story.
"What success will the dialect story
have in the futurcg' asked the news
hunter.
"Wcll, in my opinion, it has had its
day. If were an editor now should
write over the door, No dialect stories
received Dialect stories were good in
their day; but the public has had
enough of them. George w. Cable has
done some mastery dialect work; so
has Brete Hart. My own 'Hoos'er
Schoolmaster' has been unexpectedly
successful. By the wav, don't know
that ever told how / came to write
that.
IL was editor of the Hearth and
Home and we needed serial story.
I had done little work in the Hoosier
dialect, but had always thought IT TOO
unpoetlc for literary work. had this
little story, though, and thought one
day would run it. As | had written
it, Il would take about two numbers.
When the publishers saw the story they
persuaded me to extend IT. They told
me il would be a winner, and finally ]
decided 10 run il along. 1t ran IN
seven numbers, and was brought to
close because the paper hai
promised TO have the story close
at the end of that volume.
Most of the story was written under
pressure, some of il while the devil
stood waiting for copy: but the book
still sells at the rate of 5000 copies
year. Bot to go back TO the dialect
story. think the public have become
tired of so much CT it. OF course they
admire the dialect poems of James
Whitcomb Riley: but he cannot be
called strictly dialect writer. The dis-
Iect sits easily upon him. If he wishes
10 use Yankee expression IN . Hoo
ser dialect he does so. and hIs con-
science never troubles him ~ the least
But Mr.. Riley has done some exceeding
~ clever work, Notwithstanding.