The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-03
LITERARY FAME DECLINED.
some Interesting Anecdotes Of Depew,
Evarts and Conkling.

Especial Correspondence.]
NEW YORK, April 11.-Sone of the mos,
eagerly sought men by publishers of maya
zines and Of books for literary work are
| those who decline for any consideration
whatever to write for publication. Proba
bly, larger sums have been offered for liter
| airy work to men who have declined such
| ofIer than with few exceptions have been
| paid for literature even to the most con-
| spicuous writer's.
Chauncey NJ. Depew is an example OF
type of this class of men. Not week
passes that Mr.. Depew does not receive one
or more propositions from publishers for
articles upon all sorts of subjects, and fire.
quently the choice OF subject is left to him.
He invariably declines, although if he
would consent now and then, he could add
what to man of limited income would
seem very considerable amount to his
| yearly receipts. Depew does not decline,
| however, because he has an aversion to
writing. On the contrary, he likes it, and
he often tells his friends that the ideal oc-
| cupation for man of refinement, who las
a oOAAOIS1ib luCOulO " NC independently OIL
his pen, is literary work, and he says
Blaine was more 90 be envied when he
spent the two or three years in quiet in
which he was writing his Twenty Years
in Congress" than for any other period in
his active political career.
Mr.. Depew refuses to write simply be-
cause he has found it necessary to make an
lnf1exlble rule If he does not break it for
one, nobody viii feel offended if he also de-
clines other propositions. Upon recent
occasion he did make an exception, but the
circumstances were peculiar. A young
man, in whom he was greatly interested,
and who was just beginning what prom
ised to be brilliant journalistic career,
went to Mr.. Depew and asked him if he
would write an article upon a certain sub
ject, and said that if he would do it and
would sign it it would be of the very great
est value to this young man in enabling
him to make substantial journalistic con-
nections Depew could not resist that APP
peal, and within half an hour had dictated
the article, signed it, and it was published
in one of the magazines to the very great
surprise of other publishers.
: Roscoe Conkling once did a thing some
what similar. Conkling could have COM
manded his own terms for series of mag
szine articles reminiscent and also en-
bodying his views of political life, as he
had gathered them in an experience of
nearly quarter of a century. He could
not be prevailed upon, however, to under
take the task, although the idea appealed
to him somewhat, for Conkling was very
fond of writing He did not think, how
ha could cnara ha t;p,a for ho
was just then beginning to build up a law
practice in New York city. Anything that
Conkling said about public affairs or pub
lie men had the highest market value in
newspaper Offices. An interview with him
once published in one of the New York
papers was esteemed SO valuable that the
editor cheerfuhy paid $500 for it.
One day young man, something of an
invalid, who had been doing some news
paper work, called upon Mr.. Conkling and
asked him for an interview, or rather
asked him to write something and sign his
name to it. Conk1ing declined, and no.
ticing the look Of sadness which came to
the young mans face he asked him if the
declination had really caused him disap-
pointmeRt, and was told it had because the
young writer was counting upon an inter
view to raise money enough to meet some
pressing obligation. He had often written
pleasantly of Conkling and had done him
some trivial services, and the great senator
was the last man to forget courtesy, no
matter how slight. He said to the reporter:
my dear boy, you shall have the inter
view. viii talk to you: now, what shall
] talk about? The only thing I ask Is that
you take my words down as l utter them
and exact a promise that what say shall
not be mutilated when it appears in print"
Then he began, and for half an hour
talked with all his charm, composing his
sentences with as much care as if he We're
a speech for the senate. At last
he said: "There, perhaps that Will be
and l hope it will serve you. If
not, come and let me know" 1t did, for
within six hours the young man had re-
ceived check for $500
William NJ Evarts is another of the men |
who have been almost literally besieged for |
literary contributions and who always de- |
clines. He could have received as large |
prices as are paid Gladstone for his work, |
but he only smiles and usually replies |
with some witty allusion to the fact, as he |
puts it, that he is a lawyer, pleader in |
in the courts, and not a writer.
A recent story has been told of Evarts' |
wit in replying to such appeals. He had a |
party to dinner and one of the dishes was |
baked ham. The pig had been reared on |
Mr.. Evarts' stock farm and the ham cured |
there after method which his manager
claims to have discovered and which makes
the ham, in his opinion and that of Mr. |
Evarts, most toothsome. 1t is pretty ex-
3ensive ham by the time it reaches Mr.
Evarts' table, although he does not mind |
he expense. His guest upon the occasion
'eferred to had been served with it, and
Mr.. Evarts, taking a piece upon his fork,
ooked at it quizzically and humorously
or a few moments and then said, 81 re-
,eived the other day letter from the pub
Usher Of magazine asking me for con-
,ribution from my pen. don't know but
had better send him piece of this ham"
The guests were convulsed with laughter,
Is is usually the case at a dinner table
where Mr.. Evarts sits.
Mr.. Evarts' partner. Joseph II. Choate,
dr. J. Pierpont Morgan, the banker, and
Mr.. Frederick Olcott, who has gained fame
IS railroad reorganzer, are among those
Who have been often asked to contribute
md who make it a rule to decline such
&. J. EDWARDS.