The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-01-18
MARGARET j. PRESTON.
The Story of Successful Writer and raet
New York Observer.

New York Observer
The home of Mrs. Preston is the cell
dege town Of Lexington, in RockbridEe
County. Before the Revolutionary War
college was founded here. which was
afterwards endowed by Washington,
and took its name from him, being the
first institution Of learning called after
him. -..-'.
After the Civil War, when General
Robert E. Lee became its Presi dent,
the pane was changed to Washington
and Lee University. Here also is the
Virginia Military Institute-the West
Point of the South-With whose found
ing Colonel Preston, (the husband of
the ladyswith whom our sketch con-
Germs itself J, in his early manhood had
everything to do, and where S ocewall
Jackson, whose first wife Was Mrs.
Preston's sister, was professor fnr ten
years.
So quiet is Mrs. Preston, 50 little
seeking personal publicity, so success
full has she escaped interviewer and
newspaper illustrator, there is really
little known of her, save the glimpses
she gives US of herself III her poems.
Though she has so studiously avoided
notoriety,s saying with Lowell, I'VE
Americans dispriyicy ourselves too
much," we hope she will not bar the
door against US now if we thus qniet'y
visit her, and learn little more of her
home life and work. She is of right
''li.terateur," being the daughter OF
Rev. DR.. Junkin, who was the founder
of Lafayette College: Pa, and who pre-
coded General Lee as president of
of Washington College.
Lexington has been her home since
her early years, and she loves it as no
other spot on earth. BY her long resi-
dence and family ties she has become a
thorough Virginian, though she is also
a true American, with love deep and
strong for the whole country, as her
Colonial Ballads" will show.
In a recently published sketch of
visit to Beautiful Elleray," the home
of Christopher North, she gives US this
glimpse of her girlhood tastes:
''When I was child of dozen years
1 used to pore with delight over dear
Kit North's Lights and Shadows Of
Scottish Life and when grew little
older often carried in my girlish ram
bles volume Of his essays with me,
and his 'Noctes AmbrosiaDee' might
well know by heart; So Elleray was a
sort of shrine to me, and came to it
with something of pilgrims venera-
ton"
Being too devoted a student III her
esrly years, she overtaxed her eyes by
night study. A serious illness inter-
yened, which made her sight delicate,
so that, although she has never in any
degree been blind, and hopes never to
be so, yet she has spared her eyes by
doing much of her later literary work
by means of a typewriter and an aman-
uensis. 1t was her English friend,
Philip Bourke Marston, who was very
much interested in her learning to use
the typewriter, and persuaded her to
get one. In a sketch of him published
inst after his death in Lippincott's
Magazine, Mrs. Preston says:
!!'From his writings it would never be
gathered that he was blind; nor, indeed,
was be willing that in the slightest de-
gree. any abatement in the Judgment
formed of his poems should be made in
consequence of his terrible affection.
Nor would be have let it be known,
could he have helped it, that he was
blind; he was very adverse to having.
his calamity alluded to, and in both
his prose and poetical writings, and in
all his letters. he constantly speaks like
man who had clear eyesight." And
in this respect Mrs. Preston is like
him.
It was a great disappointment to
both Mr.. Marston and herself that
they did not meet when Colonel and
Mrs. Presten visited Europe afew years
ago, and be writes to her afterwards:
ITO think that I should have missed
you when in London. How can that
be forgiven? Yes, five thousand people
may pay me visits, but these don't
atone for the one I missed"
OF her methods Of work, Mrs. Pres
ton writes to friend:
81 have never given myself up to
literature as my life-work, being too
busy wife, mother and friend forthat
luxury-for many years the mistress of
too large household to be able to COM
rpond the u-ida mo rri ne of leisure that