The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-25

yacht sseaming into the Bay Of Marbles.
II - IN thss room, that Verne works Adj
joining il is \ large room with well-filled
book cases reaching from ceiling 10 carpet.
Speaking about his methods of work Mr.
Verne said; Il rise every morning before
"a little later perhaps in winter-and at
Am ~ nv desk. remaining 3, work siil
IL. work very slowly and with tho
greatest care. writing AMI rewriting until
each sentence takes the form that desire.
| have always At ieas; ten novels In my
head in advance. subjects and plots
spared shall have no difficulty in COM
p.eting the eighty novels which spoke
o. But |, Is over my proofs that spend
most tame. / AM never satisfied with
less than seven or eight proofs. aud correct
and correct again. until IL may be safely
said she last proof bears hardly any traces
o; the original manuscript This means .
great sacrifice OF pocket. as well ~ of time.
but have always tried my best for form
and style. thongh people have never done
me Justice in this respect"
had asked Mr.. Verne IN tell me of his
life and work. My first question vas
about sss, his youth and home. a9d this Is
Il was born in Nantes on the ssh Of
February, ISIS. so that am today in my
tSsh year. and 10 should be rather on my
impressions of old age than on my sou.
venirs OF childhood that should b
asked 70 speak. We were . most happy
family. Our father who was an admire.
bic man. was = Partisan by birth, or rather
by education. for he was horn in Brie. bus
was educated in Paris. where he passed
his university career and took his degree
as harrsster. My mother was . Has
Brcsonnc, from Morsaiy, SO that am .
mixture of Breton and Partisan blood"
These particulars are interesting from Q
NEUROLOGICAL
one to understand the character Of Jules
Verne. who unites With the gaiety aud
sdroir-rirre and JOY OF life of the boule-
vardicr-Clarctie wrote about him, HE 10
boulevasdier 20 the tips of his iingers"--
the love Of solitude, the righteousness and
alteration Of the sea Of the Breton.
II had very happy youth. Ny
father was solicitor and barrtster -
Nantes and in . good position Of fortune.
He was man of great culture. and Of
great literary taste. He wrote songs ut .
time when songs were still written In
France. that il To say. between 1880 and
lSaa But he was = man of no ambition,
and though he might have distinguished
himself in letters had he chosen to put
himself forward, he avoided all publicity.
His songs were sung In the family: very
few of them ever so, into print. may re-
mark that mono Of us have ever been am.
bilious: we have tried TO enjoy our lives
and to do our work quietly. My father
died in 1871. aged IS. You see he might
have said, II was two years old when this
century was born" in distinction from
Victor Hugo's famous remark about
the date of his birth. My mother
died in 1885. leaving thirty.two' grand
children, and. IL one counts the cousins
and cousins-german. ninety-scven de.
scendants. All the children lived, that il
to say, death has not removed any one Of
the five children. There were two boys
and three girls, and they are all alive TO.
day. Men and women are Of solid build
in Brittany. My brother Paul was and 10
ny dearest friend. Yes, may say, that
he Is not only my brother but my most In.
innate friend. And our friendship dates
from the first day that l can remember.
What excursions We used to take together
in lcaky boats on the Loire. At the age OK
Loire right down to the go that We had
not explored. What dreadful boats they
were and what risks We no doubt ran.
Sometimes ] was captain. sometimes IL Was
Paul. But Paul was the better Of the two.
navy and might have become : verv dis IL.
tinguished officer had he not been =
Verne, that In TO say. had he had any am
bition."
II began to write st the asss Of II. Il
was oil poetry then. and dreadful poetry.
too. Still l remember that an address
day. what We call . compliment In
France. was thought very good and was
so compiimented that felt quite proud.
remember that even Ut that time used
to spend long time over my writings.
copying and correcting and never really
satisfied with what had done.
II suppose that one may zee In my love
for adventure and the water, what was to
bc the bent Of my mind in later years.
Certainly the method of work which had
then has chung to me all through my life.