Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-12-05
ANONYMOUS WRITING.
The Greatest Successes Tn It Have Beei
 Wan Inv wonaen
special Corrcspondence.l

Especial Corrcspondence.l NEW YORK, Nov. 27.-One of the great CT of the American magazines announces that very soon there will be begun the publication of a romance which will pur- port to tell the story of Joan of Arc. and considerable curiosity has been aroused because it has been published that the au- thorship Is to be kept secret, although the story has been written by the most pop ular of American magazine writers, " as is claimed.
 There might be some dispute ns to the measure of popularity if the authors name were given, for there is no final au- thority which is able to decide who is the most popular of American magazine writers. NIT. Howells' writings appear possibly in a larger number of different magazines than those of any other Amer ican writer. Yet 1t cannot ba said that he is the most popular. If the sales of the magazine are to bc taken as n basis, then the private secretaries of President Lin eoln-Colonel Nicolay and Colonel John Hay-are the most popular, since their life of Lincoln sent the circulation of the mag azine in which it was published up many thousands.
 Mark Twain uscd to bc q vtry popular writer. and two of Mrs. Burnctt's serials brought her fame and profit. The publish CTS of tho reviews say that an article by Tom Recd always increases the sale, and that symposium upon religion which Mir. L. .. Mctcan arranged for publication in The North American. and which was to be conducted by Colonel Ingcrsoll on one side and the late Judge Black upon the other, caused the sale of that review to be very greatly increased.
 It Is probable that the publishers of the story of Joan of Arc expect that curiosity will be excited by the publication of this romance anonymously. There arc likely to be a great many suggestions as to the authorship, and it is possible that none of them may be currcct.
 Three novels have been published anony- mously in this country which gained very great success and about the authorship of which there was most exciting discussion. ''Rutlcdgc," " published more than 50 years ago, gained as great q popularity in this country almost as did "Janc Eyre, " which 1t assembled somewhat, but 1t was not un- til many years had passed before the au- thor was discovered tO bc a young woman who had shown no great literary skill be- fore the writing of that novel.
 Another story which was widely read and greatly talked about was The Bread winners" It was published anonymously. and to this day nonc but tho author, tho | publisher and perhaps one or two others know who 1t was who wrote the book. The general impression has been that 1t | was written by Colonel John Hay, who gained political rcputc as private sCcrCtary of President Lincoln and literary fame as [ tho author of tho poem Jim BludsOc. '' | Colonel Hay has never actually denied the | authorship, nor has he ever admitted 1t, but there arc somc things in tho book with which hc had familiarity, and there | arc some pCculiaritics of style which have been identified as characteristic of him. Another book which gained great mo. mentary reputc was little novel called Democracy" published some 70 years ago, and which prctendcd to give some in sight into public life in Washington. The l book attracted moro attention in Europe than it did in this country, although il l was one of the literary events of the season when puohsnSd. some persons thoush' | senator Ingalls, wTotc it, others thought | that il was the work of Il Washington l newspaper man, but at last the impression became general that It was written by Mir Henry Adams. the historian, grandson o ono president and grrat grandson of an other. Anybody familiar with public If, | in Washington, however, knew that il was not written by any ono who had mor' than n superficial acquaintance with tha life. Some of the errors in 1t were anus | ing and others absurd. It had u prcsiden I G4SCL bEEAIAElIs HIS Ns&h4IIE hlA ANAAlAAst I the cabinet meeting with them, somcthin. that would havo been impossible in req l life.
 Tho most successful series publishct | anonymously in this country were n dozel or more short stories written over the non de plume of Sake Holmc. They were tn most popular series of short stories eve published in this country, and they ar popular to this day. Tho most intcns curiosity was awakened ns to the author ship, but the critics wCro satisfied witt only one thing, and that was that the werc written by n woman. Tho mystcr has never been publicly cleared away, al though there was taCit admission man years after that the work was done by tw women in collaboration, one of them Dc ing the talented author of "Ramouna, one of tho classic American novels.
 | It Is n singular thing that, with the cx ccption of waltrs Scott, the greatest sue ccsscs of anonymous writing. at least il the English language. have been won b women. When Jane Eyre" was pub lishcd and achieved success which ha not sinco been cqualcd in England, th authorship was attributed to every pcrSo | but the right one Some even though that 1t was Thackcray' work, and whcl at Inst Charlotte Brontc was revealed an, came into public view. n wan, timid, littl thing Great Britain could scarcely bclicv that this woman, who had been brough up us n reclusc and had seen nothing q the world. could have told such n story c | the world.
 George Eliot's earlier stories wcrc pub |. lishcd without revealing the identity c the author. The greatest critics of Grca
 Britain were unable to solve the mystery , Charles Dickens alone insisted that th writer of these stories must bc woman for he claimed that certain insight int the heart of woman revealed by tines stories was possible only to n woman
 When Miss Evans was at last acknow
 edged as the author, there was intense n.
 tonishment that this scholarly girl shoul
 have been able to write tales that set th
 English speaking " Orld to thinking.
 F.. T. EDw ARn~