The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-02

/ told him how 7 was doing f. and he
seemed 10 think j was on the right track
I This was the only help he received 50
7 Il would seem that instinctively the tai
| self
When I asked Mr. Du 8faurier II he
had not in youth written out tales for
his own amusement. he shook his head
No" he said Peter Ibbetson was alb
solutely the first story I ever wrote. And
yet, ! have in one sense been writing
stories all my life. Every one OF my
pictures, for example. has had under DC
a story condensed 10 the smallest pos
sible space. The necessity OF cOndensing
my description and dialogue has been
Of great benefit TO me in writing my two
novels"
Then. too suggested. 'aH OF you
characters have been types, and each Of
the Illustrations has represented sig
niticant bit Of life ] have often won
dered how you were able 10 continue them
every week / should think that now
and then your ideas would give out under
the strain of such incessant production"
Il feel as II they had every time / nm
ish a picture. In the first years Of my work
1 used 10 furnish the ideas as well as the
Illustrations; but now great many OF the
ideas are sent to me. i felt the same lack
Of ideas when / finished Peter Ibbetson.'
1 thought I should never write another
book. But I suppose that IS a pretty com
mon experience with writers"
But you already had the plot Of 'Trl-
by in your mind
Eyes: but my earliest conception of the
story was quit different from the one 1
finally worked out. 1 had first thought
of Trilby as a girl Of very low birth,
a servant or something like that Then
Il occurred 10 me that IL would be much
better to make her interesting-tO create
a person who would be liked by readers
AS a good many pople seem to be fond
Of Trilby now, I am very glad indeed
that / made the change"
Then the character was not study
from Hfe?''
ooh, no, # was wholly imaginary"
Those who have followed "Trilby's' ca
reer as a singer must have realized that
Mr.. Du Maurier's knowledge of music Is
more than that Of the amateur. So
was not surprised to learn from him that
he is himself something of a musician
and has been brought up in an atmos-
phere of music. MY grandfather sang,
he said. and my father had a most beau
tiful baritone voice. He studied at the
Conservatoirs in Paris and was considered
the best pupil there. He thought of be-
coming a professional singer, but aban-
doned the plan while he was still young.
So his public appearances were for charity
only and few in number; but he often sang
for his friends. In Peter Ibbetson' l have
given a description of my father. 1t is
a fact that on one occasion while walking
in Paris with some friends he saw
beggar woman who was playing a guitar
and singing, and on the impulse took the
guitar from her and began to sing HIM
self. A crowd gathered, and when he had
finished he passed his hat and collected
quite a sum Of money for the woman"
Du Maurier is said to have inherited
his fathers gift though he no longer
sings even for his friends But his inter-
est in music is as great as ever, and he
likes to write about singers. What de-
scription could be finer than his account
of "Trilbys" debut in Paris? 1t deserves
10 rate amoug the most vivid pieces of
descriptive writing in the language. But
when l asked Mr.. Du Maurier if it were
drawn from experience. he replied: well,
not exactly. though a concert of Madam
PATHS in Albert Hall may have suggest
ed it. And that reminds me-" he added
quickly, of a note that had from a lady
in Boston the other day. She said that
the doctors of Boston had been discussing
the point whether 'Trilby really could
have been taught to sing by hypnotism
as described in the story. and they agreed
that 1t was possible. OF course she had
been under the hypnotic influence for
long time while she was being trained
for the stage. and. besides, the chords of
the throat had been trained. 1t would have
deem quite ulHeFGul II she ndQ Deen nXD-
Noticed just for the occasion"
/ told Mr. Du Maurier of the case of a
man in New York who had never learned
TO play the plano, but on one occasion had
played it in public while under hypnotic
influence, with the skill of a professional
pianist. It's the same thing" he cried.
But the case of the pianist seemed to me
even more remarkable than "Trilbys"
case, for il was unprecedented.
The conversation then drifted to hyp-
notism in general and Mr. Du Maurier
remarked that he had not given the sub
ject very much study, though he was in
terested in it,
"A rather prominent physician told me
other day" he said that it was of very
little practical use and he thought that
in the treatment of disease it did more
harm than good; it gave the patient a
worse disease than hehad had before
weakened his will, among other things.
But physical subjects are very fascinat-
ing, and in my next book I want to treat
something of the kind, blending it with
perfectly human characters, you know,
with every day life for a back ground.
But / mustn't say anything more about
that" he added with a smile.
There are not many men who are
able to carry on two occupations at
once. and 1 often wondered how a busy
artist like Du Maurier has found time
I 10 write MS NOVELS. / ne dILlSL hlnEelf
gave the explanation. 4 often hear au-
thors complain of the labor of writing
he said. but I've found it a great pleas
ure. Perhaps that is because 1 m only an
Z amateur writer. l presume that if /
had begun as a novelist l should find my
drawing. which is extremely difficult 70
4 me, a recreation. The two stories I have
, written quite absorbed me. l fairly lived
( with Them. except when at work on my
I pictures. When l went out to walk on the
! heath my characters came with me.
/ 'Trilby fairly wrote itself in six.weeks.p r..
! six weeks! l repeated in astonish-
ment.
( yes, really six weeks. though there
/ were months between the day / began
f il and the day wrote the last line -Four
days in the week / devoted to drawing,
! the rest of the time l was free to write"
/ Here Mr.. Du Maurier quoted the famii-
I lar saying about easy writing and added
I that he doubted if it always were hard
reading. Indeed his own work proves
4 that it is not for more readable style
than his could hardly be imagined. 1t is
/ clear as the writing of the French au-
thors to whom Mr.. Du Maurier is akin