The morning call., 1894-02-25

ing rooms of the family are on the second
floor, and it was in The parlor, furnished
with antique pieces, that l met Mr.. John
ston. He is not so rich to-day as he was
before the war. when he owned planta-
ton in the South and possessed the luxuri-
Gus surroundings of well-to-do planter
of his time. He lives very comforta bly.
however. and his income from his writings
Is enough to support we'll himself and his
family. 1t is not generally known to the
public that Richard Malcolm Johnston is
one of the best educators of the United
States. de was professor in the Uni
versity of Georgia at the time the war be-
gan; and when 1t closed, leaving himself
and all his friends po0r, he opened
boarding-school for boys at his home, near
Sparta. in Georgia, and made here for
years $4,000 and upward annually by
teaching. He had about fifty boys. who
paid him tuition fees of $500 q year, and
the most famous families of the South
sent their children to him. Very few
teachers 10 the United States to-day can
make as much as $4,000 year, and the
story of how Mr.. Johnston gave up his
school and devoted himself to writing for
an income about one-tenth this size is an
interesting one. He told it to me in re-
spouse to my questions.
Said he: Il like the profession of teach
ing very much. and l looked upon 1t as
money by writing for pay, and it was not
until L came to Baltimore that | realized
that L could write anything which had n
real money value. / left Georgia on &C.
count of the death of my daughter. We
loved her dearly. and | could not endure
life amid the old associations without her.
L gave up my school and moved to this
city and began teaching here. About forty
of my boys came from the South to Balti-
more TO enter my school, and had 1 not
changed my religion l would probably be
teaching to-day. Some time after | came
here. however. / grew convinced that my
religious ideas were wrong, and from
being an Epscopalian l was converted
to Catholicism and became a member
of the Catholic church. The most of
my students were Episcopaiians, and
when their parents learned of the
change in my religious belief they with
drew their sons from the school, and the
result was that l eventually gave up teach
ing. In the meantime had written some
short stories. which were published in a
Southern magazine. which was then
printed here in Baltimore. These now
form a part of my book known as The
Dukesborough Tales They attracted
having any money value until one day MIR.
Alden, the editor of Harper's Magazine.
asked me what | had received for them.
He was surprised when l told him that
had written them for nothing, and he said
that he would be glad to have me do some
writing for Harper's, and that il l could
give him stories like those he would pay
for them. l then wrote some stories for
Harper's. They were published and paid
for, and l have been writing from that
time to this. MY first story was published
after l was 30 years Of age"
AS Richard Malcolm Johnston said this
l looked into his bright blue ewes and
could not realize that he was more than 70
years of age. 1t is true that his hair and
mustacbe are frosted silver, but his cheeks
are rosy with health and his voice has the
silvery ring of youth. He is tall, straight.
fine-looking man, and he is full of enthnsi.
asm and life. He is modest in the extreme
concerning. himself and his work, and he
told me that il was continual surprise to
him that his stories were accepted by the
magazines.
81 suppose" said he, sit is because thew
are 10 a large extent of historical value.
They picture people and time which is
fast passing away. They are true TO life.
and they are merely my remem ORANGES of
the people of my boyhood. The dialect
which | use is the language of the people
among whom | was raised, and nv char
acters ale real characters. with their
names changed. In 10 place in The world
will you find more individuality than
among the middle class Of bill people of
Georgia. and my stories represent these
people as they existed about fifty wears
ago. They are not crackers or poor white
trash, but are the ordinary well-to-do
middle class, types OF which you may still
find in some of the rural districts of nv
State. / love them, and they know it."
l asked Mr.. Johnston something as to
his habits of work.
He replied that he wrote all of his stor
les with his own hands. He said:
81 compose very slowly and / revise a
great deal. do not sea how an author
can do good work by dictation. | am sure
could not, and l think perhaps Frank
Stockton and some of the other writer's of
the day who dictate would do better work
If they wrote with their pens. As forme.
compose my stories with my pen in hand.
start them and let them shape them
selves. ] take up character or an Incl
dent of my experience and by working il
and changing it this way and that il finally
comes into the finished shape in when it
goes to the printer.
Il am very particular as to the names of
my characters. and / think that a name
should fit the character. just as a glove fits
the hand. In writing l take the first nam.
that comes TO me. Ii does not perhaps
suit. but go on with the rest of the story.
changing the names and rechanging them