The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-09
[special Correspondenoe.l

Especial CorrespOnoence-l
Boston, Oct miss Mary N MUIR
free is heartily glad that the public il
losing sight OF her pen name Of s*Charles
Egbert Craddock,' - as she naturally
Graves individual recognition Of the
work that has been SO successful and
does not care to go through life under
the shelter of a nom de guerre, with the
consequent tiresome explanations Of the
author personality.
The Great Unknown.
Pseudonyms, '.false names, as the
word is uncompromisingly defined by
Worcester, have created confusion
worse cOnfounded'' since the earliest
historic times and viii continue to do
SO until critics cease
To check young genius proud career.
and that Will only be when all social
reforms and utopian dreams are re-
allied in the millennium Their use
has always indicated an intellectual con-
ceit and some slight moral cowardice,
though the claim has been made by fe-
male writers that they assumed a mas
culine signature in order to gain hear
ing. Still more than a hundred years
ago the complaint was made that all
the novelists are women
Christian Reid, - who did for the
North Carolina mountains what Miss
Murfree has done for Tennessee, was
Miss Frances G. Fisher, but since Janu-
airy, 1887, has been Mrs. James N Tier
nan. Miss Minnie Graf McClel1and,
who has also localized the hills and
wales Of southwestern Virginia, never
sought shelter under an anonymity,
though her initials, NJ G., were long
thought to be that of man.
Every bit of information disclosing
the identity Of the great unknown is
hailed with delight by reading public,
and the various literary publications
gather with avidity all such news,
while several excellent books have been
compiled on pseudOnymOus v orks and
writers, one Of them containing the I'M
mense number Of 40, 600 names.
A Celebrated Case.
The most noted case Of concealed au-
thOrship on record is that of s'Iunius, -
whose identity is as great a secret today
as when, 10 years ago, his letters STAR
tied the political world in the time of
Sir Philip Francis, Edmund Burke,
Henry Grattan, Lord Chatham and nine
others, to each of whom this famous
pen name has been attributed.
The noted Bronte sisters Charlotte,
Emily and Anne-adopted respectively
the names If "Currer, = Ellis and
"Acton Bell, =" believing that. in their
day, a literary woman was regarded
with as much disfavOr as one would be
now in some localities who would take
her place at the polls to cast her vote
for protection or free trade.
George Eliot, - George Sand and
s'Ouida'' are assumed signatures, where
in the personality of the writer is almost
entirely lost The first, Marian Evans
Cross, took the name of George" be-
cause it belonged to the man who was
so truly her other self, and, as she has
written, Eliot was a good mouth fill
ing word, easy to say" The second,
upon being separated from her husband
(she was Amantine Lucille Aurore Du-
pin Dudevant), was thrown upon her
own resources, and finding neither paint
ing, needlework nor millinery adequate
to her demands she was advised by julie
Sandeau, a friend Of former days, TO en-
gage in literary work Together they
wrote for The Figaro and received 50
much encouragement from its editor
that they determined to write a novel
Accordingly Rose ct Blanche" ap-
peared over the signature of "Jules
Sand. =
This work being a success, they deter
mined to write another romance con-
Jointly, and as Nine. Dudevant was go
ing to the country it was decided that
each should contri butte part and COM
pare their MSS. when they met Three
months later she presented herself to
Sandeau with her complete portion of
the novel to find that he had not writ
ten line. Recognizing the Work IS
masterpiece, he declined to shire the
glory of which he had contributed moth
ing The editor Of The Figaro. appre-
ciating their difficulty, suggested that
as they had used the name Sand, = she
should retain it, and that, being ST.
Georges day. it would be we'll to take
the name of George, and thus origi-
mated the illustrious pseudonym.
'.Ouida' Miss Louise de la Ramee)
adopted the word from little sisters
mis- pronunciation of her own given
name
A Queens Pseudonym.
ROYALTY is none the less willing, than
ordinary people to screen itself. for the
poems Of Carmen sylvia were written
by Elizabeth, queen Of Roumania
Max o Rell, = the satirizing French
man, at home is NJ Paul Blouet
Pierre Lott, . with his pathetic stories
and touches of oriental life, Is Julien
Viaud. a young French naval officer
Marie CoreIli, - whose books are IA
vorites of Queen Victoria, is Miss Mac
kay, the daughter of the poet. " Mrs
Alexander has no right to that name,
for she Is IN life Mrs Annie F. Hec-
tor. Leader Scott, whose special
subject is art, is Mrs Lucy E. B. Bax-
ter. The Duchess, - with her numer-
Dus novels. is Mrs Margaret Hunger
ford, formerly Mrs Angles So Edna
Lyall, - the favorite writer Of Won by
Waiting, . Donovan, - 1--WE Two"
al II