The Washington times., 1894-04-23
GEN. LEW WALLACE
ON THE AMERICAN NOVEL

On THE AMERICAN NOVEL
| have long been an admirer of Gen. Lew
Wallace. This is partly due to that class
feeling, esprit de corps, which exists between
gentlemen who are or have been engaged in
the profession Of arms, but more largely be-
cause have been delighted and richly in
structed by the writings of that distinguished
Hoosier.
During his recent visit to this city it was my
| good fortune to meet him on several occasions
at the Capitol and the Ebbitt house. l found
him as charming in personal intercourse as
he is in the chapters Of ''Ben Hur" or 1.-The
| Prince OF India" He was willing to discourse
on almost any subject. He was especially
entertaining on the subject of ''the great
| American novel"
SIT might have been written before the re-
| bellion, but was not, said the general. "Now,
| perhaps, no American can write a great
| American novel and leave out incidents OF
the civil war; and there is the danger. An
author might strive to be ever so impartial,
and yet should be attempt to describe some
campaign or portray some great battle thou
sands of critics would rise up and tear his
book to pieces. Then instead Of being great
American novel it would be called n sectional
novel. When the living actors in those scenes
| OF strife-even commanders on the same side
| disagree about many things which they wit
messed together and when the opposing bri-
gade. division, corps, and army commanders
| can scarcely agree on any fact. an author who
would have the temerlty to depict scenes Of
the civil war in n novel could not hope TO es-
/ cape having his work stigmatized as sec
| tiona.
Perhaps as I have just said, the great
! American novel must treat of the civil war.
| II so. it will not make its appearance while
the combatants 1--we. No. the time to talk of
| the civil war in work of fiction has not yet
arrived. In after time, when the feelings OF
| bitterness between the sections shall have
died cut. the author who shall attempt to
| apotheosiZe American valor, as exhibited in
the campaigns and battles of the rebellion,
will have the grandest. richest theme that
| ever inspired writer of the historical in war
| as allied to fiction.
MARK what say, If any man in our time
attempts to write great American novel and
incorporate scenes in it from our civil war his
work will be a failure. A great American
novel may appear in our time. II SO, it will
treat of our social life and ignore the war"
To the suggestion that a man who could
write great novels of peoples and times OF
which he knew nothing except what he
learned from books ought surely be able to
write greater novels of his own people
and times, he made answer that it was safer
for him to write OF peoples and times long
since passed away. Tor the obvious reason
that ii he made mistakes, which no doubt he
did. and many OF them. those peoples were
not here to DoinC them ont
/ referred to the fact that Professor James
Bryce, foreigner, had excelled ali Americans
in writing of the political system OF our coun-
try in theory as well as practice, of the ma
tional and state governments, OF our Cons.ltu-
tion, our party system. and OF the ideas,
| temper, and habits Of our people, as they re-
late TO politics and government. and sug-
! gested that perhaps some foreigner would
| come among us, remain here a few years, and
in the end excel all Americans by producing
the great American novel.
mo foreigner will ever write the great
American novel;" said Gen. Wallace. at is
quite different matter to write successfully
Of political institutions. Prof. Bryce was,
perhaps. better qualified to write impartially
and successfully of our institutions than most
Americans. In the knowledge of the institu-
tions of his own country he stands second to
! no man. He spent several of the best years
of his life studying our institutions. largely
by personal observation OF the workings of
our systems. Being a philosopher. and one
of the first publicists of our times, and writ
ing by comparison, it was natural that he
should excel in that line.
But the man who shall write the great
American novel must he born here. reared
and educated here. He must feel that love of
country which none but those born on the
soil can know. The spirit American must be
born with him. breathed in with his first
breath. The nurture of his infancy must be
American. Intimate associations with our
people and institutions from his earliest years
Is necessary. He should know the city and
the country He ought to know the fish of
our waters. the beasts of our fields and the
birds OF our air. l might go on indefinitely
to show how intimate the writer of the great
American novel must be with everything that
pertains to us. No one but native can ac-
quire the knowledge perfectly, thoroughly.
Marion Crawford, n clever, entertaining
writer. attempted to write great American
novel. Though an American. born of Amerl
can parents. he was reared and educated
abroad. in Italy. think. He put speech in
the mouth of two of his characters. American
Senators, that was nothing short of absurd.
No American Senator ever made such
speeches. and no American, reared and edu-
Gated here. could have blunderei as Crawford
did in that book.
''Oh. no. foreigner will never write a
great American novel. When that work does
appear. it will be the fruit of the genius OF
some ono native here and to the manor
born" Col. CARTER.