The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-01-22
It WAS ALL IN A NAME
Yet Mark Twain and Thomas Hardy
Write Some Stories That
Are Declined.
An Idea That Masculine Names
Have More Weight Than
Feminine.
Though Il 4. quite Prevalent the Assump
tIon IL an Erroneous one, 10
IL said.


Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Jan l5.-MiSs Mary Mather,
who has been spending some time in Eu.
rope with the artist Hennessy and bis wife,
who is Miss Mather's sister, has had a very
interesting experience recently, which goes
todisprove somewhat the recent comments
Of some Of those who have been associated
in the management Of magazines that every
manuscript offered is judged on It's merits
and the value OF a name isincidental rather
than OF first importance
Miss Mather had before she went 20 Eu-
rope, written more OF less, her work being
highly esteemed by competent critics. but
not Of the popular nature which appeals TO
great reading public During her sojOurn
abroad Miss Mather wrote with great pains
the manuscript Of longer work than any
she has hitherto composed and il was Of
fered 10 numerous magazine editors and
publishers. her own name being attached 20
the manuscript Il was as persistently and
regularly rejected as was the manuscript Of
Charlotte Bronte's story, Jane Eyre"
Some one competent to- judge who had
read the work in manuscript friend OF
Miss Mather's, advised her TO send IL
again. this time with nom de plume, and
20 take for such nom de plume the name OF
man. She did so. The manuscript was
instantly accepted, and the book is about
ready 10 leave the printers hands Miss
Mather's friends in this country do not
know whether this work is a story, a ro-
nance or what, but the inference from her
other writings is that it is a story Of con-
siderable length.
Her sister. who is now a guest OF Mary
Hallock Foote, whom many believe 20 be
the most brilliant Of American women
who write fiction. and who is almost as ar
tistic painter in oils and water colors as
she is with the pen, has the literary in
stinct but has yet contributed nothing
which will suggest TO the world that prom
Use which her friends believe that her abil-
fly really suggests.
IL was with "A masculine nom de plume
that two Of the greatest writers Of fiction
the world has ever seen sent their works
forth TO the public. George Sands identity
was known, and It was also known that
she had taken that nom de plume because
she had first worked in collaboration with
Jules Sandou. When George Eliot's earlier
and best stories were published, there was
great excitement in Great Britain over
them, the ablest men there, with one ex-
ception, never doubling that the writer
was a man. Charles Dickens, however, in
letter published in the biography Of Dick
ems written by his friend Forster. declared
1t to be his opinion that the writerof ''Silas
Manner and the clerical sketches was a
woman Notwithstanding the nom de plume
Some years agothe editor Of The Atlantic
Monthly received some manuscripts from a
writer who signed a very masculine name.
These were accepted, and when printed
proved that Mr.. Howells Judgment was
accurate. For several years the magazine
published stories by this writer, the checks
in payment therefor being sent to the adj
dress appended 20 the masculine name. One
day Mr. Howells was asked if he would not
like to meet this author, and he went TO the
house Of friend expecting 70 see vigorous,
active young man. But. TO his astonish-
ment, when he was presented TO Charles
Egbert Craddock he found himself in the
presence Of a slight, girlish looking and
delicate featured woman, and for some
time he could not be persuaded that an in
nocent jest was not concealed behind this
ceremony. II has always been a question
whether, had the manuscript been first sent
signed by Miss Murfree's own name, Mr..
Howells would have doubted whether any
woman could have written those stories.
He was imposed upon in an innocent way
enough and without modification such as
befell another editor Of that magazine some
years before.
The question whether names carried
WEIGHT WIN uiNiNiNa Wa AdAoHA az Il AlllAlAtE
in Boston attended by literary men, and it
was decided TO make a practical test. A
poem written 10 James Russell Lowell
was copied by person who had the hand
writing Of a schoolboy. That poem was
sent anonymously to the editor Of The At
lantic and by him was rejected, and it was
with something Of modification that he
discovered that he had been the victim of
that experiment IL was at time when a
poem Of Russell Lowells would have been
accepted with delight by any magazine ed
itor in the United States.
1t is said of Bret Harte that before he won
his great fame he had sent the manuscript
Of several short stories to editors Of differ
ent magazines only 20 find them promptly
rejected. Afterward these same editors be-
sought him to send sketches &C his own
terms, and he did so, furnishing these edi-
tors the identical manuscripts which they
had before rejected.
Mr.. Howells has recently written that IL
Is a mistake 10 suppose that editors are
primarily influenced by common names,
and yet recent issues Of magazines disprove
that statement One Of the greatest OF
American reviews in making its announce
ments prints the names Of its contributors
IN its public advertisements In large letters
and the subjects OF which they treat in in
conspicuous type, ana one OF the greatest
publishing houses in the world has adopted
the practice Of publishing the names Of We
authors oOnspicuously and the titles Of
their works inconspicuously. IL is for
that reason perhaps that one Of the wisest
OF American literary mer, when recently
appealed 20 by an ambitious young author
20 know what he should do IN order 20 win
literary fame, was told. go and make a
fortune, invent something or make "A seusa-
tion Ia politics, and then write, and you
will find yourself famous" Yet il must
Be said that during the year 1898 one story
by Thomas Hardy and some contributions
By Marx Twain were declined by certain
American editors. L. j. EDwARDs.
The Well OF serponts.