Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1895-01-01

man ; aCCuEutSp anu TINS Olu NOyaBSE Ue'
lights to be upon the water in the imagi
nation as much as to mako real trips upon
it. 1t was the love of ships and the ocean
that first inspired him TO write sea stories.
he prides himself upon his nautical
knowledge, which enables him to sail his
ships accurately by the points of compass
in any waters.
MT. Adams n Carpenter.
The little room in which Mr.. Adams
works and even receives his friends for
confidential chat is moro like lawyers
or a doctors private consulting office.
There are noindiscriminate piles of papers
and manuscripts or disorder. Two cabinet
files contain everything In the way of
notes and paper laid away as carefully as
by bookkeeper. Mr.. Adams modestly
points to these cabinets and the neat desk
as specimens of his own handiwork, in
which he shows more apparent pride than
in the books that have made him famous.
Mr.. Adams begins work at O'Clock in
the morning and writes 600 or 700 words
before breakfasting at I. He works steadily
through the forenoon until he has finished
a chapter by half past IL or 1. Then he
dimes and goes to Boston on tho electric
cars, walks about the streets for an hour
or two, pays a regular daily visit to his
publishers and goes homo at O'Clock. He
SAYS no seldom has business In the city,
but goes from habit and for exercise. Aft
er supper he reads for recreation or studies
some foreign language and retires ut or
o O'Clock. On n table by his bed is Ger
man book, which he reads until drowsy,
when he lays it aside and goes to sleep.
live in my she'll, no says, land very
seldom go out to n reception or to make
an evening call"
An Accomplished Linguist.
-
and his conversation is bright and witty.
Mr.. Adams b. an enthusiastic linguist and
will address his friends in German, French
or Spanish. At present Spanish is his
| fayorite. Ho long since mastered Spanish,
| self taught and went through Cuba and
| Bermuda with tho aid of it. He believes
that the study of foreign languages is a
| great stimulant to the mind and awukens
| new intellectual interests.
Going from the little workshop into the
| large library, with bookcases built into
| the walls you may SEQ tho compartment
/ containing all of Mr.. Adams own books,
/ which I'LL six short shelves. This collec-
| ton includes not only the Oliver Optic
books, but books and stories with the 9th
L or names which he assumed when he be-
Il gan to write Us Theodore w. Arnold and
/ Warren L. Ashton. He did this partly be-
Il cause he did not want to put his own
Il name to boys books and partly because
i he wrote SO many stories for one paper
that several names were necessary for va
/ riety Of authorship.
One Of his first books was "Hatchie, the
i Guardian Slave" a slave tale of Missis-
aIppI and Louisiana, published in lS52.
1t preceded "Uncle Toms Cabin" Ivy sew
sral years and really inspired that work.
LDown the Rhine was the most popular
| II 1.-THE Young America Abroad Series,
| Nine thousand copies were ordered before
Il was printed, and 100, 900 copies Of 1t
have been sold. Several OF his other books
have reached that circulation, and alto
sother 1000, 600 copies OF his books have
| been sold, moro than OF any other living
American author.
Result OF y Busy Life.
~ never had the tcmcrity to write but
one novel;" Mr.. Adams said as he took q
volume from the shelf, bearing the title oi
THE Way Of the World" and opened II
with the air Of one who lays bare foible
} land 1t didn't have anything like the sale
Of my story books.
These I26 volumes arc the result of nc
| superficial work. To gather material fol
bis books Of travel, Young Americs
| Abroad" he has iourneyed through every
country Of Europe and has crossed the At
lantio IS times. On this continent he hal
, travelled in 80 states Of the Union, oyel
the great lakes from end to end and
through all the eastern provinces OF Can
| ada. He has extended his travels south
ward to Cuba and tho Bahama islands
He has always travelled like Bayard Tay
lor, notebook In hand, and from thes'
: pencil photographs he has faithfully por
trayed American life in all his stories
adventure. -l,......-s.
"This is how became Oliver Optic,
said Mr.. Adams. "Somo time before tn
war there was play at the Boston Mu
| ssutt In which there was burlesqu
. ehhfaHter named DR.. Optics. The nam
. struck mae ~ npproprlntel and 10 som
aseggesl vsfses whisk Wrese for 2 sosi