Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-12

have been confined for the most part to
picturing life and conditions in the west.
Her ancestors for several generations have
been engaged in the manufac turing bust
ness, and from her long association with
factory people comes the socioloSic char
acter of SO much of her work.
II have the greatest fondness for the
American meo hanic and workingman, she
said to a Star reporter this morning. The
American farmer l do not know so well,
but my father was an iron manufacturer,
and my brothers are in the business today.
One brother graduated at Harvard TWO
years ago. and was there known best, per-
haps, by his good clothes, his two big dogs
and his fast horse 1 think his classmates
would hardly know him now If they could
see him starting out every morning after
6-o'clock breakfast, dressed in his roush
Workman's clothes and heading Tor the
rolling mill. His work is that of a rough
err grasping the white-hot iron bars as
they come out from the rollers and turning
them back again. 1t Is one of the most diff
fcult and dangerous positions in the mill.
To the workngmen he is Bobby and they
all like and respect him. l suppose it will
be three years Yet before he graduates
from the worknans Llouse. all hough today
he owns an interest in the. mill.
A Solution Of 81 Problem.
II speak of this at some length because l
think that In this sort of thing we will find
a solution for one of the vexing labor prob
lens of the day. 1t is getting to be more
and more the custom for men at the head of
a business to put their sons in at the bot
tom of the ladder and let them go up on
intimate terms with their fellow workmen.
doctrine that l preach in season and out
of season Is the need of greater cooperation
and sympathy between employers and em-
ployes Our own mills are non-union, bu-
we are not blacklisted by the labor organi-
cations. We had no vestige of trouble dur
ing the great labor Strikes two years ago,
and when the strikers In Chicago said
excuse the expression: TO HI with the
government there was a powerful revolt
on the part of the more conservative work
ingmen among the provinces, where, after
all. is to be found the bone and sinew of
our national life. They were not in SYM
pathy with the strike. That little story of
mine called The Scab' was written to lay
stress upon that very fact.
when our mills shut down for lack of raw
ma terial it was with the understanding that
If necessary, the workmen should all be
sworn in as deputy sheriffs. They We're
more in favor of preserving order than of
violating the law in any way"
Interested in Miss FlnsIcr.
The conversat ton took place in Gen. Flag
ler's handsome library. Smoke ii you
want to-" said Miss French. MY brothers
all use tobacco, SO l don't object, and
know a man is always more at his ease
Frenchs visit to Washington at this time is
in a way connected with the forthcoming
trial of Miss Flagler for the dea h of little
Ernest Green last summer. Miss French is
deeply interested in the case and said this
morning that if all the facts connected with
it had been made public at the time of the
shooting public feeling toward Miss Flagler
would have been more that of sympathy
than criticism. In her opinion 1t was mis-
take to seQues trate Miss Flagler, for as she
said, newspapers must print what they can
| of case like that, and, If they cannot get
both sides. they are restricted to the publ
cation of only one
LAS Mr. Green himself said" continued
Miss French, while the sufferngs of the
Green family were bitter enough they We're
no more severe than those of Miss Flaeler
herself over whose whole life shadow has
| been cast by that unfortunate occurrence
| No one who does not know her can realize
| how much she has suffered, and, as a friend
| of hers 1 can only ask that the public be
| charitable as well as just in their estima-
| ton of her.
Her Literary Career.
| At the request of The Star man, Miss
| French talked Interestingly of her own lit
| erary career. Il began writing" said she
| like many another, at an early age, and
| when l was at boarding school surrepti-
| tiousy sent off number of literary efforts
| to the magazines, all of which We're returned
| with thanks. No, not all of them for
| through some accident one of them go,
| printed in Godey's magazine, and l was Civ
| en- six months subscription in payment
! Il have never in after years received a
| check which gave me as much pleasure
| My earlier efforts were devoted for the
most part to very heavy essays on ques
| tons of sociology. l was a great student
| of history and political economy but fol
| three years l made no additions to nv lit
erary work. L read everything that ]
thought would LIN impt tba my style saw
| increase my powers of observation and lit
orally worked hard at my preparation 70,
a literary career. ! wrote two very heavy
essays on the subject of pauper!sm, and i
I had my way today 1 would rather writ,
| history thai fiction. Yet 1 suppose tina
fiction is the history of ordinary every day
life and may be made just as true a pic
ture of our day and generation as NOR.
| laborious and ambitious effort l sent on,
story at a time to the Century and the
| editor suggested that l would be wise t.
| confine myself to short stories. I canno
say that 1 wanted to altogether but re-
allied that might make from 500 to $3Ot
a year writing on social and economi,
questions, and as ! enjoy spending rather
from an iron mill decided to take his ad
vice. Since then have met with some de
gree of favor and success. All of my stor
les that ] have written since that three
| years of rest have been printed somewhere
| though not always where they were frs
sent. I have had stories that 1 sent to th
| leading magazines end up in a western
weekly paper and received $3.50 when hat
counted on $50 OF course things are in.
proved since then and now have worl
Contracted for several years ahead.
What are my literary plans for the flu
ture? WE'LL do not know that that is
secret. though it has not yet been formal!
announced I have promised to write
series of short stories dealing with tn
labor questions that are before us 1T thi:
end of the nineteenth century. Some will
be about the employer, others about tn
employe None of the stories have beer
started as yet however How man.
stories have written2 Well. really hav'