The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-09
A Californian story-writer.

A most Elusive will-o'-the-wisp for the
literary critic of the hour is ''the typical
Californian" We all admire the creations
of Bret Harte's genius, and acknowledge
his to be master hand in presenting the
type of character he best loves to portray.
"But of course you know" say the critics,
''that Bret Harte's men and women are
not typical Californians." Even Gertrude
Atherton, who is conceded to have given
us some admirable types of early Spanish.
Californians in the days "before
the Gringo came' is denied by
the critics to have portrayed 'the
typical Californian" and when, re-
Gently, Geraldine Bonner sketched a sort
of girl whom we have all seen and known
out here, and called her "a Californian, "
the critics were at once up in arms. What
ever ali other types might or might not be,
this, prominently, was not 1.-The typical
Californian"
1t was, therefore. quite in order when, 4
few weeks ago, Houghton, Miffiin & Co. sent
out Margaret Collier Graham's delightful
"Stories of the Foothills" that the local
critic should rise with the usual protest.
Mrs. Graham's sketches are charming.
They are firmly and delicately done. They
show literary skill, good taste and discrimi-
people are not typical Californiansr'
Just what should tend to produce a
impossible for one who has lived many
years in California to return East and not
betray, by his whole bearing, that he is a
resident of the Golden State. Astute
Chicagoans, during the World S Fair, used
stretch of territory called California it
would be difficult to select a type that
could be called representative of the peo-
pie of the State. Nevertheless, it is almost
TYPE" in a locality famed for the cosmo-
politan character of its population might
be difficult to explain. In all this vast
to declare that they could pick out the
Californians in any street crowd.
This subtle something that characterizes
Californian life and people, that breathes
through nearly all the literary work pro-
duced here, is as intangible as it is unmis-
taxable. 1t is particularly pervasive in
all Mrs. Graham's work, and, while no
character of her creation can be called a
typical Californian, the spirit of Californian
life and experience characterizes every one
of her stories of the foothills.
Like the vast majority of Californians-
like most of the critics, in fact-who yearn
TO see the typical Californian i'm
mortalized in literature. Mrs. Graham
is from another State than this. She has,
however, been for more than twenty years
resident OF California, and is most 10y
prefer OF those phases OF Californian life
that have come under her observation.
Margaret Collier Graham comes of good
old Scotch Presbyterian stock on both
sides OF her family. While she has been,
since early girIhood, one of the most lib
eral and Independent of thinkers, her
Scotch-Presbyterian ancestry has left its
unmistakable mark on her character. 1t
shows in certain directness of treatment
and an lntiexible integrity of purpose and
eXecution-above all in the eloquent re-
serves that characterize her work. Mrs.
Graham has given US some exquisite
pictures of the California she loves, and
has not held back her pen from recital of
its beauties, but, like Ian Maclaren's Scot
fish worthy, "she will be leavin' aye word
tor the twenty-hrSt chapter of Revela-
tons"
Mrs. Graham was born in Illinois, and is
a graduate OF Monmouth College in that
State. Her husband and she were class
mates IN the college, They were graduated
together, after which she taught for four
years, while ne studied law. His studies
completed, they were married and she en-
tered the office with him, acting as clerk
and bookkeeper for the rising young at
torney." The experience thus gained has
proved invaluable to her in these later
years, when large property, with all its
varied business complications, has de-
manded her attention. In the early years
of their residence in California Mrs. Ora
ham wrote a number of sketches for the
Overland Monthly, then under the editor
la management of Charles Phelps, and
also for the Argonaut, when Fred Somers
was literary editor of that publication. Of
late years, however, her work has all gone
East, most of it finding a shelter in the
comfortable pages of Scribner's Maya
zine and the Atlantic Monthly. Mr..
Somers was quick to perceive the superior
quality of her work, but after few years
she suddenly disappeared from the literary
armament, and he actually mourned her
as dead. He was talking one day in the
sanctum of Current Literature of our lack
OF good short-story writers. There used
to be woman in Pasadena" he said
who wrote good short stories but-God
rest her soul-she is dead" Two DAYS
later he received letter from her, asking
his advice about literary work, which, after
a dozen years of silence, she now wished
to resume, III the world needed her."
Home cares, the years-long illness of a
husband to whom she was devoted. his
subsequent death and the absorbing neces-
sites OF large business interests were some
OF the causes that had kept Mrs. Graham
silent. The work she has done since again
taking up her pen shows how genuine
would have been our loss had not that
silence been broken at last. She is fine
and sympathetic rather than a strong
writer, and there is certain restriction
about her work that with the casual reader
might pass for coldness She does
not exploit the Mexico-C Californian of early
days, nor even the later argonaut and his
times, but California and Californians of
to-day find in her one of the most artistic
and realistic Interpreters we have on the
coast. She is thoroughly in earnest
in her work, and being placed by for
tune far above the needs that SO often
harass genius she is in position to wait
upon the divine afflatus and devote herself
to that which is highest in her art
She is not a believer in the novel with
purpose. ut is not the province of the
novelist" she said recently, Ito elucidate
or enforce principles. to establish theories
or advance reforms; but it is his province
TO place our fellow-men before us as thev
are, throwing upon them such light as
only an artist can choose, that through it
we may see them without his aid. The
lesson they Will teach is their own, not
his. Human nature is its own moral; its
truthful presentation the sole business of
the novelist. But the artist owes it to
himself to select such pictures as will
make for righteousness To do this he
may select unrighteousness, crime. vice.
degradation. All these are his bv the d.
vine right of art All that we ask of him
&C. hot l. e. -