The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-01-19
IX.-FRANOEs HODGsON BURNETT


women which the present century has
brought into being, there is no one who
has more charming personality or who
has won larger place in the affections
OF the reading public, than Frances
Hodgson Burnett. Mrs Burnett has
been specially fortunate in capturing the
interest of wider range Of readers than
perhaps any other writer of her time;
certainly wider than any writer OF her
SEX This comes from the fact that her
genius has been such as to enable her
to make distinct success in writing hc-
ton for two classes OF readers, the
grown up folks" and the little people.
Her popularity with the grown ups
was firmly established by the appear
ance, as long ago as 1877, of THAT Lass
o'Lowries," sweet, pure and fascinating
tale of lowly life in the authors native
Lancashire, one Of the few novels of re
cent years destined to more than outlive
the century.
The place which Mrs. Burnett lined
for herself among adult readers by this
Lancashire romance has been made still
more secure by later writings for the
same class, such as "Haworths," "a Fair
Barbarian and Through One Admin
istration." Excellent and worthy of
her genius as all these have been, none
of them has quite equalled THAT Lass O.
Lowries" in the estimation of the read
ing public. This novel has run through
edition after edition, and still has sale
little diminished by the lapse of time.
And Mrs. Burnett, on entering into
this comparatively new and untried
field, improved her opportunity wisely
and well. The story of Little Lord
Fauntleroy" appeared in 1886, first in
serial and then in book form. The Sc
rial publication gradually worked up the
interest of the youthful reading public
to high pitch; the completed book con-
firmed, intensified and perpetuated it..
The story took it's place at once among
the classics of childhood along with the
tales of Hans Andersen and Herman
Grimm, and the graceful figure of the
"little lord" who plays the title role was
given immediate entrance to the com.
pany of the immortals who haunt the
waking hours and people the dreams Of
childhood everywhere, and are not un-
known even among the fond reveries and
recollections of age. No American, with
the possible exception of Louisa M.
Alcott, is comparable with Mrs. Burnett
as writer of stories for the young.
Many writer's for children seem to go
upon the assumption that almost any
thing will do" for child's story provid-
ing only that the language employed is
simple enough and the narrative suffici-
emily full of life and incident. The gifts
and graces which are considered essen
tial in the composition of works for
older readers, the fine work of the liter
airy artists, the coloring. the word-paint-
ing, the carefully drawn plot, all this
seems to be regarded as of little account
in the makeup of stories for the
young. But Mrs. Burnett evidently had
her own ideas on these points, and it is
just in these particulars that she excels
the great majority of writer's in this field
Her stories for the young are written
evidently with just as much care, just as
much attention to literary detail. to
style and plot and finish. as though they
were to be submitted to the critical tests
of the maturest and most cultured
minds.
An interesting feature of Mrs. Bur
nett's stories, both for young and old,
lies in the fact that so many of her chief
characters have been confessed by the
author to be drawn from real life. Every
one knows that the real Lord Faunteroy
is none 9th er than her own son, a boy, it
is said, hardly less lovable, attractive
and interesting in real life than he ap-
pears in the pages of the story. 1t was
only about year ago while on a trip
abroad, that this son was taken with &c.
rious malady which came near ending his
life. and for the time being brought a
heavy cloud of sorrow over the head OF
his gifted and devoted mother.
The heroine of 1.-THE Fair Barbarian"
also had her prototype in real life, and in
an American girl who, like Octavia Bas-
sett. visited relatives in England. whom
she electrified by her startling and I'M.
conventional behavior. Still more in
teresting is the fragment of the story
which Mrs. Burnett tells of the girl who
was portrayed in Joan, THAT Lass O.
Lowries." In her childhood the author
lived in Manchester, where the mill
hands in the great cotton factories make
up SO large a portion of the inhabitants.
One day, when she was but ten years
DID, party of girls came into the small
square in front of the house where she
lived. They seemed to be children Of
the mill operatives; but among them
was a young girl of perhaps fifteen, who
Immediately attracted her attention and
fascinated in the strangest way. The
girl was little older than her playmates
serious and dignified in her carriage,
very tall and strong, of superb physique;
she seemed to assume a commanding