The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-11-04
The HOUSEHOLD.
Wives of Authors.

Whether literary mon should or should
not marry Is an old and vexed question.
In his book, Les Femmes d'Artistes,"
Alphonse Daudet maintains that genius
is hindered rather than helped by mar
riage, and it is certainly a possible alterna.
tive. Mrs. Poet may despise poetry and
call IL 'stufl" because it is less remunera-
tive than paragraphs and putting The
man of science may be goaded by the
taunts of his wife from the composition OF
works that would in time do the world
good to writing shilling shockers, or even
penny dreadfuls, for immediate pot boiling
purposes.
AS matter of fact, however, men Of
letters have been helped far more than
they have been hindered by their wives
Alphonse Daudet, who brought the railing
accusation above quoted, is himself n case
in point Mile. Julie Allard, whom he
married, was an admirable critic and he
tells us that there is not page of his
writings that she has not revised, retouch-
ed and enliyencd. The plots and charac-
tiers of his novels were continually discuss.
ed with her during meals, going and re-
turning to the opera, at all times. Once,
it is related, he had n sentimental and dra.
matte scene with his wife, concerning
which he remarked, "This seems, my
dear, like II chapter that has slipped out Of
o novel; cit is more likely, Alphonse, I"
was tie rel ly, Ito form a chapter that
will slip into one" And with all this
M Daudet excelled as a housewife
The was no bohemian irregularity in
hcr he e. Daudet's visitors when they
icit have often been heard to exclaim,
"N ngt a capital wife he must havep'
Tom Hood had such confidence in his
wifes judgment that he read reread and
corrected with her all he wrote. Many OF
his articles were first dictated to her, and
her ready memory supplied him with his
references and quotations. In the dedica-
ton of his book "On Liberty" to his wife
| John Stuart Mill says that she was "the
inspirer and in part the author of all that
| is best in my writings"
Anthony Trollope said that no person
but his wife had ever read line of his
manuscript, 81 to my very great advantage
| in matters of taste" Robert j. Burdette
tells us how much he has been helped In
this way by Her Little Serene High.
ness" as he calls his wife. She was a
chronic invalid and great sufferer, but nc
| manuscript went to the printer without
being read by her. She added thought
|
word or phrase, and so tenderly that in
her trembling hand the usually dreaded
and remorseless "blue pencil" became q
wand of blessing.
Were it not for their wives a great many
celebrated authors would never have writ.
| ten at all. Fenimore Cooper became O
novelist through his wife's challenge. One
evening whiie reading n novel he threw il
down, saying, Il believe l could write G
better book myself" LET me see you dc
1t, said his wife, with smile. In II few
days he had written several chapters OF
"Precaution," which when finished he
published at his own expense. The novel
attracted attention, but it gave Cooper an
inkling of his capacity for story writing,
and 1.-The Spy" his next novel, appealed
so strongly to the patriotic sympathies OF
his countrymen that it became great sue.
cess. Hawthorne, too, was induced tC
write "The Scarlet Letter. by n remark
of his wife, and he acknowledged that but
for the domestic environment which she
supplied he could not have produced hi:
contribution to American classics.
1t might be thought that an autocrat Of
breakfast table could not be married
man, but this Oliver Wendell Holmes was
for As years, and we are told that hi.
Nllei unOugH NOindll Ol SrettU SeuuleneSS
stood as a breakwater between her hus
band and the prying, pushing world.
Mrs. Haggard and Mrs. Hardy give
much literary help to their husbands. Tht
latter urged Nh. Hardy to forsake archi
lecture for literature as Il profession. Whe1
he had written his first novel, Desperate
Remedies, " his wife copied out the entire
work from his manuscript and sent it t
the publisher AS part of her work sht
keeps herself well posted up in the litera
ture of the day, and her husband constant
ly draws from her knowledge. The works
of Max O Rel (M Paul Blouet) were frs
written in French and then translated in
to English by his wife, who is the daugh
ter of a Devonshire shipowner. When
girl, Nine. Blouet learned French will
great care, little thinking how useful the
language would be to her afterward.- -
Landau