The herald., 1897-03-27
Discussed by the Friday
Morning Club
SUBJECT ABLY PRESENTED
MARY HALLoCK FooTE, AND
OCTAVE THANET
Mary Hartwell oatherwood---Sketch
Of the Writers---An Anniversary
Remembered by the Club

( The Friday Morning club yesterday
hsvoted its morning session to the dis
sussion OF '"Three Western Writer'S"
Mary Hailock Foote. Octave Thanet and
Mary Hartwell Catherwood.
MARY HALLOCK FOOTE
This charming writer was presented
by Mrs. Laura Kregelo.
Mrs. Kregelo gave first a brief bio
graphical sketch Of Mrs Foote, who was
born In 1S47 on farm which had be-
longed to her paternal ancestors from
early colonial days. OF English Quaker
descent. and living a sheltered and Sc
cluded life. It could hardly be supposed
there had been aught to develop such
a clear apprehension of the springs of
lsfe and action in the reugher phase of
human character with which her stories
of the mines are 80 beautifully embel-
lished. 1t IL difficult to connect the
moulding influences Of typical Quaker
home In New York with those finely
drawn pictures of business chicanery
woolly west" which she delineates with
10 much ease, grace and perspicuity.
Her insight into all the subtleties of hui
man motive is not less remarkable than
her mowers of delineation. We are told
that She manifested at an early age
talent for drawing, but that does not
help us to an understanding OF the forces
that developed the power to depict so
clearly such characters as Price Nor
ffson in "The Chosen Valley, or Fred
erick Bingham or Mike MCGOWAN in
"Coeur d'Alene."
At 2S she married Arthur De Wolf
Foote of Guilford, Conn.,, civil engineer,
OF good character and fine mental en-
dowment. The professional work of
Mr.. Foote called him to the far west,
and he was accompanied by Gs young
wife, undisciplined in pioneer life, but
she entered heartily into the freedom and
novelty of her new life. Her sketches
in black and white. lNr written descrip-
tions of scenes and incidents, soon at
tracted the attention of publishers. and
she soon found steady demand for the
work of her pen and brush.
The first sketch sent the Century, "A
California Mining Town." attracted
great attention and was her first contri-
button made expressly for publication.
Mrs. Kregelo then reviewed lightly
some of Mrs. Foote'S stories. notably
Friend Barton's Concert" and ION
a Side Track"
She also touched the various children's
stories for st. Nicholas and series Of
sketches of Mexico for the Century. OF
her serials THE Led Horse Claim" THE
Chosen Valley" and "Couer d'Alene"
were outlined. "The Chosen Valley" be-
ing considered the best by the writer.
The paper closed with a fine quota
tion from "A Winters Camp; A Days
Ride from the Mail"
OCTAVE THANET
Mrs. Grace Thompson read very
clever paper on Miss Alice French, best
known as Octave Thanet. Mrs. Thomp-
son has a keen sense of humor and her
paper abounded with racy comment and
sparkle. She Is a keen and discriminat-
ing reader and presented the stories of
Octave Thanet in delightful manner.
Mrs. Thompson said in part as follows:
Octave Thanet has confined her efforts
mainly to the short story and is complete
mistress of her chosen field and occu-
pies a front rank in the band of writer's
who have done so much of late to re-
produce types racy of the soil and char
acteristic of western and southern life.
Her real name Is Alice French. She has
always been a woman of literary taste
and passionately fond of art. She lives
in Davenport, Ia, but spends her winters
In the south. Visits made to friends on
TIRE oidch river, ATkansds, nave Iur-
nished material and scenes for southern
stories, notably lotto. the Knight"
THE Mortgage on .Jeffy." "Whitsum
Harp Regulator and others.
The last seems to be the most perfect
story, though none lack in human in
terest and certain sensible kind of
pathos.
Mrs. Thompson touched the peculiar
descriptive faculties of Octave Thanet in
Q<etahi,o q no 70 cf~ fcb ,f
swamps. Her stories are distinguished
by dramatic power, simplicity, pathos
and quiet humor.
Whether she writes of the east, south
or west her stories. always full of hu-
man interest, make us feel she regards
her people of each section in the quaint
southern phrase as 1--WE ALL
MARY CATHERWOOD
Miss Emma Il. Rider read the last
sketch of the morning on Mary Hart
well Catherwood." The paper was a fine
criticism and reviewed some of Mrs.
Catherwood's works and touched chiefly
"Old kaskaskia" and THE Romance
OF Dollard." The latter the writer con-
e!dered Mrs. Catherwoods best work.
Mrs. Catherwood Is pioneer in a new
departure In fiction, combining French
Canadian life and history in charming
romance.
Miss Riders paper was admirably pre-
sented.
AN ANNIVERSARY
The last half hour of the morning was
given to Mrs. S. 0. Houghton, who read
q brief ann.oersary sketch, this day.
March 26th, being the fiftieth anniwer-
sary Of the coming of the white tro6ps
to California.
Mrs. Houghton is so closely identified
with the history of this state that each
anniversary Is almost sacred to her. Her
paper was charming one. briefly pre-
senting the state as It was fifty wears
ago and comparing IT with the present
day.
D0LE'H MINISTER
VIII Ask for the Annexation of
Hawaii