The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1897-12-04
Their Inn.cncc in Helping or Rctarding
Tl,efr Husbands Efforts.

That 4 prophet is frequently without
honor in his own domain is shown by
the fact that very many famous writer's
have wives who do not even take the
trouble to read their husbands produc-
tons. 1t is said that Mrs. William
Dean Ilowe.ls does not read the novels
SO freely turned out by "Amcrica's nov-
elist." and that, were 1t not for his
daughter Mildred's criticism, he would
not discuss his works ut home. Per-
haps Mrs. Howcils thinks lie should free
his mind now and then from his writ
ings, says the N. Y. Sun.
Mrs. Rndyard Kipling enjoys her
husbands stories immensely. 1t was
these that first made her like him. Sho
is not u very great critic, though, and
is content to take his books rs she finds
them after they are written.
Tolstoi. until recently. had no audi
ncc in his wife. She did not approve
the course he took to antagoniZa the
Russian rulers. and begged him to de-
sist aud write the stories at which he is
SO apt and which pay him so handsome
ly. After y time, though. she, too, was
converted to the severe style of think
ing followed by her husband, and now
callers sec the couple evenings bending
over . plain wooden table, while the
count reads aloud his written pages
with the days ink fresh upon them.
John Stuart Mill had the most appre-
ciativc wife . writer ever had. In one
of his books lie has II dedication in
scribca to her, declaring that but for
her "Eright, clear light" he could never
have penned y line worth reading. To
her criticism he attributed all his sue
cess.
Mrs. Gladstone il no. an intellectual
woman. yet her husband says she has
"helped" him very materially in his
speeches and writings. And she has
assisted more by what she has not
done than her actua. deeds. For one
tlllng-and she herself boasts of this
she has not bothered him when he was
something Oh the vast number of sub.
jects he has treated in the last sixty
years, and she has kept the children
quiet, too. Not always has he read his
written documents TO her. because they
Here often on topics which she did not
clearly apprehend. Yet to her Mr..
Gladstone gives all the praise showered
upon himself. Once she had carriage
door slammed upon her hand as She
was getting in on her way to hear her
husband speak. aud she did not tell him
until afterwarI. lest it keep him from
doing himself justice in his speech.
Charles Dickens did not have this
kind of 4 wife. When the truth is told,
after time has softcned its hard outlines,
it will he learned how difficult it was
for the great novelist to work at home
until he and his wife agreed to disa-
gree in the way they did. Both az
now at rest.
T~hackeray had q terrible time with
his wife. She neither would listen TO
his writings nor allow him to continue
to work with his pen. Finally it was
discovered that the poor lady was hope
lessly insane. And for years the great
hearted man supported her i'll luxury
in a private asylum while he brought
up his bright children the bcstl he could.
Mrs. Ihackeray died only last spring,
having outlived her husband thirty
years.
Many living writer's hay. wives that
are true hclpmates. Among these help
ing wives are the beautiful! Mrs. Eugene
Field, Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson,
who herself writes well, and Mrs. Julian
Hawthorne. George Parsons Lathrop
has All authoress wife; Mr.. Pcary, writer
and explorer, has a wife who, in script
ural ut%terance, "holds up both his hands
toward heaven;" Thomas Nelson Page
has a wife who, though not long mar
ried to him, is intensely Interested in
every written word, and Will Carleton
has u home and npprecialive household
second 10 none other in the world.