Evening star., 1898-10-08
TO VISIT THIS CITY
Author of Quo Vadis Will Spend
Several Weeks Here.
SIENKIEWICZ'S INTERESTING CAREER
Once a Member Of a Socialist
Colony in California.
HIS LIFE IN NEW YORK

Sienkiewicz is coming to America during
| the latter part of this month and almost
! the first place he will visit will be Wash
| irgton. where he will spend several weeks
with friends. He will stop while in this
| city at the residence of Mr.. Thaddeus Tvs
sowski of 1871 Rhode Island avenue, and
| will also speEd few days at the home of
| Mrs Pelagia Galeski, 1900 street Mr.
Tyssowski and Mrs. Galeski are cousins
| and both have known Mr. Sienkiewicz for
a number of years. The celebrated author
| of Quo Vadis' will therefore be assured
| or warm welcome when he reaches
Washington, as a number of private enter
| tainmelts in his honor will take place.
Ihe immense popularity of Quo Tadis'
undoubtedly has had much to do with the
prospective visit of the celebrated author
Tor the earlier Impressions gathered by Mr..
S1enkleWicz on his former visit to America
some twenty years and more ago were not
calculated to induce him to once more
come to these shores.
Sienkiewicz first came to America as II
young man. At that time, in the early
seventies, he was imbued with high ideals
He thought that the present system of life
is all wrong and founded upon false beliefs
of the conduct OF human life. His visit to
America and his deDarture~from Europe
nave been likeaed to the voyage of Column
bus, turning his back upon one world, and
Seeking in the far west a land whore he
might realize his beliefs. Sienkiewicz
passed quickly through the United States
and went to the southern part of Califor-
MIA, where he Joined a party of socialists
VINO mad grand colonization scheme on
hand There were about eighty men snJ
women in the colony, and they took up
land under the homestead act. The COLONY
was founded on the principles of all men
being equal, and therefore entitled to a liv-
ing as well as the rest. The men labored in
lhe neIQS, Tor 1t Agricultural
ony while the women of the party con-
Quoted themselves at home.
In n Socialist Colony.
In this ideal community the most cor
spicuous persons at that time were the
actress Helene Modjeska and her husband
Count Bozenta, who had left the world be-
hind for the sake of entering upon this
vita nuova or new life. a number Of other
distinguished Poles also found homes in the
colony, and during the summer of II the
colony thrived and prospered and Sienkie-
WlcZ doubtless believed that at last he had
found the new life of which he dreamed.
Anu then in the fall the crash came 1t
was just when the community was prepar-
ing to enter upon the winter that a trusted
ofhcer of the community, who had charge
OF the nnances of the colony, disappeared
He was later heard from in Australia but
was never captured. The betrayal of the
trust ny this ungratcful man, who abscond-
ed with the savings of nearly a hundred
munity in human nature that it was i'm
meGiately abandoned Modjeska returned
to the stage and SienkiewicZ almost brok-
en-hearted at the annihiation of his dear
est hopes, returned to New York where he
endeaVored to secure work. His experience
in New York, however, was even more dis
couraglng than his life in the colony In
California. He knew little English had
very little money and no friends For near
~ six months he existed in New York but
ne could find no work He finally made an
arrangement whereby he was to write up
MS impressions of New York for St. Pc
tersburg newspaper and a Warsaw journal
This was the first time the novelist tried
ms pen, and he met with a very fair degree
OF success. The letters were a series of
articles of The Far West and they first
attracted attention to the young author and
brought him the first of the recognition
which has become so universal He finally
left America and returned to Poland ar
irving there in 1878
Changes He Will Find.
1t will be intel esting to note his impress
sic rs of America, which he now revisits
after a scor2 of years. Like Dickens no
doubt, his IDEAS will undergo much modi-
ncaton, but that he will find anything
more to encourage his socialistic dream
than he did in 1877 is doubtful. One thing
ne Will tnd materially changed, and that
is his place in the estimation of the peo-
pie among whom he oEce thought to per
manently cast his lot.
The few who noticed his harsh criticisms
of Americans and America in the years
gone by were impatient at the opinions OF
the unknown young man who ventured un-
asked to find a great deal of fault. Now
they will listen with respect 10 the obser-
Vations of the great novelist and thinker.
OF Broad Sympathies.
SfenkiewtcZ is passionate patriot, true
son Of Poland, but his sympathies have
been hroadened by extensive travel and he
may now be ranked as cosmopolitan in the
truest sense.
Henry Sienkiewicz is now fifty-three years
of age, having been born in Lithuania
Poland, in 1S45. He is, therefore, still a
comparatively young man, so far as his
literary life is concerned, and it is probable
that he will add many volumes to those
already to his credit.
Not the least interesting feature of the
visit of the great Polish writer to this
country is that he will be accompanied by
his daughter, Jadwiga, who is the constant
and inseparable companion of the novelist
Jadwiga is described as pretty girl of
sixteen, who inherits many of her fathers
qualities. Personally, SienkieWcz is q
charming and courteous gentleman. The
two are very popular at the village of
Zakopane, in the mountains of Galicia
where they spend the summer months
nearly every year. Zakopane is the resort
of the artistic and literary elements of
Polish society. Here the father is usually
engaged upon new novel, while Jadwiga
enjoys the mountain climbing
During his stay in America Sienkiewicz
will be for time at least the guest of
jeremiah Curtin, the translator, who has
done SO much to introduce the great Polish
novelist to the English-reading world 1t
Is announced by Sienkiewicz's American
publisher that the sale of Quo Vadis in
the United States alone has exceeded 6OO,-
OcO copies. In many months its sale ex-
ceeded that of any other novel offered by
the book sellers.