Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-30


nature Of the human being. however
that having no ideals Of marriage they
speedily manufacture some. and iwheI
the Inevitable baby arrives on tn,
scene, breaking up the husbands worI
and destroying the wlfe's last remnan
OF ambition, these ideals gradually dis
lntesrate before the dlsmayed eyes %
tnelr owners. The babys death and tn,
husbands pinching poverty result #
hariana's leaving her husband agains
his "isn and accepting an engagement
WIN an opera company Some year,
| later he becomes what his foster father
intended and trained him to be-a priest
ana AFTER eight years Of separation III,
husband and wife meet once more. arr
'econched and plan to 20 together tC
the south. This plan Is frustrated by th,
death OF Mariana. SO ends this odd Uttl,
study OF one phase OF the life OF the
nineteenth century"
Phases Of An Inferior Planet" only
maze It's appearance a few weeks ago
Delhs published simultaneously In Lon.
uoh ana New York, but it has already at.
tracted the attention Of the critics. and
III no case has it been unfavorably com
mehted upon. All concede that the author
mas genius and exceptional strength, and
| lhat the book is unique and original
|
| or The work, says: again, Miss Glasgow
| holds in common with Hardy. with per-
maps all writer's who have learned the les
son France Is teaching the literary world
to-day, the sense Of the picturesque value
| or usliness. She does not shirk or over
| look the hideous, the sordld. and the shah
by she is not mercilessly negligent, even
| to the commonplace in character nor does
failure appall her Perhaps this young
author bears in mind that line of the
great ethical teacher Of this century:
Most failure Is most progress
But discussion of Miss Glasgow's
works Is hardly more interesting than
her personality, especially when one 1e-
members that she was but q when she
wrote "The Descendant" and that little
more than a year has elapsed since that
work brought her into public notice. She
comes Of a well-known Virginia family,
whose name plainly indicates their Scotch
Presbyterian stock. Her father is a most
prominent businessman of Richmond.
and tho whole family are thoroughly Gull
tivated people, who have the entree into
The most exclusive circles, though lack OF
ostentation Is one OF their most admiral
qualities
HER RETIRED LIFE
II Is rare, indeed. that one sees Miss
Glasgow in public. So far as idle friv-
olities are concerned. she is in no sense
a society" girl. TO an acquaintance
who asked something of her life she
said: 81 have never been able 10 think
Of anything about myself that was worth
saying" And then later she alluded 10
herself as compromising biographical ma
terial." Her health has never been good,
and this, perhaps, has accounted for her
nj ia
has been profound student, deving deep
into works that would cause the average
young woman to shudder but like every
one else she has her favorte authors and
subjects.
II don't suppose I ever went to school
six months in my lfe," she laughingiy
SAID when asked about her education
My health was always bad and then,
too, I didn't like what they taught. l
hated arithmetic" Miss Glasgow's read
ing has been miscellaneous. and il is I'M
necessary to state that her range of lit
erature is a wide one. She says she is
especially fond OF history. but she thinks
IL has been used too freely In novel
writing. For her part she is heartily
tired of stories Of Colonial times and OF
the periods of Charles H., and she prom
Uses not to use such material in her fu-
ture productions
1T has greatly amused me-" she said,
ito read some of the criticisms Of my
books, and to note how many Of the
critics undertake 70 interpret the OBJ
ject' Of my writings. / haven't got any
object except to write a story. ] get
my ideas from life, and my story goes
right along. In The Descendant
didn't purpose to give my heroine so
much prominence, but I got interested IN
l. oil raT Ilr ..
more space than 1 intended"
When I ventured TO ask her 10 what
she attributed her style and which au-
thors had most Influenced her writings,
she said: 81 don't follow any particular
school I try 10 read all the authors
and to make my novels as realistic as
possible. They have all Influenced me-
and l have been writing and reading
nearly all my life"
SUCH Is LIFE.
] limited that her books were too mel
ancholy in tone, and that the reading
world preferred stories to end well. Miss
Glasgow is we'll aware Of the public de-
mands along this line, for great bundles |
Of newspaper comments are sent 10 her. !
but Notwithstanding this she believes !
that to be true 10 life is TO take it Sc
riously. "The way I write is the way
life seems 10 me-" she said land then, |
too, rather like stories that end badly. !
It's more natural"
In talking with Miss Glasgow one would |
hardly imagine that she is "bookisk" |
or that she makes any literary |
Though her vocabulary is |
exceptionally large and her learning Of |
a general sort she does not assume SUI |
over her fellow mortals, but |
rather pays Difference to their views and |
holds herself I'm the background. In |
short, she is. above all things, modest
and lberal-minded.
Her home is a most delightful one and |
The family residence is an old-time dOu-
Die front mansion which faces the south
west corner Of Main and Foushee streets.
The house is an unusually large one. and |
-epresents an ante-bellum type OF archi-
lecture which the increased values OF
and have caused to almost entirely dis
appear. 1t is just such a place as one
would choose for the writing Of a novel.
hough there are few who would have the
originality 10 adopt the lines of thought,
which Miss Glasgow has employed
1t may be safely predicted that Miss
Glasgow is destined TO take a very promi-
len. place in the literature of this age.
she appears TO have bOundess energy
nd Is an indefatigable worker She is now
ngagcl on another story, which will deal
With life In Virginia.
EVAN r.. CHESTERMAN.
60
More sick Landed.
~--vrrrCr,n, N-u--Nc Va Nrovar,bor 90