The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-07-21
ONLY FIFTEEN YEARS AGO
obsenre Positions of Men who Are
Famous To-Day.

II lis not necessary to look back man!
wars tn find, men whose names are
household words to-day, and who nave
achieved both fame and fortune. occu-
pying obscure positions and giving no
Indication Of the brilliant future tnaI
was awaiting them.
Fifteen years ago DR.. Conan Doyle
was industriously working up medl-
cal practice, with all the attendant
hard work and struggling at Soutnsea.
His pen was as yet untried and ne
seemed destined to live and die coun-
try doctor Il was four years later
when he was tempted 10 try his prem
tice hand at writing, with what result
the world and his bankers know.
When Conan Doyle was dispensing
physic at Southsea, Mr.. 5. R. Crockett
could not even claim the doubtful po-
sition OF "A Stickit Minister. for 1t was
only in 1886 that he entered the Free
Church OF Scotland, in which he served
al apprenticeship Of seven long years
before he found that his vocation lay
with the pen rather than in the pulpit.
ct this time. too, only fifteen years
ago. Ian Maclaren" had won popular
ity as minister of Seton Park Church,
Liverpool, but for dozen more years
his pen was engaged in writing ser
mons before it turned TO the psthos
and beauty Of Beside the Bonnie
Brier Bush"
Hall Game, who can now rely on
making his own weight in gold out OF
a single novel, was quite unknown ff-
teen yeaH ago. After years OF i'll paid
journalism in Liverpool. he had come
to London 10 be Dante Rossetti's pri-
vate secretary. and to find scope and
inspiration for the gifts that were in
him. The change of environment
worked miracle. for. in 1885, his pow
erful Shadow OF Crime" introduced
3 new prophet TO the world of read
ers.
Fifteen years ago Anthony Hope was
scholar of Balliol, and his only ambi-
ton was to follow in the footsteps OF
his uncle, Sir Henry Hawkins as he
then was. 1t was not until 1890 that
he proved himself "a man of mark"
in quite another field of labor.
In 1884 Stanley Weyman, the gifted
author of SO many historical novels,
was waiting for briefs in DR.. John
sons Buildings. and did not even at
tempt to solace his waiting hours by
trying his hand" at fiction, OF which
he is now such a master.
Rudyard Kipling, in the early eigh-
ties, was assistant editor of the Indian
Pioneer on many less rupees a month
than he now earns pounds a week. He
was writing his Departmental Dit
ties in his few spare moments, and
hoped some day, as the height Of his
ambition, to induce the world to read
them in book form. Rider Haggard
had already written one book, Getty
wayo and His White Neighbors," and
published it at loss Of $50, and was
on the verge of publishing Dawn" at
a net profit Of $40 for years hard
work.
Fifteen years ago Nine. Sarah Grand
was rambling the world over with her
soldier doctor husband, and only vague
ly mapping out novel which the world
now knows as ''Ideala.' Olive Screin-
er was dreaming dreams in the solitude
of the veldt, and the story of an Afri-
can Farm" was gradually asserting
its presence in her brain.
Mrs. Humphrey Ward was too busy
with domestic cares to recognize the
genius that was waking in her, and
had been content to write only a sim
pie child's story, and Mrs. F. A. Steel
was an Indian 'mem-sahib," with never
a thought Of pen or fame.
The same story may be told of scores
of men now world famous in other
fields of effort.
The present viceroy of India was
reading for his B. A. degree at Oxford
in 1884, and was already looking for
ward to an apprenticeship to politics,
which began in the following year as
assistant private secretary to Lord
Salisbury; Sir Alfred Miner was a
hard-worked sub editor of the Pail
Mall Gazette, with never a dream Of
the days when he would be His Ex-
cellency'' and High Commissioner of
South Africa, and Lord Kitchener was
cavalry major in Egypt after spell
of obscure, if useful, survey work in
! Cyprus.-Tit Bits.