The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-11-29
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DRIF1ED INTO STORY
THE BEGINNINGS OF SOME FAMOUS
LITERARY CAREERS.

the Domain of Fiction.
There is an unfalling fascination In
the story of the beginnings Of brilliant
careers, and especially of the careers
iof men and women who have CON
quered the world of readers, and have
won fame and fortune In the difficult
path of letters.
One of the most successful OF literary
partnerships had Its origin Is casual
supper conversation at Bohemian
club. Walter Besant and James Rice.
both young men OF literary ambitions,
were discussing one of Dickens novels.
when Rice said, casually: "If l give
you the plot of story, Besant, Will
you write it," 81 don't mind trying"
lBesant answered; and within n few
weeks the first of n brilliant series
of novels was under way.
Rider Baggar0 was reading for the
bar In the early eighties with an eye
lon the woolsack, and no dream of the
career In fiction that awaited him,
when 1t occurred to him, Us a recrea'
itlon from the dry bones OF the law. to
weave a story out of his South African
experiences. To his surprise and de-
light the story flowed fluently under
his pen, and finally assumed ample
shape as "The Witchs Head" That
it was not n success mattered little;
for 1t Ind shown him his true METER
Al o. T. tt.ar Al
mons Mines" and all the gold they
yielded.
1t WAS only when briefs resolutely
declined to drift to his chambers that
Anthony Hope Hawkins. young bar
rister In nil the modified glory Of an
untarnished wig, turned his thoughts
to the pen to while away the hours of
waiting for solicitors who never came.
III was thus that he wrote "A Man of
Mark" which was rather suggestive of
future distinction than productive of
present profit But fame came quicker
hhan briefs after all, and his Prisoner
of Zenda," four years later, gave him
all the start he desired.
Grant Allen had wooed science to lit
tie pecunlary purpose for many years
before lie was tempted to stray into fie-
ton, for which he never had much
respect. Perhaps no one was as sur
prised ms himself to find that he could
write n story quite as clevcrly as II sell
entlAe treatise, and while "Physlo-
logical Aesthetics" brought him repute
rs n man of science, "Phllistla" point
ed the way to gold, which In these days
of stress is so much better. The science
which he designed for IL STAFF became
recreation, but his heart was In 1t rath-
or than in his novels.
NJ. zola was tying up parcels In
Hachette's publishing house when he
was tempted to read one OF Flaubert's
novels Much MS the young packer was
impressed WITH us viv,vr"cos, he
thought he could write IL novel quite as
good and he Immediately set to work
with the results known equally to tho
world and his bankers.
Ii was the memory OF his long tramps
through the Australian bush that turn
ed Guy Boothby's thought to fiction.
lie had new material full of interest to
the reading world. Why not present It
The suggestion took shape In ION the
Wallaby," and the world knows what
that led to,
With Morley Roberts II was the
same lie had for many years led Il
life of adventure, which was stranger
than fiction, In every part of the world,
and In all characters from cowboy to
common seaman. 1t was easy from
such rich material to weave the West
ern Avernus," the first of his long Sc
ries of thrilling romances.
Jerome X. Jcromes bohemian life
and stage experiences suggested to
him the idea of his first venture In let
sers, ION the Stage and on" as at
least a variant from teaching, clerk 8
work and acting, which had made up
his precarious existence for some
years; aud when Mr.. Zangwill grew
sick of teaching the three RS to young
Jews, what more natural than, with
his skill with the pen, he should weave
story OF the children OF the
Ghetto" although this was not his first
venture In literature?
Marie Corpll had no thought of 1c-
tion when she was training for the
career of musician and composer;
and IL was a strange psychical ex-
periencc that turned her thoughts to
the pen and inspired her Romance of
Two Worlds" which took novel read
ers by storm.
1t was loneliness and weird insplra-
tion of the South African veldt that
impelled Olive Schreiner, dreamy girl
I'm her teens, to speak her thoughts on
paper In "Thc Story OF an African
Farm
Mrs. uoagson Burnett was only n
schoolgirl. busy with her books, when
group of factory girls streamed past
the window through which she was
gazing. One of them, unlike the rest
tall. striking girl, arrested her at
tention; and II was around this single
figure, seen for n moment. that sht
wrote her beautiful story. -That Lass
o Lowrie's."
Professor Green, the lovable OXFORD
tutor and author was the inspiration
of Mrs lIumphry Wards Robert Els
mere" in which he figures as the hero
Grey. But Mrs. Wards first book
"Milly and oily" was written for hel
own children.
Miss Florence Marryat's first novel
eIove's Conflict" was written at tn,
time OF great trouble and suffering
and served the double purpose of dis
tracing her thoughts from her griel
and pointing out a career that was L
bring much compromising pleasure a.
well as profit.