The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-07
THE CHOIR INVISIBLE"
JAMES LANE ALLEN AND HIS LONG
STRUGGLE FOR SUCCESS.


a. Washington Sees Him Daily.
where He Works and HOW-Gene-
sis of His characteristics lie
writes About kentucI<y-DOesn't
Favor Authors Readings-When
He Was a BOX-First Accepted Ar
ticIc-Fierce Struggle in New
luris for Literary Recognition.
How The Choir Invisible" Was
Named.
Washington. My Every afternoon,
whether the sun shines or not, a tall, dig
uiied gent eman walks down the stone
steps of piain-iooking private residence
al 1927 * street, and disappears along one
OF the adjacent avenues. lie IS erect ana
almost soldierly in appearance. his hair
is gray and his mustacne shows The white
marks Of time There is kindly but fear
less look in the eyes that twinkle behind
the gold-rimmed spectacles. The dignity of
demeanor and innate charm of manner
strongly suggest the Southern gentleman
OF a type fast passing away. This TAN
gentleman is the most celebrated Kentuck-
ian in Washington, and one Of the most
successful writer's of fiction of the last
decade of the nineteenth century.
Ten years ago James Lane Allen was
tasting the first fruits of a hard-earned
literary success, and was emerging from
a struggle with poverty such as few
American authors have known. With his
own hand and brain he has made for him
self a way.that Is now one of distinguish
ed ease. He has probably reached a wider
audience than any living American writer,
g
his hearing Is the absolute lack of know-
edge concerning his life. A vast clientele
knows him as the author of a book that
has passed the hundredth thousand, but II
is quite another thing to be i'm touch with
the temperament of the man who created
John Gray and the sweet sisteThood that
has for its ornaments sister Dolorosa and
Amy Falconer.
"A certain reserve has characterized
James Lane Allen, precluding the en-
cToachments Of a curious public, His own
life has remained the thing apart from
his success and as that success has crowd
ed him more and more into the worlds
gaze, he has remained the same dignifed
gentleman as when in the years ago he
walked hand in hand through the Blue
grass fields with the children of his fancy.
He is thoroughly identified in life and let
tiers with Kentucky, and his triumph has
not meant an alienation from the original
locale"
Years have passed since he last lived in
Kentucky, and far from his own people
drew their pictures and opened his gallery
to the reading world. In the Avondaie hills
of Cincinnati, where the hills of Kentucky
were only a misty blue across the Ohio,
he wrote the idyls of that commonwealth,
and in New York and in Washington he
has done the work that has put him in the
front rank of American literary men.
Where Allen Works.
In pleasant room on the third floor
of the house az 1921 X street Allen is work
ing on what he calls his first novel. 1t
is a CHEEKY apartment with a large win
dow facing the northwest and absolute
~ bare Of ornaments. There are no books
around, not even photograph. Through
she window there Is a view of house-tops
with here and there a patch of green and
an occnsi onal clump of trees. Every morn
ing at o'clock finds the author at his
desk which stands alongside the window.
From o'clock until noon Allen is hard
at work. All his work is done with a
stub pen. 1t is later copied by his stenog-
rapher. He writes leisurely and with
great care. He never allows himself 90
be hurried and Is one of the few
authors who are absolutely blind to the
beck of the publisher. The first draft
of his work in manuscript is "a mere
mould In which the remaining thoughts
are cast and reshaped and from which
the story issues in its complete form.
Allen spends every afternoon out of
doors. He is an enthusiastic cycllst. One
of his favorite rides is around the capitol
and down the bro lad avenue in front of
the congressional library. When he is
in New York, and he lived there unti the
winter of '9S, he invariably dned out. In
Washington, however, he Is applying him
self more strenuousy to his work and
dimes at his boarding house. At night
there is a theater, vaudeville, concert or
opera. He is a lover of music He caught
the first melody in his childhood when the
note of the cardinal reached his ear In
the Kentucky forest-land.
Allen, the Man.
individually, James Lane Allen persona
fies the gentleman. He is cordial in his
welcome, but never demonstratve; en-
thusiastic without being effusive. There
IS sincerity in his greeting and warmth.
He talks with grace and dignity. His
voice is rather low, but his enunciation
is admirably distinct. He is one of the
most accessible of the really famous men
of America. He abhors superficlality, and
Is Outspoken in his sentiments.
Takes His Characters From Life.
The author of 1.-The Choir Invisible" has
rather. from the elements of experience
and observation as revealed and made
concrete by the Imagination Contrary
90 the general impression, there are no
originals for the people of his magma
ton. Only with his short stories is there
any semblance of working models
king Solomon of Kentucky" was based
on an actual incident in the early Kentucky
life. The only clew 20 the celebrated
parson THE Choir Invisible" was a
slab bearing his name in the Episcopal
Church at Lexington, Ky.
Once in Kentucky / asked James Lane
Allen why he had written so much about
his native state and he said: II know
that the two elements underlying the sue
cess of any writer are these-a love of his
subject and knowledge of It, Some
write with the necessary knowledge and
without the love; others, with the requisite
love, but without the knowledge.
Allen believes that ali literary work
whether imaginative or otherwise, must
have the basic element of goodness. No