Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-08
{. D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH.
One Of the Most SuccefssuI Novelis.s
Of the Day.
She Suggested to Whittier the Poem Of
Barbara freitchie.

Mrs. Emma d. f. Nevitte South
worth was in many respects remark
able woman. She was born January
&c. 1879, in a house on New Jersey
avenue, which is still standing. Her
maiden name was Emma D. f. Nevitte.
the family coming from Virginia. In
1913 she became a teacher in the public
schools of the city, and the same en-
thusiasm and energy which carried her
literary life forward were felt to ad-
vantage in the schoolroOm. Captain
Roblcy d. Evans, il is believed. was
among her pupils.
Her literary inclinations exhibited
themselves about the time she began
teaching. and at this early date she
began to write for the public. Her
first efforts appeared in q paper called
the Baltimore Visitor. It's editor was
Dr. SnodSraSS. whose anti-Siavery
sentiments rendered him extremely I'M
popular with the people of Baltimore,
and he was finally obliged to sell out to
DR.. Bailey. the proprietor Of the Ma
tional Era, Of this city, the paper in
which first appeared Uncle Toms
Cabin"
This change took place after Mrs.
SouthWorth had begun the story en-
titled "Hctribution," which was the
first serial ever published in this Coun-
try. As the authoress stated during
her life. she had no intention of start
ing serial. 1t was her intention to
complete IN" sketch IN one number, but
sh" found this to be impossible She
wrote 4 second, then n third ana Il
fourth ana NY that time she found that
she could not finish it i'll ten numbers.
Thus was a lengthy story evolved from
Il small beginning. The publicatio
occurred in 1917. and two years later
the story was published by Harper
Brothers. This story established her
reputation as 4 writer.
Strange as ii may seem. this story
was written without any Compensation
for the authoress. She did not ask for
anything. ana no rccompensc was
offered by the publisher After it's APP
pearance and for two years longer she
continued to teach school during tho
day and ut night would follow her
literary inclinati0ns. Her stories Were
eagerly read. ard hcr reputation as 4
writer continued To increase. The con-
tinued steady work of teaching school
UNIV W ''i4E- 1T Iilf~lit It bNN'l " W al
hard task in the course Of Il few years
and it was then that sho refused tc
furnish further contributions unless
she received pay. Her services to the
paper We're too valuable to be dis
penscd with.
While her lnborS continued on the
Era she accepted IN offer made by
Henry Petersen. then publisher of the
Philadelphia Saturday Evening Post
Mr.. Peterson foresaw that her stories
would constitute a great element OF
popularity Of the Post and the result
showed his shrew,lness- The subScrip-
zion list ran up from 1900 subscribers
ut the time Of her engagement to over
@o.000 before she left. an increase
largely attributable to her pen. II
was about this time that she gave III
her position as public school teacher
and confined her attention exclusively
to writing.
When Robert Bonner came i;
possession Of the New York LndG,.
and turned it into 4 family paper he
offered Mrs. Southworth double the
pay she was receiving from other pa
pcrs. providing that her writings
should belong exclusi veIy to the Led
ser. This represented so a column
and as she furnished. four columns a
week it made her an Income Of $40 per
week. quite a comfortable sum at that
time.
Mrs. Southworth may be ranked as
one of the most successful novelists
this country has ever produced. Per
haps she might be- said to belong to i
generation past rather than to the
present. which affects the realistic and
philosophical type of romantic writing
more than any other. Mrs. South
worth's stories. sensational as they
have often been called. are prolific II
incident. dramatic i'm composition and
vitality alive from beginning to end
but were never impure. Their popu-
larity was won b. these charac'
ieriSticS.
All Of Mrs. Southwor1h's stories Were
either founded entirely on fact or part
iy 50. In life it was her delight to tel
how novel WIS evolv ID from a small
beginning. AMI the Hidden Hand.
- one OF her, books, was frequentl!