The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-07

| gan as a lecturer and out oil II grew tne
modern lyceum. Originally the purpose
was instruction. Now Il has come TO be
| amusement"
When Allen Was n Boy.
| Allen comes from Virginia ancestry
with Scotch-Irish antecedents. His
| grandfathers on both SIDES were soldiers,
ana he is related to many of the most
| distinguished families of the South.
His father was Richard Allen and his
| mother Helen Foster Both had consid-
| cradle fortunes. but the reckIessness of
the father resulted in a gradual shrink
| age of estate. James Lane Alien was
born in a handsome twO-story brick coun-
try home on the Versailles pike, seven
miles from Lexington. in the far-famad
| bluegrass lands. 1t is a most beautiful
! country, with rolling lands and picturesque
| woods. Here the boy spent his early
| childhood, alone often with nature. When
ne was years old the family estate pass
| ed out Of their hands, and his mother
! moved to small area of land, which came
TO her in the division Of her fathers es-
| tate. The new nome where Allen was TO
| complete his youth and begin mis- early
| manhood was only two miles and a half
! from Lexington.
His mother was a woman of rare
| charms and gracious manner. From mis-
earliest childhood, Lane Allen was much
IA uti tOlupdug+ CNt Was MS llISL utdCI-
er. The enforced solitude when child
| directed the whole course of Aliens life.
In 1868 Allen matriCulated at TransylVa-
MIA University at Lexington. He entered
under a serious financial handicap. His
father had just failed in business, and he
was forced 10 walk to Lexington every day
and return. often he was insufcently
clothed, and one winter ne was without
| underwear. He suffered much from ex-
posure, and his health in later years
showed the results. Aliens first college
distinction was the fact that he was the
tailest man in his class. He Is remember
ed to-day as a finished classical scholar,
| and was the best student in Greek in the
history Of the institution. He detested
mathematics, but was careful and pains
taking in his studies.
II was while at college, when ne was 81
years of age, that his father died. The
absolute care of his family devolved upon
him, and il was to remain many years. In
1872 he graduated with honors.
For the next Twelve years he was either
| school teacher, private tutor or a col
lege professor
In student days at Pennsylvania he had
written considerable verse, and had trans
lated some of Schiller's poems into Eng
lish. From his earliest manhood he had
entertained a profound dislike for fiction.
He detested a novel, and looked ever with
disdan upon the modern standard romano
ers. Upon his return to Lexington he felt
an Irresistible Impulse to write.
His First Writing.
In 1884 Allen had yet to read his first
novel; During that year some one placed
in his hands a copy of Henry James
Portrait of Lady" Allen read it with
the critical mind OF a pedagogue To him
the work fairly bristed with incongrui-
Tic
paper entitled, The First Page of the
Portrait of Lady, his first prose pro-
duction.
He sent the paper to the Critic, and to
his ineXpressible delight 1t was accepted
He received a check for s.. In the full
ness of his joy he resolved to devote his
first literary earnings to art. He took
the first train 10 Cincinnati and heard the
production of THE Messiah" Thrilled by
the music of the great Handel oratsrio.
his fancy took wing in verse On the
train home he wrote a poem I'm Mid
Winter" He sent it to Harpers and il
was accepted.
In 1884, with $500 in his pocket, he went
90 New York. He was without influence.
because he sought no influence, being de-
termlned that whatever happened, he, and
he alone, should be responsible.
Fierce Struggle for RECOGNITION.
Allen lived first in a wretched room at
l4O East Thirty-first street 1t was a ton
moor room, miserably furnished, and there
was seldom fire in the winter Tn 20
the time of his arrival in New York he
mad not written a line of fiction.
ms CAIN resolve TO make a way to lit
erature startled and even amused the New
ork magazine editors. But he was sin
cere in his determination and confident
OF eventual success. One of his first arti-
cles was Types of American Women in
Henry James," 1t was taken by the CONT
nent which was then in the hight of rs
popularity With infinite told and after ex-
haustive research Allen compiled an ar
ticle on the Early American Maya
zines" but there was no purchaser. 1t
went from magazine to magazine, but al
ways came back. In later years il was pub
lished serially an the New York Evening
Post An essay on Poe" attracted atten-
tion as we'll as scholarly paper on Lit
erary Circles in Balzacs Time" The lat
| ter ELECTED a favorable criticism from the
celebrated English reviewer, Edmund
| Yates.
Naturally, Kentucky was the home of
his first creations. Kentucky was always
| the land of promise. Disappointed over the
| failure of his classical and critical work
TO take, he applied himself to fiction. Amid
the scenes of his earlier childhood. and
| with characters whose traits and tempera-
ments he knew so well, he made his debut
| as a story writer, with a sketch called
| Too Much Momentum," which was ac-
| cepted by the Harpers in 1887. His only
other story, written during the first years
in New York. was an Italian sketch, Part
of an Ofd Story"
These years that saw the first fruits of
| Aliens fancy were bitter years He knew
what 1t was to be hungry and cold, yet
| Aliens spirit was never crushed.
writing About Kentucky.
Allen realized that the only place where
| he could live and continue his work was
| Kentucky. Just at this time Charles Egg
| bert Craddock had made her first success
! and a new literary star had risen over the
| Cumberland mountains. There was a ire
mendous interest in the scene of her work
| Before leaving for Kentucky Allen Sc
cured from the editors of Harpers mag
| azine the promise of their consideration of
a contemplated article on the Cumberland
mountains. He arranged with the Evening
! Post 10 write a series of letters from