The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-09

he took up the study of medicine, and
on completing his course at the Jeffer-
son medical college, Philadelphia, he
returned to Illinois ito be married., as
he himself told me, "to practice medl-
cine-half heartedly-and to indulge
natural taste for politics. In 1890 the
offer of a chair in a medical college
took him to Keokuk, Ia, where he still
resides, though for an interval of two
years he was again resident in Illinois,
spending much of his time, as he ex-
presses it, "at Springfield with some OF
the old political friends in a campaign
which came very near being a success,
as all campaigns do" Latterly Dr.
Barr has been again more or less az
the editors desk, and he has delivered
some courses of popular lectures l
asked him about his story writing his
answer was interesting and character
istic. Having done about everything
in the way of writing" said he, from
work on idiosyncrasy and drugs TO
police court reporting, except writing
story [ felt an itching to complete
the chain When I was 16 l wrote a
story which no one else ever saw, but
asides from this had never attempted
fiction At odd hours for a month [
wrote out a story founded on fact,
about a lobbyist l once knew, and put
it away to grow cold enough for me to
make an estimate of its value. After
several months | took it out and
showed it to a friend, who was good
enough to be pleased with it, and urged
me to submit it to one of the maya
zines. ! did so, and it had the good
fortune to be accepted at once. Later,
other stories were written about the
same people, and together they make
q connected series, which is likely,
after the magazine publication, to ap-
pear in a book.
There are still a few surviving popu-
lar authors of full years who haven't
published their personal "reminiscences.
The statement may be hard to believe,
but it is true, nevertheless. For one,
there is Donald G.. Mitchell elk Mar
veIO. He is now some years past 10
and Dream Life" and 'Reveries of a
Bachelor still keep him in as hgh
esteem with the general reading public
as ever, but he still hasn't begun TO
write of the men and things nave
known" Then there is Frank r. Stock
ton. True, he is more than ten years
younger, but he is quite old enough 10
have already been about this sort OF
thing, If he cared to be. Mr.. HoWells,
who is yet younger, has been about II
quite assiduously now for some years.
Mrs SouthWOrth has reached 50 With
out attempting it, but then, with her
gift of invention, it would proDaDly
have been an insufferable bore to write
of real persons and things. Rlchard
Henry Stoddard has held resolutely OH
up to IS, though he has probably more
material for a book of "reminiscences
than almost any other living American
author. Mark Twain, Charles Dudley
Warner and Thomas Bailey Aldrich are
all of the eligible age-though still, IKE
Mr.. Stockton, quite young enough-and
rs vet they disclose no disposition TO
take advantage of it. / dare say there
are other abstainers, no less notable,
but 1 may not stop now to recall ther
names.
1t is a rather curious fact that, with
the close trade relations now subsist-
ing between the publishers OF America
and the publishers of England, and
with the eagernesS of publishers on
both sides to secure and make the most
of popular books the novel that for
two months past has been the literary
sensation of England, and which is
there pronounced the most striking
novel of the year 1898, is not published
in this country, and thus far is not to
be had in the bookstores here. Tnls IS
THE Open Question" by an author who
signs &C. E. RAYMOND" The curious
ness is emphasized by the further fact
JndC II IS a SlOEy Ol AluSilSe1A liz -
Z. Raimond'' had made previous ap-
pearances in England, beginning with
. novel entitled George Mandeville's
Husband published in 1894; but none
Of these had raised expectation of quite
so important a performance as Inc
Open Question" is pronounced to be;
and until that appeared there was no
special curiosity shown as to the per
son for whom the name of &c. e. Raj
CT however. H.
til the matter was set at rest a fort
night ago by the announcement that
&C. Z. RAYMOND" was the pen name of
Elizabeth Robbins, the actress, there
was the Hveliest guessing and gossip
ing about it-C. E. almond was a real
name, C. E. almond was a man, Z.
q. RAYMOND was a woman; all of which
only brings into fuller perspective what
an exceptional opportunity the Amer1-
can publishers have missed
E. c. MARTIN.