New-York tribune., 1900-08-25
I" JOHN OLIVER HOBBES."
HOW SHE WRITES AND WHERE AND
WHEN.
From The London Bookman.

Mrs. Craigie's literary history has been in
many ways remarkable. Reading has been the
master passion Of her life from earliest days.
and her enthusiasm for literature showed It
self when as a tiny child she begged for a
separate subscription to Nudes Library. IT
was so small at the time" she says, that had
to be lifted up to the counter to the books.
The nurses thought 1t very unwise thing for a
child Of my years to be reading so freely, and
used to hide the books from me-" I doubt If
any living woman has read more widely than
Mrs. Craigie. For one thing she has had the
opportunities which many lack. Her father
Is one Of the most prosperous merchants in the
City, and his daughter has always been able to
indulge her hobby of book collecting to her
hearts content. She is intimately acquainted
with the literature of almost every land in
Meredith and Hardy and she is a great ad-
mirer Of French fiction. While there are many
traces Of Meredith's work in her style-she ad-
mts that her great danger Is to be too elliptical
the influence which permeates her mind has
come, she is inclined to think from the Greek
classics. Mrs. Craigie is also devoted student
of poetry, and is herself a poet Of no mean
power and charm, as was testified in her beau
tiful play, "Osbern and Ursyne."
Mrs. Craigte is cosmopolitan, by upbringing
and sympathy citizen Of the world She was
born in Boston in 1857 and her parents travelled
extensively before settling down in this country
Mrs Craigie sometimes says Il feel as II each
Of the chief cities Of Europe was my native
place because l have childish reconections OF
them ALL" Her grandfather was the Rev James
Richards the founder of the first theological
seminary in New-York, while 1t is, she fances
from her at-grandfather, a Tory member
OF the Halifax Parliament long before the
Declaration Of Independence, that she inherits
her strong Tory politics.
Mrs Craigie received most Of her early educa-
ton in Paris, and French is as familiar to her
her native tongue. At twenty she was en-
much Of her knowledge of classics and philos-
Ophy is to be traced to the tuition or Professor
Goodwin, to whom, by the way, she afterward
dedicated of her books
The first literary compositions from the pen
Of the author Of Robert Orange" date back to
her fifth year, when she spent all her spare
%IV IN cir uhn afOT
dranatized and produced in sumptuous rashlon
in a toy theatre OF her own As she grew up
she contributed to various ch1ldren's magazines
occasionally gaining prizes
One of her earliest appearances in print was
in DR.. Joseph Parker's paper The Fountain"
and was entitled, Lost, Dog. me story, a
bright description Of the loss Of one Sandy, his
diYeFting adventures and ultimate sare return
was signed Pearl Richards, aged nine" There
is also If I am not mistaken, story from Mrs
Craigie's pen to be found in The Fountain of
February 10, 1881, entitled. How Mark Puddler
At eighteen Mrs. Craigie determined TO devote
herself to writing. For years she had studled
every possible model Of style, and especially
Of dramatic dialogue, and, as she puts 1t. her
great ambition that after many years OF
application she might invent something which
would please her a little. Her first 0ook, some
Emotions and a Moral" was composed during
months of wearing illness and amid the strain
of domestic anxiety. Twelve months were spent
on the book-a remarkable time considering Its
Iength-but Mrs Craigie has always been firm
in her determination not to let single un-
script was sent hrst or all 10 Messrs. wac
milan, whose reader reported very favorably
upon 1t, but urged change In the ending OF the
story and also in the title. This Mrs. Craigte
refused to consider for moment Mr.. Fisher
Unwin was then starting the Pseudonym
Library" and it occurred to Mrs. Cra1gle that
her story would be suited to that series. She
herself took it to the publisher and II was i'm
mediately accepted although curiousy enough
both Mr. Fisher Unwin's reader and her own
friends again strongly urged her to make an
alteration in the title. The book had i'm
mediate success and over eighty thousand
copies were sold in a short time.
Many must have wondered at Mrs. Cratgie's
strange choice of a pseudonyme. AS a beginner
she shrank from the publicity which would have
attached to her own name, and laughingly says
that she purposely selected the name of the
great philosopher in order ito control her ten
dency to extreme sentmentality"
For years Mrs. Craigie contented herself with
short "philosophicaI studies" as the state of her
health did not permit of long sustained effort;
but with The Herb Moon' and especially with
'The School for Saints" new element entered
into her work. I not surprised TO hear that
The School for Saints" and its sequel are Mrs
Crage's favorites among her writings although
she confesses that the book she likes best is
always the one she is about to write.
Mrs. Craigie is not certain whether it is quite
correct to speak of herself a slow writer
She is fortunate in being able to force herself
to write regularly and anywhere. She cannot
do her thinking upon paper, and often spends
several hours in meditating on a portion Of the
story, and it may be that only few lines
the result. But when she is actually writing
she works quickly. She never rewrites. She
or characters, although she never draws from
real life, but spends much time in the arrange
ment of her work. Portions Of her stories have
been written in almost every part Of the world
but her favorite resort is certainly Old Park
Ventnor. 1t here in a delightful study
crowded with books and pictures, that much of
Robert Orange" written Mrs. Craigie
finds it extremely difficult to write in London
She has q large library in her fathers mag
nifcent house in Lancaster Gate but when in
town the claims of society absorb most of her
time. for I need hardly say that Mrs. Craigie is
of the most sought after women in London
society.
tiful estates on a beautiful island. The grounds
stretch from the cliffs running to Blackgang
down to the In the house itself, which is
the property Of Mrs. Craigies friend Mrs. Will
lam Spindler are countless art treasures, among
them many exquisite examples OF the art of
Walter Spindler Mrs Craigie commences
to work every morning at o'clock. She studies
philosophy, history the classics-until TO- and
is a firm believer in regular daily work of this
kind From 10 until 11:30 she writes. and
seldom writes more than an hour and half at
a time Music and chess are her two favorite
recreations. After luncheon she works for n
Nther hour or so, but never touches her pen
"AVen to write postcard" in the evening.
Mrs Craigie began her career as a dramatist
with a one act play written for Miss Ellen
Terry Journeys End in Lovers Meeting" 1t
is interesting to know that at Mrs Drews re-
quest Mrs Craigie read the play to Mr. Glad
stone, whom II greatly amused and pleased.
At the present time two light comedies are in
the hands of leading managers The Wisdom
Of the Wise" viii be produced shortly at the
st. Jamess Theatre, while the second Will see
the light at the Haymarket For years IT was
Mrs Craige's great ambition to gain hearing
on the stage and IL this that led her 70
write her early books almost entirely In dia-
logue. Curiously enough her first intention with
regard to THE Ambassador not to pro-
duce 1t play but as a book. feeling that
comedy of the kind too light for the Eng
ish @ school am inclined to think that lately
Mrs Craigie has come to prefer fiction. Apart
from the weariness and strain of rehearsaIs