The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-08
JULES VERNE AT HOME
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE yFTr,
AN STORY TELLER.


Fashion, Surrounded by Ch;ldr.u
who Adore Hini-He Saws tho n
and Girls Are His Safest and ~.
valued Critics-Though Wbi,o
Haired Old Gentleman. Jules Worn.
Says He Is Wretched Unless Il.
Has IA Novel on the Hooks, ana Ia
LabOrs Like Lad Every Dav.
Paris, April 2.-What boy is there
or what girl, for that matter-who has m,
sat entranced over the wonderful adyeo.
ture-books of Jules Verne? They bava
been translated into every language ana
devoured by several generations of vopr,
peop.e oil over the world.
Yet the veteran author is alive to enin,
his wide fame, and to compose new books
for the children of all lands. He is an
old man now, rs years of age. but he i,
vigorous and upright still, and has all mn.
heart of youth.
II cant climb trees myself any moren
he said the other day, but 1 can eniov
seeing my grandchildren climb them
And they are all glad to play with the
old man on the level ground where Ina
is still good for some thing"
And the interviewer was able to iudg.
of that for himself. For at that momenr
a small crowd of boys and girls rushed
out of the house into the garden wbana
the Old man was talking to his visitor
They poured down on the veteran writer
like an avalanche, stumbling over each
other in their eagerness to be first into
his outstretched hands. They were
grandchildren and nephews and nieces
and grandnephews and grandnieces all
mixed up together, dozen or SO of them.
pouring out of the classroom 20 play with
the smiling patriarch. For they live in
patriarchal fashion in the old house al
Amiens; the charm of the old man keeps
the family round him; he would die he
says, if it were not for the sound of fresh
young laughter in the house and the
gladstone patter of little feet.
Papa Jules.
Jules Verne is very busy man. He
gets up every day with the sun and
after light breakfast works steadily at
his stories till IL o'clock. That is a very
common lunch hour in France, and it is
then that the children get the first glimpse
of Papa Jules" He gathers round the
table all the boys and girls that he can
get hold of: the little ones of the quiet
old-fashioned town have all at one time
or another had their place at his table
and enjoyed his funny sayings and his
ton. He himself is never happier-so he
told his visitor-than when he sees the
youngsters gathered round him with Won
der in their big eyes as he tells them Of
some strange adventure in far-off lands
or of some curious facts in the realm Of
nature or science. He often makes use
of his circle of young friends to try the
effect of the story he is writing at the
moment.
A great many of the small fry OF
Amens have, without knowing it, helped
the famous author in his work If they
are interested in the story as he tells il
to them after lunch in the big dining
room in winter or under the trees in ths
garden in summer, then the old man
knows that he is on the right track and
goes ahead hopefully with the writing
in his study. But if the children look
tired or bored when he tells 1t, he knows
that something is wrong. He goes to
work to think it all out again, to plan
the character afresh or to invent new
situations.
Days of Hard work.
He is not easily satisfied with his work.
Every book of his has been rewritten
several times before it has finally reached
the public. And he never begins book
without studying thoroughly and very
deeply everything that can make the SUBJ
ject familiar to him. If he is going 10
write a tale of adventure in subma-
rine boat in the Arctic regions he reads
UP everything about the explorers who
have gone on Polar expeditions and az
much about naval engineering as would
enable him 10 pass a stiff examination
From about 1890 to every day he SPENDS
in this kind of reading, keeping hlmset
thoroughly posted in all sorts of new sci
entific discoveries and expeditions ana Ill
the latest information about newly ex-
plored and strange lands. He reads, 100.
for purposes of comparison, stories OF
adventure in several languages. lie ~
especially fond of the books of this knd
in which the English language is SO rlcn:
NJ. Verne has read Robinson Crusoe
five or six times and can recite by heart
whole pages of Treasure Island" He
thinks 1.-The Swiss Family Robinson one
of the best boys books ever written ana
loves Fenimore Cooper. Walter SCOT ;
works are always within reach oil ms
hand in his study, and Capt. Marryat
breezy sea stories are almost worn away
by long handling
The old man IS an ardent lover or Work:
mo one is ever happy when he is IDLE
he said.
81 have spent all my life at work anu
l don't want ever to cease working. Juss
as soon as / have finished one book l
have no peace or pleasure in life I'LL
have commenced another If you prevent
And that is what he tells the Children
tso. -
do what you've got to do WIN a.,
your heart. If its worktime, work anu
you will be happy all the time: II It's play
time, why play as If your life depehueU
on 1t. Like this
And he makes a sudden jump at one o.
the little ones and chases1 1T all round ',lo
grass plot till the happy child shrieNS
with laughter.
His 600 Letters.
Jules Verne Is naturally very fond Oh
the immense success his works have hau.
He delights in the fact that he POSSESSES
more than six hundred letters written 10
him at various times by boys and glIa9
to express the pleasure they have hau u.
reading his books. These letters, Wh'o"
are all docketed and classed by the au,
thor himself according to the age OF llo
writer's and their nationality, make Ve.S
curious and interesting collection. Ihelo
are letters in French, in Russian, In ltal,
ian, in Spanish and in English. lHets
Ia 10, Let In Engll5l