Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-11-14
ELLA WHEELER wlLcox's EARLY
LIFE AND STRUGGLES.
AS DESCRIBED BY HERSELF
Began to Write at Eight and Com
pteted a Novel at Nine-First Pub
bshed Article-Poems of Passion
Highly Entertaining Autobios-
raphy.

"ashAS III tue Cosmopolitan magazine,
entitled My Autobiography, describes
az follows her early life and literary
career:
Someone asked me not long ago
when 1t was that first conceived the
Idea of literary profession and at
what age / first found myself some
thing of a celebrity. do not remem-
Der when | did not expect to be a
writer. and / was a neighborhood
celebrity at the age of s. The young
est Of my mothers children, seemed
70 have had my career arranged for
me by conditions before my birth.
1t has always been my belief that
children inherit the suppressed ten
sencies of their parents. A clergy
mans son frequently shows abnormal
tastes for the pleasures that his father
denied himself, and talent is quite
often the full-blown flower of little
shoot which circumstance has crushed
tnder Its heel in former generation.
SO at the age OF s began to COM
pose prose and rhyme because the lit
erary tendencies of my mother had
never been gratified. The poetical
gilt was no doubt greatly the result
ct her having accidental access to q
library Of the poets, for the first time
Ia her life, the year previous to my
advent and the haggiest and most
hopeful year of her life.
Until reached the age of IA the
Belghborhood and the school satisfied
me as an audience. I hailed compost
dea7day with an eagerness equaled
only by my terror of an examination
Ia mathematics. It is human to love
70 shine and equally human to dislike
being Inundated in our sellow-beings'
eyes. One of the st depressing
days In my life was when stood 20
In scale of 100 in mathematics.
Ny early outlook was not one which
would encourage most aspirants. My
family had left comfortable, even a
kxnrious. home for those days In Yer
mont to seek fortune In the new west
Observation-Disclosures the year of my
birth.
hoQ OCCn luuoiC ICdCuCA
an his life, and when he attempted to
become business man and Spectator
he made failure of it. BY the time l
was year or two old he had lost the
little competence he brought west
with him and the family 1.-TWO parents
and four children, including myself
was obliged to begin life anew, at the
fost of the ladder, upon western
prairie, distant IL miles from the
nearest town. This town was Madison,
wiscorsin's capital.
No Literary Advisers.
had no literary advisers or
soachers. My parents were intellect
sal; my mother was a great reader of
whatever came in her way and was
possessed of wonderful memory. The
elder children were excellent scholars,
and a grammatical error was treated
as a cardinal sin in the household. But
- one knew anything about the
methods of getting into print and we
had no literary associates. We were
In truth while poor in worldly goods
and knowledge and customs, the intel
lectual aristocrats of the locality.
We had few books and only a week
ly newspaper. In an old red chest
upstairs were religiously preserved
copies of The Arabian Nights, Guilt
yer's Travels, John Gilpin's Ride and
a few of Shakespeare's plays. The
New York Ledger and the New York
Mercury were sent to us by relatives
fer several years, and the first literary
feasts | INDUCED in were the weekly
serial stories of Mrs. Southworth anc
May Agnes Fleming. They were like
tobacco sauce to the appetite-excitins
bat not healthful. They gave me
false ideas of life and added to my
discomfort with my lonely environ
ment. There was nothing in my situa
ten to cultivate poetical talent, and
ne doubt owe my early development
az a poet to that fact-paradoxical al
the statement may seem.
Born with intense cravings TO
pleasure. | should have been the veri
est amusement-seeker in my you'll
had not necessity stood at my elbow
Whatever genuine talent we possess
pust reveal itself in time. but m!
early start in my profession was du'
to my desire to change and enlarge m!
horizon and better the conditions o
the home, where no one was contented
At the age Of 9 completed a move
of II chapters, headed with origina
rhymes q have = STILL bound in pape
which | took fro loose panel on III
kitchen walD.
Il was soon after this period that
saw my first editor. He came from
Madison with railroad official to asl
Cor subscriptions for some proposes
new line of railroad. He came in
covered carriage"-my idea OF ele
gance and wealth, as rarely say
anything better than lumber wagons o
u.abouts. | came from school.
kong mile walk, on hot summer aftel
noon. tired and curious to know VIII
was within. AS entered The roor
some member of the family presen'e
me and the editor took me on his kne'
you look as delicate as a city girl.
he said. you ought to he more X
l,.st living in this fine country air.