Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-08-31
A LOVER OF ANIMALS
Ernest etou-Thompson And His
Home in New York

From Ernest Seton thompson we re-
UucSted an interview for The New
lctL Times SnturI"y Eevew but re-
ceiVcd an answer appointing meeting
from Mir. Ernest Thompson Seton.
They arc, however. one and the same
person. The author Of Wild Animals
! Have Known has written extensive
ly under both names. and his one
thousand or moro Illus ira lions for the
Century Dictionary, moreover, bear
The initials T.. T.. I. :. RI Ernest T.. r
Seton. which was tho name given IN
baptism. This event occurred nearly
torty-one years ago i'll the north Of
England. aud III hlS case is found
further practical illustration of the
| maxim: once an EnElishman, al
ways IN EngiiShman." Unlike Sir
! Joseph FaIter. however. he. Is not i'm
pervious to the temptation of belong
ing to another nation.
You have never feen naturalized IN
| the United States. | suppose" | ask
ed on learning of his nativity. and
that he had beeu educated partly in
England and partly in Canada. mo.
not vet" ne replied.
DO you intend to become natural
| ized?" Possibly ! don't know. |
| keep assiduouSly out Of politics. but
nevertheless I think it the best thing
! for a man to be a citizen of the coun-
try in which he lives and to take an
! interest in its affairs.
And yet. in it, last analysis" !
said. what foolish. umcaSoning
thing patriotism is: how often contrary
| to reason YES said the author.
| 1T is simply pure seltishness. And
| Yet, no one willingly gives up his coun-
! Try, not even : Laplander OF Eskimo
each Of them thinks his own lanl the
| best in the world
We'll. would it be a desirable thing
! to have it otherwise" That is sup
posed. though. t" be the goal toward
which we are working. isn't it"
Yes, but it is goal which We Will
never reach. III" masses of one ma
ton never havc any real um ierstand-
ing Of those of other nations. they
always hate FOREIGNERS in their heart
That's true. said my interlocutor.
''in Franco ii Is always the dirty En-
glish and the dirty Germans. and in
| Germany the dirty French and En-
Flish.' and So on throughout They
haven't really any sympathy with
each other.
New York has been said to he a city
Of specimens. ana certainly the seek
er after pictorial specimens Of animals
would do we'll to visit tn" apartment
of Mr.. Ernest Seton Thompson. in the
new studio building on the corner Of
| sixth avenue ami Fortieth street.
| From below como tn" roar of the city
and the roll Of the elevated ears. hut
| deadcned hy' the distance into a gem
| tie reminder q: the law of universal
! labor. OF such reminders, however
| Wolf Thompson. | imagine stands
! less iii need than most men. Every
! thing in the studio suggests the pres
| cnc". Of q busy man. and indeed. most
| of the objects that meet the eye are
| the result or record of Ills industry. tho
| drawings ana painting; Of animals ~
| tn" walls. III" carefully arranged and
| CLASSIFIED volumes OF photographs uf
| wild animals that he and others have
| mot. the shelves filled with Journals
| kept throughout his wanderinC.; in
! n" West. ana thc Skett hos on tn.
ca > for his new book. The lives of
| the Hunted. that IS u appear III Octo-
/ Der. The room i an ideal Workshop
| Tor writer and artist. too. Half
| the Eenerous width of the north wall
Is taken up by Large WINDOW nllinC
| the space from floor to ceiling. and
| looking out over Bryant Park. while
two other Windows on the Sixth ave
| nue. SIDE give access to the last ray
OF the sinking sun. Beneath one Of
| these easements, screened off from
the rest Of the r"cm. is a nook invit-
/ Ing to literary 'laissez-faire."
Near Mr.. Seton ThompSon'S easel,
near which stands the guardian spirit
OF the place. a stuffed peacock. IS a
little table At which his wife. who I
! known independently as a writer. eS-
peClally as the author Of "A Woman
| IenderIoot. WIS busy on the occasion
OF my visit with tho makeup" Of his
| forthcoming book. ! am under obliga-
tionS to Mrs. Seton Thompson. OF. 10
| use the name belonging, to her private
| lite. to Mrs. Seton. for her aid in in
| duclng her husband to talk Under
| normal circumstances ] have seen
| nun delightfully."-. naturally Ioquac-
| louS but unfortunately the conscious
| ness OF the fact that he is talking for
| publication seems to have dampen-
| ing erect upon his CcnverSa tional pow
! els 'IntervieWerS" he said YEARLY.
in reply to question as to his opin-
| ion of this legalized method Of invas-
ion Of writer's privacy. ARE neces-
Sary evil"
| You must not he DISCOURAGED ad-
| ded Mrs. Seton. but really we have
had SO many unfortunate experiences
| with interviewers that we have be
come correspondingly shy Both Mr.
| Seton and | have on more than one
| occasion taken Infinite pains to talk
| to members of the press. carefully to
| state our opinions i'm reply to their
| questions. only in the end to find
ever ythins misunderstood and our
selves misrepresented. Of course it
was not INTENTIONAL. but nevertheless
| il is disCoura ging"
! thoroughly agree with Mrs. Seton that
| mat to Interview h"r husband is discour-
| aging
| The author Of the "Sandhil Stag" is |
| suppose. as well known physically. to the
| p"nllc. as any writer Of these times. III
| deed. ii Is probable that Eipling alone as
| nitch ENJOYS the pleasure Of gazing upon
| MS own counterfeit preScntmcnt in maya
| Lu'eS ana newspapers. 1t seems therefore
| IKE an act of supererogation to describe
. II