The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
IN THE LITERARY FIELD
PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF SOME
OF THE WRITING CELEBRITIES.
The Late Frank Norris Regarded
Woodworking Seriously-A Mag
azine Mistake.

John Burroughs, says a writer in Town
and Country, Ioks like reformed farmer
"a farmer who has reformed, say. some
time in his foriies, too late to escape being
round shouldered, but early enough to
quire studious. scholarly look and dis
tinct refinement of face and figure that
are most charming. combined with his
fresh, outdoor complexion. He is of me-
dunn height, slender. yet compact and
vigorous looking His hair is white as
new-fallen snow and he wears a long
white beard. He has SOFT pleasant voice
and is very quiet, unassuming and kindly
i'm manner. One would hardly take him
for the greatest of all living nature writ
ers and one of the most charming of
American essayists-unless one were to re-
member that all truly great men have a
divine faculty of not appearing great. w.
ID. Howells impresses one as par excellence
the type OF the successful business man.
His figure is feshy and bulky. His fea-
lures and expression are rather heavy. and
IT requires Imagination to believe him
one OF the most exquisitely sensitive and In
tuItive depicters of American character.
Coloncl Higginson shows his years and
yet deiies them. He Is one of the most
active and aggressive members of the older
school OF American writers-the contempor
aries or Emerson, Longfellow and Whit
uer-who still remain among us. The
colonel-who is a real colonel, by the way.
and covered with genuine military honors
is tall, thin and somewhat STOPPING, but
still spry as youth and gracefully at home
| In dress suit. He is prince of after
dinner speakers, always has something re-
inning and uplifting to say on such occa-
1 slons and says 1t with dash OF the most
/ delicate and delicious humor. He looks
like an old-fashioned country squire, or a
4 school
| might, from his appearance, be a retired
4 pohticlan or reminiscent congressman.
His manner Is courteous and polished, and
his heart is as sound and sweet as
| New England russell apple. Mary Wilkins,
must one call her Mrs. DR.. Freeman now?
is little body, petite and graceful, girl
| ish-loking still, with a pair of the most
! piercing blue eyes that ever cleaned be-
and womans lashes. Their steady
4 keenness is positively dssecting and discon-
| certing. One feels as if he were being
read through and through. analysed, class
lhed and speared on a hook for further lit
erary reference. And yet Mary wilkins
does not look like literary person. She
| loks like society girl. dainty, vivacious, a
| little past the brief period of budhood, per-
maps; but still girl rather than woman.
| she has a most becoming shyness, too
1 or rather reserve-and is altogether such a
girlish type of person that one has TO take
| her good deal on faith as the author of
rome" and Pembroke"
| Ella Wheeler Wilcox is another literary
| woman who seems to have dipped in the
| fountain of eternal youth. She is plump,
pretty and wonderfully fresh-looking still,
| woman of the young-matronly or young
| wldoWhood type; very unassuming, cordial
| and sympathetic in manner and converse
| ton. In few moments chat at a recep-
1 ton some one told her about one of her
| poems having cured a very active business
| man of the blues, and she exclaimed with
| manifest pleasure and sincerity: "I am
so glad you told me that / think men. es-
pecially business men. have such a hard
| time or it, 1t does me more good than
anything else to know that L have helped
| one OF them. A CHEEKY, hearty, human,
| everyday kind of woman seems Mrs. VIII
cox-not at all the conventional type of
| literary woman. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe
| is venerable in appearance and very small
| of stature, but sprightly and vigorous be-
ycnd belief. She looks like anybody g
| northumberland yet anybody would be
| somebody If he had such q grandmother!
Hers is simply a good, sweet old face, with
| pair Of shining. friendly eyes. She says
| little In company, a rule, but when
called upon to show forth her old-time wit
and grace and literary charm, is able to
prove most charmingly that her mind is still
as unclouded her face. At the annual
| meeting and banquet of the Boston Au-
| thors Club. in January, 1902. Mrs. Howe
| who is president of the club, presided; and
1t was wonderful to behold how she rose
| to the occasion in every way, physically as
| well as mentally. combining most felicitous
presiding and Introductory remarks with
| sparkling off-hand bon-mots and repartee
| and reading. in addition very clever orig
| inal poem in a clear, firm voice that pene-
| trated to every corner of the large dining
| hall. On the same occasion Edna Dean
| Proctor, poet who ranks no mean con-
| temporary of Lowell Longfellow and Whit
tier: read one of her latest productions
fantasy of Constantnople. Miss Proctor
| looks like retired actress. and her very
dramatic manner heightens this impress