The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-01-15
Americas Greatest Novelist and the
Places fie Has Made Memorable.

K
II 1 popular vote could be taken, 1t
would probably be established that in
the minds OF the American people the
greatest author America has ever pro-
duced was Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ger
tainly no greater novel than "The
Scarlet Letter has ever been produceo
by any OF our countrymen, and few
novels In the English language surpass
It In human interest and insight. EVERY
Intelligent visitor to the ancient town
Of Salem is sure to ask to be oirec.eu
to the old house at 81 Union street
where Nathaniel Hawthorne nrst Sd"
the light OF day on the 4th of July,lso4.
The house is a small clapboarded
building, with the big single Chin
ney that characterized the homes Oh
long ago. 1t was evidently built with
out any regard for show. 1t has eight
rooms and there is small garden OF
yard back of it. Directly back OF IL
is the house in which Hawthorne lived
with his widowed mother and sisters
after his return from Bowdoin Collese.
Here in an atmosphere utterly lacking
in anything stimulating or inspiring
Hawthorne wrote his Twice-Tolo
Tales" and here in dimly llgnteo
and cheerless ro0Nl he wrote: In TINS
Dismal Chamber Fame Was Won" 1t
Is but a few steps from this house to
the Salem custom house, where Haw-
thorne spent some years in most I'M
congenial work, against which his splr-
it chafed, but which he could not give
up because of his poverty. His en-
yironment here was SO dreary and de-
pressing that one wonders how 1t could
ever have been the scene OF one of his
most charming and picturesque bits CT
autobiography. Near by is the ia
nous town pump made immortal by
iHawthorne's pen. 1t is not far to the
old graveyard referred to in Doctor
Grimshawe." The House OF the
Seven Gables" is near at hand. and it
is thought that the Matthew Maule OF
the stc..y of the Seven Gables" had
his prototype in a certain Thomas
Maule referred to in the annals of Sa-
lem. This Thomas Maule was a de-
spis9d Quaker, and the records Of Sa-
lem show that in 1869 Samuel Robin
son and Samuel Ira Locke were fined
twenty shillings each for entertaynlnge
of him" Other names mentioned in
the annals of Salem were undoubted-
" the originals of some of the charac-
tiers in Hawthorne'S stories At the
Essex Institute in Salem may be seer
the old desk at whicl Hawthorne
worked in the. custom house, and or
the lid of which he one day scratched
his autograph with his thumb nail. II
the cSstom-house one may see thu
room liz which, so says tradition, "Th'
Scarlet Letter" was found. 1t was IL
Hawthorne's day at the custom-hous
an unfinished room full of barrels ant
boxes packed with old papers, lette
and records of every sort:
Salem is rich in memories OF Haw
thorne. 1t was here that his might,
genius developed. 1t was Of his OIL
room in his house back Of the one Il
which he was born, on Union street
that he wrote: IF ever / have 81
ographer, he light to make great men
ton of this chamber in my memorie:
because so much of my lonely yout
was wasted here, and here my min
and character were formed; and her
have been glad and hopeful, anc her
J have been respondent, and here So
long, long time, waiting patiently &c
TIE world TO know me. and sometime
wondering why it did not know m
sooner CT whether it would ever kno
me at all. BY and by tn
world found me out in my lionel
chamber and called me forth-no