Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-02-28
RuGENE PIELD.
Best Work Was Done in Poverty HIS
Meager Library


"There were two Fields-the au-
thor and the man." says Slasou
Thompson, in the biography Of Eu-
gene Field which the Scritners have
just published, Gard it is the purpose
Of this study to reproduce the latteras
he appeared to those who knew and
loved him for what he was personally,
for The benefit Of those who have only
known him through the medium Of his
writings.
'ln doing this it is far from my in
tention and farther from my friend
ship to disturb any Of the preconcep-
tons that have been formed in the
perusal of his works. These are the
creations of something entirely apart
from the man whose genius produced
them. His fame as an author rests on
his printed books, and will endure as
surely as the basis Of his art was true,
his methods severely simple, and his
spirit gentle and pure. In his daily
work the dominant note was that Of
fun and conviviality."
1t is more than probable that Eu-
gene Field chose Chicago for the place
Of his permanent abode after deliber-
ately weighing the advantages and
limitations of its situation with refer
ence to his literary career He felt
that it was as far east as he could make
his home without coming within the
influence of those social and literary
conventions that have squeezed SO
much of genuine American flavor out
Of literature.
Gle had received many tempting,
offers from New York newspapers be-
fore coming to Chicago, and after our
acquaintance | do not believe a year
went by that Field did not decline ar
engagement, personally rendered by
Mr.. Dana, to 90 to the New York Sun,
at salary nearly double that he was
receiving here.
but, as he told Julian Ralph on
one occasion, he would not live in, OF
write for, the east. For as he put il,
there was more liberty and fewer lit !
erary fellers' out west, and a man had
more chance to be judged on his mer-
its and grow up with the country"
Practically all Fields scholarship !
and mental equipment, SO far as they
were obtained from books, were ac-
CURED after he came to Chicago, and
he was never lifted above tine ragged
edge Of impecuniosity until he began
to receive royalties from the popular
edition of "a Little Book Of Western
Verse and "A Little Book of Profit
able Tales
"His domestic life was spent in
fats or rented houses until less than
five months before his death. The
photographs taken a few months be- |
fore his death of Eugene FIELDS home |
and the beautiful library in which he !
wrote are CHASTITY travesties on then /
madic character Of his domestic ar
rangements for many years before
June, 1S95-dreams for which he 4
Dnged, but only lived to realize fo'
four brief months.
"All tie best Field wrote previods
10 1890-aud ii includes the best he
ever wrote except The Love Affairs OF |
a Bibliomaniac'-was written in
room to which many box stalls pala
.ial, and his sole library was dilap-
dated edition Of Bartlett's Familiar
Quotations. Cruden's Concordance
Of the Bible, and well-thumbed copy
Of the King James version oftht Bible
He detested the revised version. The
genius Of this man at this time die
not depend on scholarship or sur
roundings, but on the companionship
Of his fellows and the intervention
atty Of his home life."