The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-26

HOW MR.. HALL GAME LOOKS AND
WHAT HE THINKS OF THINGS.
Mr.. HoweIIs Talks About the Best
Reading for Girls-The Best
that Writers Get.

Reginald Wright Kaufman. the young
Philadelphia novelist interviewed Hall
Game for the Press the other day. and here
is his portrait of the author of 1.-THE
Manxman'' and many other books. and
some of the things the letter had to say:
Mr.. Game does not look very much like
his photographs; he does not look at all
like other peoples cartoons. Yet the diff
ference-from the photographs-is tenn
peramental rather than physical. The
long brown hair, with its touch Of red.
falling straight to the collar and retreat
ing thinly and almost in a triangle from
point in the center of the high forehead;
the veined temples, the keen nose, the
| twinkling eyes of Viking blue and the red
Vandyck beard-all these are more or less
| familiar But neither in most portraits.
| nor, it is to be feared, in this description,
| can one convey the dinstinct individuality
| by which, from that well-shaped head to
those long nervous hands, these details
are apparently used as but so many con-
venient forms of expression.
ut is true" said Mr.. Game, as, formal
| tiles disposed of and the first question
! asked, he motioned me to a seat, 'it is true
| that have always been more or less deep
ly interested in sociological questions, that
they are becoming, perhaps, more and more
prominent in my fiction, and that 1 am now
a member of the House OF Keys, the repre-
| sentative Parliament of the Isle of Man."
| And that last means, doesn't 1t, pol
/ itics?"
| THAT depends on the sense I'm which
| you use the word. The legislative body of
which am member is the oldest repre-
| sentative body of its sort in the world
| 1t dates back more than 1000 years, to the
| early Icelandic parliaments, and ii is the
| last of its kind But / don't know that a
member need necessarily be said to be in
| politics.
And this particular member? Do you
think that the artistic temperament-is I'M
| suited for active political work."
| Mr.. Game did not hesitate.
| "Of course" he replied, lone can't be
| sure. My own feelings would prompt me
feel there rather like a fish out of water.
| L went into it all only from strong sense
OF duty. and not, you may rely upon 1T,
| because j wanted to-"
But your interest in these things" 1
| ventured to point out, has surely been
| quickened by the work. OF course, you are
| cal and economic institutions at any rate,
| but do you not now feel. upon coming here,
desire 20 study them at first hand?"
| Il want very much to study them" He
| mated, his eyes lighting up with new
interest "Half-or at least a great part
| hope to see the economic side of American
affairs You may have heard of the society
| of Young Britons' recently formed in Eng
| land. 1t is a new movement and includes
| in the roll of its members many OF the most
advanced English men and women. l was
chosen president, but l postponed my in
| this visit TO America and should have seen
how far this great Republic-the foremost
| democracy-was going toward the solution
| of economic questions.
"In that position / rejoice in President
| Roosevelt's arbitration plan for the set
| Element Of the coal strike. 1t is most
| hopeful sign and should be far reaching
in it's influence: 1t will go great way
| I'm the future toward the solution of an
important problem. the problem of a
nal but of international disputes as well,
since opposition is no more bitter between
nation ana nation than between class and
| class. am naturally most interested in the
| result of Mr.. Roosevelt's plan and hope
full for its success"
obviously. the artistic temperament was
somewhat better fitted for sundry seemingly
antagonistic careers than Mr.. Game him.
| self fapcied. But, as it was artistic tenn
| permanent. 1 tried to make a tack.
There was a pause at that l knew he
was waiting for a certain question and so
decided not to put it.
81 am not" 1 said, going to ask you
anything about the Great American
He smiled.
Thank YOU" he returned. 1.-THE omis-
| would say, however, that now your liter
allure seems to be moving westward. Not
that the East is deteriorating but that
the West is developing. Literature has
gone forth as a sort of Columbus and it
has discovered the West. When your great
novelists arise-men equal to the Russian
novelists. for instance-they will, however,
be national and not sectional. And they
will arise"
They will portray national types?"
Exactly"
"And what phase would you call the
most typical of American life-the bust
ness, the political, the financial?'
'I think that no other country has such
| material for a native novelist-but for a
native only-as America. Finance, bust
ness, politics-these things are more or
less typical and are good for a back
| ground, but the final test of every novel
! is to be found in its emotional qualities
in the human passions 1t portrays and ex-
| cites"