The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-13
LITERARY OUTLOOK.
Henry Wallace Phillips Making a
Chemical Experiment of Himself

1t seems to be quite conclusively
established that the author of Con
fessions of a Wife" is Mrs. Elizabeth
Stuart Phelps Ward-nOt because Mrs.
Ward has confessed to the authorship
or the publishers have made public the
secret, but because by careful compari-
son with some of Mrs. Wards acknowl-
edged writings the confessions at times
approach the degree of similarity known
as plagiarism. Not so long ago Mrs.
Ward had a serial in one of the maya
zines and this story had about the same
quality of hySteria that marks the
Confessions the begin
ming course and conclusion of the for
mer work bears a striking resemblance
to the latter. Most critics have agreed
that no one but Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
could have written the Mary Adams
book. Meantime. the publishers admit
that while the secret of authorship has
made the book much talked about, the
same fact has encouraged so much
newspaper printing of extracts that
many chances for a big sale have been
lost.
After all, it is difficult to conceal,
through non de plume, an author who
is fairly we'll known. for the stamp of
individuality exists in ones manner of
writing almost as much as in the hand
writing itself. Even among authors not
so well known, the secret of anonymity
if not safe among the writer's friends.
For a long time no one suspected that
George H Lorimer was the author of
THE Letters of a Self Made Merchant"
until one day Mr.. Lorimer happened to
write to a friend:
I don't want to edit your stuff with
meat axe, but had to cut it down."
etc.
About the same time, the friend
CHANGED to read almost the same ex-
preston in the letters then appearing
serially. Where h,on he apprised Mr.
Lorimer of his discovery and was ask
ed by return mail to keep the secret IN
til time for book publication.
In most cases, the hue and cry about
the secret of authorship is an attempt
to boom book sales, and fortunately, 50
many attempts are made that the public
pays little heed nowadays. If the pub
fishers continually cry wolf. wolf -
good book doeN much to attract atten-
ton to itself and save it from the gen
eral fate.
No one who reads RED Saunders"
and learns that the author. Henry Wal
lace Phillips, spent ten years in the west
as cowpuncher. prospector, and sew
eral other things, would suspect that he
cared for anything else but spinning his
4 tales of western humor. Very few know
1 him as scientist but scientist he is in
/ the best sense of the word, for all of his
spare time from such writing as he
! feels obliged to do for a living, is put
/ in by him in various experiments in
electricity and chemistry.
When only a small boy he nearly
wrecked his home by an explosion, and
he was constantly trying to find out
why certain reactions took place. The
other day Mr.. Phillips was experiment
/ ing on battery when he inhaled Z:
quantity of chlorine gas. He became
/ sick at once
Let me see" thought Phillips. I'll
/ just take something to unite with that
/ chlorine and make salt"
His mind worked raDidly-interested
apparently more in the chemistry of the
matter than in his recovery. With the
next step in experiment he felt better
| but he was still sick.