The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-07
AMONG The BOOKS
Chat With Mrs. Natalie Rice
Clark, a Topeka Author.
Latest Book, a Story for Boys,
Is i" Blake Redding."
SHE LIKES THE WEST.
Thinks Kansas History Offers
Field for Writers.
Items of Interest About the
Recent Publications.

Not MANY weeks ago the DOCK re-
views contained notices of book an
titled "Blake Redding, by Natahe
Rice Clark, formerly of Boston, pup
Iished by Little, Brown & Co. and Illus
tra+ad nv Albert T. Button. The hook
was written for young people 1t tells
of the affairs of some young people OF
the high school age, and deals with
athletics and the creation of an his
torical society in a New England COM
nunfty. AS the book is published by
a Boston house, it naturally has its
hest market in the east. But Mrs.
Clarke is now a western woman,- by
adoption. and has made her home in
Topeka for the better part of two
wears. Her husband, Prof. Frank L.
Clark. is a member of the faculty OF
Washburn college. an instructor IN
Greek language and literature. Mrs.
Clark herself was for a time connected
with the art department of the college,
but has relinquished her work in draw
ing and painting for the affairs of her
household and her literary fancy
IF nv book had not been pretty
nearly ready for the publisher before
came to Topeka" said Mrs. clark IN
speaking of her new book, L th1nk IL
would not possess SO much OF the New
England atmosphere, for I find myself
naturally and rapidly mp1olng the
Kansas way OF thinking and OF seeing
things. I had to get used to big dis-
tances and broad landscapes. l think
that the people in this part of the coun-
try have the best natural environment
for the development or broad nehta1
conception. They are neither IN the
east nor in the west. but see things
from the center. They make little of
long Journeys and come and go. think.
more generally than do the people or
the aast-"
Mrs. Clark has not turned her back
on the east. She has simply made up
her mind that she will like the west,
and finds it easy work. In origin she IS
essentially an eastern woman. she
was born near Boston, went to school
there and did magazine work there be-
fore making her change of residence.
For year she performed the editorial
duties upon the Sunday school publ
cation The WellSpring. which is known
throughout the country as one OF the
most popular of publications for sun
day reading for children and for older
persons. She still. from her home in
Topeka. conducts column of editorial
paragraphs which appear unsigned,
every week. Her efforts with the pen
find their way into the Youths Com
panion with some regularity, and her
contributions find favor in the eyes of
the editors of many others of the best
class of story magazines.
In 1895 Mrs. Clark. then Miss Ma
talie L. Rice, brought out her hrst book,
THE Green Garnet" a New England
story, and it was quite successful. But
over the success she has achieved she
manifests no undue pride. She dis
cusses her work in an impersonal way
which makes it easy for the inter-
viewer.
Il have written always" said Mrs.
Clark. when 1 was little girl liked
to make up stories and after I was
grown I Just kept on doing it. The
books have been my fancy work which
I did in odd moments and spent good
while over. 1t was three years before
Blake Redding' went to the publishers
and they sent it back to be built OUT
and altered so that it was delayed con-
siderably in publication. But in Boston
I did considerable hard work on the
editorial desk of the Wellspring and on
other papers. Most of my work has
been Of that kind and I liked it very
much. The only other thing I have
done in the way of book writing was to
get out five very small books for chill
dren which are called the Beacon Light
series. They don't amount to much and
hardly count"
Since coming to Topeka Mrs. Clark
has devoted some attention to Kansas
history and expresses the belief that
the episodes of the earlier days of the
state will furnish material for much in
teresting writing, although she does not
promise that she win undertake to util-
I've If