The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-01-04
Z SUNDAY REPUBLIC.

WRITTEN FOR HI SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Iiurfci amid rural scenes Mrs. Humphry
Ward. the great noveiist-the modern
George Eliot. as some have called her
l'yts It life of ideal werk at the pretty little
English village of Tring.
Stocks House." the name of her country
estate, rests on the crest of a high hill,
from which IA magnificent sweep Of the
surrounding country can be seen.
Mrs. Wards hooks are full of word-p pic
lures Of this country: and there Is scarcely
:; page of "Marcella," the History IF
David Grieve." or any of her other works
particularly Robert Elsmere'-that does
rot TEEN with landscape description.
For many years previous to taking up q
country residence Mrs. Ward lived in dingy
London.
But. even while residing in an old. rickety
mansion Of Russell Square, her mind was
full of country life.
One would never suspect that Robert
Elsmere' could have been produced by d
person who looked upon q London park.
where even the leaves OF the trees wear on
their upper sides a coating of gray smoke.
Despite Mrs. Wards great prominence in
the literary and socialistic world (for she
is an advocate of Christian Sccialism), she
is one of the most retiring persons imagin-
able.
She hates "at homes and all forms of
mere functions where people ga just 10
chatter
She will not lend her presence to any or
ganization which has for its object the sep
aration of the sexes.
If she goes to any gatherings at all, or
accepts any invitations, 1t must be to those
in which there is a brotherly and sistarly
equality which recognizes good in all.
REFUSED TO ATTEND
WGMAN'S CLUB MEETING.
Not long ago the Woman Writer'S Club
invited Mrs. Ward to one OF their meetings.
She refused to so because no men were to
be present.
She is. more or less, a despiser of "the
new woman" and does not think that
women can get ON at all well by themselves.
There is little love lost between Mrs.
Ward and Mime. Sarah Grand. who looks
down upon the stern sex. whom she has
chTistened mere man."
a Stocks House" Mrs. Ward seldom re-
ceives company, unless it be visitors from
her University Settlement in London: or
else some special and most intimate friend.
She is a great friend of Mrs. Alma Ia
dema. wife Of the famous artist: and. with
exception of one or two other intimate ac-
quaintances, lives the life of "A reciuse,
When she first moved from the city, Mrs.
Ward resided at Haslemere. in Surrey-a
very pretty district.
She soon found. however, that the place
was too accessible to persons who wanted
to see the woman who wrote Robert Els
mere; and. in order to be "far from the
madding crowd" she decided to bury her
self at firing.
Here, in the silence OF d solitude broken
only by the songs of birds. .she thinks out
the great books that have won her so high
a place on the list of famous women of the
day.
STRANGERS WONDER AT
HER EXTREME DELICACY,
Your hrst impression on beholding Mrs.
EuhaPhry Ward is one of wonder at the
ANfrgrna jaIieDr ,. 80 ,t.
You canIot conceive how she had the
mere endurance to produce 50 MANY writ
ten words as are contained in Robert
Elsmere,' "Marcella," or any of her other
books-which were first published in three
volume form.
She is rather tall, has an oval face. ana
her eyes are not large, l~ustrous and SOUL
fun as some popular descriptions render
them.
As a matter of fact, Mrs. Wards eyes are
rather small; and her whole face and man
ner rather strike one as being quite ordi-
nary.
1t ia only when she speaks that YOU know
at once there is something remarkable about
her.
Her voice Is one of the most musical
human. voices imaginable; her words have
a roundncss. fullness. and musical cadence
which makes you think somehow that you
are listening to a musical instrument.
Her choice of words is exact, while rapid.
and she does not express a thought that
might be put in fewer or greater words.
Everything she says sounds as il II were
first w~ritten-thongh the music of the
voice renders it in such 81 pleasing way
that YOU rather forget the stiffness OF
the sentences,
From published photographs. of Mrs.
Ward one would place her age at about 35
years.
As a fact, she is nearly in her fifty-second
year, having been born June IL. 1851.
Her father was a brother of Matthew Ar |
mold, the famous author. and her mother
the daughter of Governor Sorrell Of Tas-
mania. New South Wales, where the IA
nous authorizes was born. /
Doctor Thomas Arnold. the father of Mrs. !
Ward, left Tasmania and went to Birminy- :