The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-24

one lildl we may ali SYM
Wv pathize with, it is impossi-
bic for Miss Ida M. Tarbell
to separate her achievements from
her personality. Few writers keep
themselves 50 successfully out Of their
work. Yet its unusual impersonal
character, of itself, stimulates our
wish to know what manner of woman
IS this who can measure impartially
such men as Napoleon and Lincoln,
and weigh the Standard Oil Company
IN the balance.
1t is difficult to catch Miss Tarbell
for such inspection. Her researches,
which must be at first hand, take her
hither and thither on hurried and un-
expected journeys. When at home she
occupies an apartment not remote
from lower Fifth avenue-an indie
pendent householder The living
room, with its commodious desk and
walls bristling with books, reveals the
presence Of an active, intellectual life,
and one to which all things also are
subordinated. There is not even the
tiny tea table by which most women
indicate that they still have time for
dallying. The feminine aspects Of
the room are revealed in luxurious
window garden, where sleek tabby,
with collar and bell, promenades
among the flowers
A Busy Writer'S Personality.
Nor, on the other hand, is there
anything of the woman OF affairs, of
the woman who has mighty things in
hand, iii Miss Tarbell's quiet present
ment. She is taller than many men,
with finely proportioned figure, and
face which expresses that judicial
calmneSs, moderation and balance
that distinguishes her work Her voice
is soft and gentle. Her speech is
fluent and direct, and her ideas march
elbow to elbow, we'll set up and with
out slovenliness. She dresses quietly,
but with that Sophistication which be-
longs to those who choose and trust
masters of their craft. rather than
care to express any idiosyncrasies of
costume. Miss Tarbell has other
things to occupy her attention.
Il would rather write those Stan
dard Oil articles than an epic" said
one of her admirers.
This is not altogether hyperbole.
That faculty of coordination which
is able to take such an immense
amount Of material, practically before
unhandled-for Mr. Lloyd's work was
differently conceived-and present it
SO, that the casual magazine reader
may be attracted and illumined, dis
plays certain qualities that belong to
the highest planes Of mental effort.
There is something captivating in the
audacity of the enterprise.
How did you come to do it?" 1t
did not seem to be time for circum-
lOcutiOn, since in a couple of hours
Miss Tarbell was to take her train.
Il was brought up in the oil regions.
My father was one of the early oil
producers. The bitterness Of the pro-
ducers of oil never knew any mitiga-
ton through concessions and compro-
mise such as fell to the refners of oil |
| lived on battle ground. My father
was one Of those men who saw the |
business they had created and devel- |
Oped wrested from his hands One |
of my earliest beliefs was that man
connected with the Standard Oil Com |
pany was man simply who was not
in the penitentiary.
CAS- grew older, realized that
there must be two sides to the ques-
ton, and merely to satisfy my intel
lectual curiosity | began to investigate
the matter, and try to comprehend the
point of view of the other side. There |
was something to be said on the other
side. There always is. In the play |
of natural forces, of contending human
of alert minds, in the strug-
giles for life and death, saw the pos
sibilities of dramatic fiction. In my
youthful ambition conceived a |
trilogy which would comprehend all |
the phrases of the struggle Of the OIL