The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-08-17
WROTE QUO vADIS
sketch and Stories Of rienryk sien-
kiewiez, Victim OF Russian Tyr
anny-Lived In America.

oh-t fiutbotrb ON treaulnB the
news or the punishment inflicted by
The Russian bureaucracy upon Henryk
sienkiewicz. the Polish novelist, for
being too free with his pen for auto.
cratic nations. That is, the play
goers viii feel the, thrill when re-
minded that the writer with the din.
cult name Is the author of quo vad-
Is; which novel Is the basis of the
two weIl-known dramas, "ouo yadis'
and The Sign OF the Cross Both
OF these tragedies have been pro-
duced repeatedly ON the Pittsburg
stage. Not q few who have seen one
Of these pieces acted have yielded
20 the temptation to read the novel
and other works by the same author,
says the Dispatch.
sienkiewicz's trouble recalls Tito
Dian colony scheme in which he and
many OF his gifted fellow countrymen
we're interested. In 1877 this coterie
Of brilliant Polish writer's and must.
clans conceived scheme something
Hike the famous Brook Farm Of New
England. About dozen Of the pro.
jectors. including sienkiewicz and
Helena Modjeska. sailed from Havre.
Being in pursuit OF liberty, of course,
they chose America for their home,
and they settled near Los Angeles,
Cal, naming their community Anna
Enni
As usual poetry and art proved a
shaky foundation for a permanent
settlement. The attempt failed, but
Indirectly II served an end far differ.
amt from that conceived by the found
srs Pecuniary losses spurred Mime.
Modjeska to study her first English
role. She appeared in San Francisco
in an English version of "Adrienne
Lecuuvreur.
The failure of the Utopia also
5rought Sienkiewicz into wider no.
dee On his return to Europe his
american sketches, adapted and trans.
lated for the Revue des Deux Mondes.
we're read and approved by Pari.
sians, making name for him before
he publication of with Fire and
Sword and its celebrated success
ors, including quo vadis."
An Incident in connection with the
serial publication of "ouo vadis" in
Polish Journal has been told. When
she installment describing the cap
sivity Of Lygia appeared deputa.
ZION Of sensitive young girls called
upon sienkewicz to beg him not to
let his heroine die in prison.
1t is a simple matter, this letting
hers ssuare,' naively declared one of
she young women. 'Iygia, has only
20 write .asletter to her fiance and he
viii see to it.s',
Sienhewicz smiled, and requested
bis fair petitioner tn compose such a
SETTER fr him. A few days later he
received this missive:
. Ny Dear Lygia: 1t seems that Won
ought to write to yinicius, but illness
has probably enfeebled your epistol.
airy powers. Address instead the
simplest, most tunpretentious letter
toiaI certain M. Henryk Sienkiewicz,
zslln nSps' I'M Warsaw several centuries
asneeo IEhaveT every reason to be.
.Hsxs tAhtsif you ask him prettily he
WY arrange the matter without the
1HAess complications Of further cor
nespundence.''
a Few years ago Warsaw celebrated
Che silver anniversary of Sienkie-
ricz's entry into the literary world.
His fame had spread to Russia, and
4 is even said the Gear had the Poles
books translated for him for certain
time every evening.
The Academy of Letters at st. Pc.
tersburg was encouraged by this ap.
probation on the Emperor's part to
send Sienkiewicz' deter of warm
reorganization. Now, Sienhewicz is
an ardent Polish patriot as well as
= literary artist, as the event of the
present week proved, and the receipt
II this letter placed him in a dilem.
ma for # was written in Russian,
md the Imposition Of that Language
upon the Poles TO the exclusion of
heir mother tongue is one of the
thfngs which Poland bitterly resents.
sienkiewicz had to reply. To have
answered In Russian would have been
t.aa,snri 10, P.,in MI. tr, l.n..l. ...,... r..