Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-18
Tn. Arthur of "Ben Hur."

second only u that If the Bible and
eurpassing that % Uncle Toms
Cabin" which is often mentioned as
holding second pace. Ben iur' has
been translated INTO every language IN
Which books are printed, and although
il was published Ger 20 years ago
there are still sold hundreds of copies
every week in the year. This IS the
wonderful record Of book written by
an old soldier who did not enter htert-
ture until he vas over 40 year or age
Il book which was refused by three
professional readers and only saved 10
a great publishing house by the chance
pcrusil of one Of the pronr.etors.
And now the .,u,ho: OF Ben Hur lies
dad in his Indiana home and the
whole world hOh"la his I'iillt ana pays
tribute 10 his memory. General Lew
Wallace filled a larg" llaCe IN the
hearts of our people. He was man
Of varied talents and i picturesque
.aree,. lie died fighting a last great
battle. against al adversary who tenn
y.oriZes but never cIpitulates. For tn"
rasl year or two h. made gallant
.truggIc - complete his memoirs and
give the world the story Of his busy
life But all his strength Of will and
al tina, medical ski! could do did not
avail 10 prolomg mis- days Until the work
Was cone, ami the angel of death wrote
"Einis" before the author could. II is
a double cause FOR sadness and regret
hat his memoirs we:e unCompleted.
The IS years of his III" were full OF
his history. When lille more than i
10y H.. served through the Mexican
war. He left ;nc field of battle for the
court room, leaving it i'll turn for the
battlefield once more. HIS Civil War
record is long and hororatle. He COM
handed :. division ut Donelson. another
at Shiloh. He savcl Cincinnati and
then Washington from rebel capture.
He was member Of the commission
which tried the :.ssassins OF President
Lincoln. He was president Of the court
which tried and convicted Henry WirZ,
c..uu,nder OF AnaersCmviIe prison.
After the Civ:l War he began his
diplomatic and political career. He be-
cane governor =! New Mexico. Today
Il ,ish II
the visitor is shown tn. room in which
Governor Wallace w"ote the greater
part c< Ben Rur." The quiet life OF
tn" Southwest gave hi'n ample time for
meditation and work. Santa Fe SUM
hered tn, II as IT does today. and as il
will Il century TO cone. Today the old
as for the fact that for century after
century spanish. McXitan and Ameri-
can rulers have gov .rned there. Ben
Hur' was publish Il while Genera!
Wallace WAS still governor OF New
Mexico. The .oi,Owing year he wens
IN Turkey AZ United States minister.
The story is toll that he had never seen
tonstantinopie or Jerusalem until after
Ben tiur" had beea written and pub
scrlbe,l in his book tnd so accurately
had he done his work that not one wori
needed to be charged.
His other works included 1.-The FAIR
God" 4 story of the conquest of Mexico
Nv Cortez and the downfall OF Monte
anna: a life Of his friend, President
Harrison; THE Prince OF India; fhe
Hovhood OF Christ" and The WooinS
Of Mslkatoon. OF his literary meth
obs u writer in the Boston Transcript
Saws: General Wallace wrote only by
laborious study and painstakins toll.
lie was his own best critic. and scru-
tinized every line before he let it appear
in his final copy. His habit was TO
write the rough draft of his ideas on IL
slate. so that erasures could be made
q, sjly. then to transfer the writing
with "A soft pencil to paper, and finally,
when all was 10 HIS S0tISIdCtioii' ~
COPY the book in ink with the precision
Of =. clerk When Ben Hur" WAS sent
10 uarper's it was beautifully executed
in purple ink. every line of exact
length. every page of writing almost
identical in the number of words with
an ordinary printed page. 1t is said
that Zen Hur" has been translated
into every important tongue in the
world. The General had 9 fine home IN
Charlottesville. an old-fasl:ioned ra'nb-
ling house with acres Of ground. His
library WIS in beautiful stone build
i'g in tie rear. In the library hangs
portrait in oil of the Sultan Abdu
namid. painted by the General. Ii wa.
produced from secret sketches made ~
Wallace wnila minis ter to Turkey.
Jack London the novelist who$s