Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-26
BURNS PALETTE
TO FOLLOW PEN
ARTIST-WRlTER FIRES BRIDGE
BEHIND STUDIO
DESTROYS VALUABLE PAINTING
MATERIAL
Author of "CaIIing of Dan Matthews"
Gives Up Sketching to De-
vote His Life to Lite
erature

Torn by conflicting demands on his
aesthetic nature by two separate artlS-
tic callings. Harold Bell Wright, nov
elist and painter, chose between the
two last week in his home in the I'M
perial valley, and the art of writing
won. II.
Hoping to put forever behind him
the other part of his artistic nature,
Mr.. Wright went to his studio ana
ruthlessly tore down and carried out
every picture he had painted, every
canvas he had sketChed, his easels'
frames. studies, lay figures, all ms
oils and colors his palette and knife,
his turpentine. mahlstick, sketch books
and water cOloTS, and threw them an
on one big heap. Then without hesl-
tating-lest he should relent-he
touched a match to the heap and $o00
worth of materials went up in smoke
1t was truly a burnt Offering TO the
art Of writing.
Mr. Wright was a painter first. he
once made more than a good living
with his brush and some of his STUDIES
and landscapes made in the Ozark
mountains in Missouri have places OF
high honor in the country today. After
he turned his attention to writing, and
having become convinced he could
reach a larger number by that means
and do more good for the world, he
began seriously MS me DIS d hONClAS''
Call of the Palette
The old art called always and many
times he left his writing to don an
apron and pick up palette for an
hour. His lapses recently became more
frequent and of longer duration and at
last Mr. Wright felt he had come TO
the parting Of the ways and tnat ne
must choose between the two. Inc re-
suit was last weeks fire.
1.-THE Calling of Dan Matthews" a
novel by Mr.. Wright was issued yes
terday by the Book Supply company OF
Chicago, and will be placed on sale at
local book stores probably next week.
Mr. Wright is the author OF Ihat
Printer of Udells" and The Shepherd
of the Hills" the latter one of the
best sellers of last year. His home IS
on his ranch, "Tecelote" near Melo-
land, in the Imperial valley, where he
has lived and worked for the past two
years.
Aside from the fact that he has been
a successful writer and that the new
book promises to surpass the second IN
popularity Mr. Wright is an interest
ing man. For several years while
painting he was a minister of the
Christian church, but he found him
self so circumscribed by tradition and
creed that he resigned his pastorate
and took up in earnest the vocation OK
writing. 1.-The Shepherd of the Hills
was finished in Redlands almost three
years ago His publisher, President E.
w. Reynolds of the Book Supply COM
pany, reports a phenomenal advance
sale for the third book and he is eX-
travagant in his promises of what the
book viii do for Wright.
Theory VS.. Practice
s "The Calling of Dan Matthews is a
timely novel, being concerned with the
present orthodox church and some Of
its problems. The scene is laid in a
small town in the middle west where a
young preacher, all unacquainted with
the wiles of the wicked and with the
practical workings of the church, be-
gins a pastorate, fresh from school,
The inevitable conflict between theory
and practice in religion enmeshes the
hero, whose love for a nurse-a real
worker in the world, and a real min
lister to the needy and suffering-is the
basis for the novel.
on the completion of this novel Mr..
Wright began work on his fourth,
which is to be a story of a Southern
California desert. The novelist has 4
contract with the Book Supply COM
pany whereby he is to write and de-
liver for publication five novels within
the next nine years. "The Calling of
Dan Matthews" was printed in an
edition of 100, 600 copies this month and
other editions are expected to follow
RAPIDLY, as the advance demand has
been extraordinary.