The Washington herald., 1909-06-27
A New England Writer.

Not 10 Cause laughter. Dot % cause tears but
% aet nature acts; that Is 10 say. 10 make one
dream. and 70 describe ordinary life as history Is
written"
That was the literary creed Of Sarah
orne Jewett. regarded as one Of the fore
most women writers in America, who
died al South Berwick. Me-. on Thursday
night. She was hfty-nine years Of age
and hers had been a busy. a profitable
and a useful life
In her lies work, Miss Jewett upheld
the best New England traditions In liter
ature. and her creed. which. written on
a slip OF paper. she kept in front Of her
desk. she lived up to earnestly and faith
fully. She was at one time very widely
read. and the quiet conservatism that
marked her writings. the verify Of her
work and her high ideals exerted no little
influence on her time. She began 10
write when quite young and her first
story was sent out from Berwick Acad-
emy when she was only seventeen. and
soon thereafter she became a regular
contributor Of short stories 10 Our
Young Folks and the Riverside Maga-
zine. When she was nineteen she sent n
story 10 the Atlantic Monthly, the mecca
Of every good New England writer, and
in that Office her genius was at once
recognized and encouraged. Since that
time she published many volumes. the
best known OF which to-day are probably
The Country Doctor" "Deephaven." a
White Heron" and Country Byways."
She was an invalid in her youth. Her
father was professor IN the medical
department Of BOwdoin College. and with
him, for her health's sake. as a child. she
used 70 take long excursions into the
country. This was at the formative pc
riod OF her life. and the stamp her mind
took then was more or less reflected in
all she was 10 write.
In some ways It was unfortunate for
her fame that Sarah Orne Jewett's ac-
tivities should have fallen into the period
they did. For temperamentaIIy and ar
tistically her work was a continuation OF
that New England movement that has
given America so much OF her best IN
native literature. Had the current Of
that movement been undisturbed, Miss
Jewett must have been accorded higher
rank and a fuller measure OF fame. But
In the midst Of her activities came the
era OF the advertised novel. the ~slx
best sellers" and the fortunes made bv
industrious mediocrity. In a literary
sense the reading public went of after
strange gods. and the sterling writer's
with a real message-not blatant but
softly spoken-were deserted save by the
elect
those who know letters. however. will
agree that Sarah Orne Jewett was en-
titled 10 be spoken OF as the foremost
woman writer in America; simple real
ism and fidelity to nature marked all she
wrote. and she occupied a position in the
literary history Of this country not un-
Ike that held in England by Mrs. Hum
phry Ward. who was her Intimate friend
New England TO the backbone. she was
IN no sense narrow. She had Travelled
much and knew many OF the great ones
OF the earth. But always was she i'm
busd with the spirit Of and the love for
New England and its history and its
people I was born here" she said once.
and 1 hope 70 die here. leaving the Il
lac bushes still green and growing and
all the chairs in their places" In South
Berwick she was born; IN South Ber-
wick she fell asleep. The lilac is still
green ana grOwing-the wish Of her heart
has been fulfilled.