The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-24
W. ]. LOCKE'S AMERICAN TRIP
saw wren TO BONDER ar. Btr
WONT PtT ~ ~ NOVEL.
I.imitle's Oppsr ri.,a. les Tor tine writers.
Though me titlrs Ne The, Impressed
Mr Locke Min Finish . Han Done
Novel when lie t:eis Home.

Though Ehe tttlfs Ne me, imprrssrdi
Mr. Locke min Finish . Hah Done
Novel when lie t:ets Home.
William J Locke. the tall, pink faced
and retiring English novelist, entrusted
himself to the keeping of the record at
tempting MaIretania la~i Saturday after
noon. homewa-d and wO-k ward nodnd
after n several weeks exploring holiday
through unknown America II was all
Tor a holiday. all the exploration. with
positively no business eye oDen
Il wsite an American novel; exclaimed
MIR Locke in All axhast. heaven forbid
tone OF voice No. confess that I
shouldnt hav. the courage
Not thai there are not limitIes. oppOr-
tuniie- Of every description on every
hand; there are 40 many that they daz.
me Charleston. basking content eddy and
dreaming Of her past. Chicago. bust ling
and living IN her future San Francisco.
the cosmopolitan capital Of the Western
coast. and New York Then the
paophng of any OF these environments
The Chronicling OF New York's smart set
alone. unique institution. would he
worth many n volume.
You talk of the American novel Par
don me. hut the phrase Is stupid The
American novel would MI a library. a
chain OF libraries. II IL foolish TO speak
Of the novel expressing any national life,
and when the question il OF a national
life 50 complex as Americas IL 10 more
than foolish But the novelists here are
fortunate in the infinite range and variety
they have from which to choose their
pictures. their settings and their types
Though the English novelist would not
presume to attempt an American novel
Their. are conditions and types here which
il he should mediate a thing so rash
accent on the would appeal strongly
TO him.
There il the typo of young man so
often found here" he sad. and 40 i'm
possible TO the other side; the young
man born from a poor and lowly family.
but ambitious
He works at odd jobs goes to night
school keeps on working az odd jobs.
reads law when he can, works his way
through law school and AT last ~ al
mittsd 10 the bar He works on and in
ten years has won a comfortable living.
in twenty perhaps the zenith Of fame
Such a type. such a circnmst ancs is not
rarity with YOU: quite the reverse
indeed. with slight notifications; but in
the old country II could not b..
America il wonderful country
was amazed by It's unbounded possibii-
ties its undeveloped resources. con-
tinu-d the returned explorer. Every
thing il nut just begun. ana such a begin
nink. One wonders what will eventu ally
become of il all
New York. in the first place. which
most Europeans regard as America.
but isn't America at all. il a wonderful
place in itself In the eyes OF the world
New York il the capital of America an d
is s,upendous
San Francisco Is virtually the capital
of California and is quite as stupendous
in an entirely different way Chicago.
I think. is perhaps the most amazing
of all. the city Of stock yards would make
a fine setting for q story, and still its life
il but begun Then the great stretches
of country. the plains, the mountains.
the ayr; ulturally fed cities. the bIgnsS-
OF IL the promises for the future from II are
amazing have never been 40 impressed
~ hy the undsveloped resources Of this
country
we went vest from Chicago by the
northern route and then down along the
Pacific coast To IalifOrpia winch IL a
wonderland We returned by the south
ern route through New Orleans. another
individual setting. and H. picturesque a
one with its Creole background and
pretty traditions a. could ever ". met
with Atlanta with its live spirit Of
new and thriving commerce Charleston.
living on tine grandeur 81 its pa-'-they
are but few Of the interesting and
interesting landmarks Of my
trip.
The people everywhere wer" charm
ing. and charming IN many and "a
RED ways Yes. America Is a wonderful
and ! HOPE ] shall again -ome
tim. enjoy another holiday here
Tn. EnRli-h DovelIst returns home and
to the completion 81 a half done novel
II J.. a thing he has never done before.
gong far aii.ld and leaving a piec" ni
work half finished. and h- Is rather
waiting tn see how IN. ~ going
to pick IL up again in this instance
whether ne j. afraid 81 any ~ those
impressions creeping IN he
did not say
What ~ TO he the nature Of tn" new
nov.l'- he was asked.
oh it'--it 'S.--It's Just like the rest ~
them he replied illumlnatingiy.
And how do YOU characterize those,
But the retiring hammered Mr. Locke
became entirely too pink for pressing tn.
question Ia an answer.