Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-04-08

French and italian and was some
what Of a proficient in music and
drawing.
At a very early age she was noted
for her power Of extempore story
telling, and while still a mere child
was the author OF several essays"
on various subjects.
BY the time she was fifteen she was
q really fine writer. setting forth her
ideas In a remarkably pure and Wig
orous style, and In 1895, when only
twenty-one, she wrote the great nov
Of, Pride and Prejudice" The fol-
lowing year she wrote her second
great story, Sense and Sensibllity,"
and ''Northanger Abbey"
/ have called these books great"
and greet the world also calls them,
but they were considered anything
but great by the publishers Of that
time. They remained in manuscript
for many years. Publisher after pub
fisher rejected the mwhen offered
rejected them with the GOODNESS that
looked fearfully like scorn and con-
tempt. Finally a publisher gave fifty
dollars for one OF the stories, but
never published It. the manuscript
being finally bought back by the
author.
For thirteen or fourteen years Miss
Austen kept the stories locked up In
her desk, but she never lost heart,
never abandoned her faith in her
Ework, and in 1911 she set herself to
the task Of getting her books before
the public.
Their reception by the public was,
upon tho whole, encouraging, but it
was only by degrees that their full
merit was recognized. Indeed, Miss
Austen did not live to see the full
and complete triumph Of her genius.
Jane Austen deserves a place
among the great women OF history, /"
not because she wrote two or three
very able and inter sting novels. but
because she was the originator OF a
new departure in fiction, departure
that meant a great deal to the world
aside from its novelty.
Miss Austen was the creator OF the
novel on domestic life. She took the
homeiy facts OF middie-class England
and made them interesting to all the
people Of England and OF Europe.
She made her countrymen see that
there was a heroism in common life,
a beauty and a glory In the plain, or
binary Affairs OF the average home
circle.
Her characters are In no way dis
tjnguished, socially, intellectually or
otherwise. but are just plain, every
day British folk. doing their simple
duty without thinking OF anything
else. and the story OF these ordinary
people Is told by the author In a way
TO make It both interesting and profit
able to her readers.
1t Is, therefore, rs the novelist of
the great democracy that Jane Aus
ten comes In for her surest fame.
We call her great" because she was
liable to be such a novelist.
But back Of II all lay the greatness
OF her faith In herselfl 1t Is not an
Inspiring thing for one to have to
keep ones productions locked up III
the desk for fifteen or twenty years,
while publishers are turning down all
offers to give the public chance to
pass Its opinion upon their worth.
Hut Jane Austen believed In Jane
Austen's star--even when she could
not see h--even when 1t seemed to
have been hidden forever behind the
black clouds of defeat--and, watch
Ing 1t ever with the eye OF her soul.
she remained true to herself until
the world came round to her with
the recognition that belonged to her.
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