The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-19
BOOTH IARKINGTON'S START
DtT 10 ms SISTER tFTER
fIIE iItRS or Rf.JEt FfONS.
e Monsieur BraucaIre" Onr of the STORIES
the Publishers Wouldn't Print How
Ia, >s,ris 6Sow An Unpublished
Poem D., James Nhiteonib Rliey.

the Publishers " o,ii,inT Print How
Ia, >o,ris 6yo~ An Unpublished
Poem IN James Mhiteomb Rliey q.
Booth Huntington. who il usually jolly
and ready with "a story. was discovered at
the lcott the other day moody. morose
and unCommuniCntIv". Not even "A ref
errnce to the success uf his new play be-
fore PoUghkeep.ge audience the night
before s'.-m"d -chc-r him audit was some
minutes h"for" = reporter could ascertain
th. C1,i-. Il his depression
lt'- "a headline writer. the author I'm
ally confessed some tim" ago | was
asked whether the conscience of the aver
age woman was a. sensitive a. that Of the
aVerag" man. and having just been read
ing about m" arrest or exposure of women
who had been attempting To evade the
payment OF customs duties. in an un-
'Iard,-i moment | answered No. II
was woman reporter who was inter
viewing me- and she made me say more
than | actually did Then the headline
writer got II that | had declared that
women Were l,.s, moral than men.
by the tim" this got ont To Indiana the
papers had mo quoted "a saying that all
have been charging me with all the I'M
desirable characteristics in the calendar
even tn seniiiiy.
MY sister - largely chnrgeab BILE with the
responsibility for my being before the
public said MIR. Harrington. though !
will admit that tried Ia ri enough in my
own way I" get there. In fact, il it had
not been thar my sister Interested herself
so actively IN my behalf should proba bly,
not have succeeded in getting anything
published Ia TIM day.
4 had five wears Il the common expert
enc" Of sending manuscripts around from
one publisher To- another and getting them
back without - much as IA blue pencil
-crawl 81 Not available. even though AZ
'ime- | took th" trouble to answer the
printed -lp that came back with the
manuscript even tried play. but could
R.t noh"dv 10 listen To II
The first ambitious thing ! wrote was
Monsieur B..auCalr" though ~ was only
OF ipu,I words. When four or five pub
Usher, had declined II put II away and
then wrut" The Gentleman From Ind-
ana.
About the. tam. finished this my sis
ter cam" East. Through snme literary
friends ,he had got a letter Of introduction
70 a New York publisher. and she took TO
him the manuscript 81 Monsieur Beau-
cairo The publisher read II but did
not accept IT, though he said he would
Ink" to read the manuscript Of The Cen
'leman From Indiana He was the first
publisher To- see that and h. accepted it
During th"-, Eve years sent out more
than one story that | would have been
glad ~ sell merely for the pleasure 81
4.-.'lug II ~ print. One publisher To whom
| offered story during that period after
ward PAID me pretty good price for II.
II may he imagined that during fiv.
years 81 almost steady writing accumu-
lated good sized stock Of manuscripts
All ~ th.-. aftarward rewrote and sold.
They had all been rejected -ucces-ively
hy various magazines.
I tired one On local publication called
~. F'iorsr HissIoH Mug,i<in.. which was
print.d once y year and was soliciting
ir,.o CoutrInIt .pfr~ Tn" editor Of u was
the present MIR Harrington. and she
zee. .If-t 'u" story. though a. the time |
" 49, hardly known 80 her
~ ! think that all manuscripts that
ar. sent e., mag IIne- are read. and every
mlgl2,ue ,.f'c" - genuinely looking for
auyi max that 10 f.-,- would To printable
nee .n'I' ''' 'fTt'l"-T~. III ivy bIillllbU. MT"
nu-c..n'IuI- and Intelligent too. but
| think they expect 4 particular sort Of
merit and r"adl 1Iene~S, and n manu-
script TIA, i at AL startling - pretty apt
tu - neglected
I don mean 10 say there was anything
p1rttcIlrly original or startling about
'Th.. Gentleman From Indiana for after
al tn. theme wa not novel But SPEAK
lug generally. anything very different
from what IN. uffic' reader expects. or
orlglu1! j. apt % -tartl" | once had a
magazine. reject o. story because ] said
man kissed = woman on the neck. and
that Wa o,us,i er.'i Vulgar. Different
publi-nor- have their own rules about
what proper IA a story.
10 lad my surroundings make dif
ference IA NV ability - ~r,te' D"cid
rdly nnnno' vr.t" near a window that
iook- Out upon pr.'ty landscape. ! am
easily distracted and -"iZ.' any excuse To
stop
AZ Hr-t ! hnv. difficulty IN -iicking 10
on" piece. e worN for ~ much a. AN hour.
br' - I get IN toward ia. end am apt
80 NrIf- - much - =" gh'..n hours day.
I usually max" an outline. hut n - almost
uur"ly mental ! can writ" IN N" town
h"it.r than 10 ~. country. and found