Evening journal., 1911-05-10
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Book That Won a
BiOGrapber a Bride
By Holland"

Yesterday I told the story of how
an obscure writer on Nathaniel p.
Willis's Home Journal''-James
Parton-made himself famous as
biographer by writing an anecdotal
life of Horace Greeley I'm the middle
hfties when the name and deeds Of
the great Whig editor were on the lips
Of every American, North and South.
My authority for the story was Par
tons friend, Henry b. Stanton, hus-
band OF Elizabeth Cady Stanton; and
Mr. Stanton is also authority for the
story told here OF how his life Of
Greeley won Parton a bride.
81 had the story from the lips Of
the lady who became Parton's wife
the year after his life of Greeley was
published-t the widowed sister Of
Nathaniel P. Willis" said Mr. Stanton.
'She was then Sara Eldridge in pri-
yate life. though known from one end
Of the country to the other as Fanny
Fern Up TO the time Of the appear
ance of Uncle Toms Cabin. Fanny
Fern stood pre-eminent among Amer
ican women authors. her sketches I'm
the New York Ledger bringing her IN
a handsome yearly income
Not long after James Parton had
seen his life OF Greeley leap into in
stant popularity. winning him a
permanent place among American
biographers, Fanny Fern visited her
brother at his estate, 'Idlewild.' near
Newburg, n. Y. There she met for
the first time James Parton. an old
employe of her brothers. and friend.
Naturally, the subject Of Parton's
success came up in the ordinary
course Of conversation-the book was
the talk Of the day-and the poets
sister evinced a lively interest in the
manner in which the material had
been collected for the life. Parton
had spent weeks travelling all over
New Hampshire. Vermont and Penn
sylvania interviewing persons who
bad known Greeley I'm the days Of his
obscurity, and Fanny Fern became 80
interested I'm Partons story Of his
travels that she laughingly declared
10 him that II he wrote a book en-
titled How Wrote My Life Of
Greeley she believed IT would be
quite as popular as the life itself
Thus Parton entertained the fam
GUS Fanny Fern. whose collected
sketches sold over one hundred
thousand copies before tho sale drop
ped off, while she. in turn. found Par
ton deeply interested in her stories Of
her own career-how, for example,
after the death of her husband she
was IN such straightened circum-
stances that she decided to open a
sewing school. venture which was
not very profitable Then. one day.
she wrote out a little sketch and sent
It to a newspaper, which published It
and sent her dollar But Il was
not the pay that Impressed Fanny
Fern. II was the fact that she found
the little sketch copied into q great
number Of newspapers; and. Judging
from this that she had struck a popu-
lar chord. she went on her way writ
Ing, and so wrote herself into fame.
Tn this way, and over Partons
Life of Greeley as " were. the court
ship Of the two writer's began. And
when their betrothal was made n was
mutually agreed that each should go
on as he or she had gone on IN the
past-that each would maintain a sep
arate literary identity That agree
ment was perfectly kept, neither in
terfering i'm the slightest degree with
the others literary work And their
married life was ideal and II was ideal
because Mr. and Mrs James Parton
were one. while James Parton. biog-
rapher, and Fanny Fern, popular au-
thor, were two entirely different
persons
Copyright. 1911. by Y J Edwards
All rights reserved. ,
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards viii tell Of
sThe Messages Of Confidence that Kept