The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-14
UTF1ORS AND THEIR WORK-LATE NEWS OF BOO<LANT
SOME OF SAMUEL MERWINS
EXPERIENCES AND METHODS
EADERs Of Samuel Merwin's new

- EADERS OF samuel Merwins new
novel, Anthony the Absolute"
|, - who, mindful Of his THE Citadel"
"A, for a preachment primarily, may be
ARRESTED to learn why they are destined
a, look In vain. The author did have q
az, In mind, protest against the
souble standard OF morality for the sexes.
,hsn he bcgan talking over the theme
18th a member of the Century Com.
,sny his publishers. The latter satd.
sN course YOU can't write book With
Al, preaching" And thereupon Mr.. Msr.
gin resolved to- show him.
Ne did show him, and many others
..s,des Anthony the Absolute" IL 80
|. rpch Of STORY" all the way through
rat not until the reader has finished 1t
aoes he realize how much ''puip pose has
Ssen steadily altering through the pages
Mr. Merwtn has "A right to be proud OF his
engagement in so artfully and artist!caiiy
,loaklng his deadly intent For that Is no
EASY achievement. As he said. the other
, Jay: 49,, g..
,oea said that no man can write novels
untn he ia 80. That up TIL that age his
Impressions, feelings and conviction are
ali muddlpd. and he himself doesn't know
vha, he really Is trying to do what he
-eally Is doing"
Then Mr. Merwin confessed that his
own fortieth birthday IL staring him In
N. face And he told some OF the hetero-
,enles that have gone to make up his
experience up to the present. when he
Aad Just returned from trip to Europe,
vr Nerwin's personality radiates sim
o,ri,y, kindness and humanity fer
vent interest In all human relations. Per-
,,ps contrasts In his temperament were
,,dlcated at the time OF the interview.
Is the serious looking shell trimmed
g.ctaces and the decorative fuiurist
covered neckte which he wore. He
made the following revelations.
Fifteen years ago. when in his early
,senties. he was writing double barrelled
rcnances. such as Calumet X" writ
IN in collaboration with Henry Kitchell
webster and which achieved the 100. 900
mark Then he went stale. About seven
Years ago. realizing the human interest
story IN China's setting about to legis-
hs aga inst the manufacture and sale OF
cplum contracting to change the habits
md morals OF a fair percentage OF the
worlds population. he went out to China
70 investigate the matter from all sides
and to write some articles about 1t for
success Mogd-inc.
lie say. tina, when he had spent a few
DAYS IN Shanghai and realized the job he
had on his hands he was about ready TO
.lIp quietly overheard and never be heard
ron again. No one seemed to know any
hing definite about the opium business.
but every body knew something vague and
different from what everybody else knew.
81, he engaged cook and an interpreter,
rho proved to know no English. and
undertook a journey up to Pekin and
Enough some Of the interior. He had ad-
ventures a-plenty. enough to have fur
l.shed the backbone OF several stories al
-ssdy and ~ yet barely touched unon
md talked to every one who could talk to
in. As a result. he says, of being there
A. the time he thinks he knew more about
TIE opium business than any one else In
he world.
He came bach home wrote his findings
ard then proceeded to forlet about China.
re started to run a magazine and. as IL
.rs.ty we'll known. that leaves a man lit
le opportunity for focusing on anything
save the business directly In hand.
He didn't think OF China again dei-
'tsly until the magazine busted" him.
is often happens to magazine promoters
here came a time when he had to sit
down and think over his stock of re-
sources. lie thought Over his whole past
rom his SINGING In an Illinois choir to the
Chinese experiences and In the light Of
necessity the last seemed TO have more
marketable possibilities than any OF the
rest II. was amazed himself when he
v'A'u u0ueT the stratum OF surface I'M
2essous and discovered how much from
hose Chinese days had lodged and stored
tel quietly away. experiences. color,
IMPRESSIONS OF people and places. He be-
gar lifting some OF 1t out and wrote the
Miss Austin" series which ran In Nc
clures Magazine with unusual success
He was still stepped In the atmosphere
o. the East when he began to plan AN
'hory the Absolute" In telling how he
"t about working out the story Mr.. Mer-
Win druls'd his ideas concerning the
noyAl.sts craft.
! wanted to write a story OF protes;
against the double standard OF morality
.sans' the notion that women should not
rave as much freedom In ordering their
YES - n-n but | wanted to set the
rne IN China, Here arose the difficulty
10y only of finding him a mission which
ras interesting enough to him to take
Am 70 China, but which would be In.
t'esing 70 the readers as well.
poight ~ making him a scientist, bu,
10 must he after some kind OF material
aa., in Itself, would make for Interest.
NOW, for a long time I've been In.
e'est,a In musical science theories. the