The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-06
FIEGAN RICE:
AN APPRECIATION

.NTHEN Alice Hesan's school days
w and her earliest grlhood were
over. she ionged to go to Paris
TO study at some famous art school, for
she had then, as she has now, very
clever hand This plan. however, she
relnquished for the sake OF her father
and mother. II was an only daughter"
she says. quite simply. "They needed
me. II wouldn't have been right for me
to GO
Never dreaming Of the future that
awaited her, Alice Hogan sat down one
day and wrote. Her subject was a poor
but merry. phllosophic woman. living In
neglected quarter. out near the rail-
road tracks, in the southern part OF the
city. This woman had long been the
recipient OF the give away bag" kept
by Mrs. Hogan and her daughter, bag
which stands to her friends az a symbol
OF Mrs. Hogan, who has always been
full NJ the spirit OF helpfulness and who
likes nothing better than to give. The
story was not Just so story nor was
it a photograph. exact from head to toe
but In turth q development ~ the origl-
nal The merry woman served as "A nu-
cleus: the rest was all Alice Hogan, with
every good fairy IN attendance.
II has been generally thought, and
said In many papers. that the story was
her very first writing and was done with
no sort OF preparation. This is dis
tnctly mistake. All her lie long the
girl had sctibbled. and when l6 years ~
age had published in the Louisville
Courier-Journdl companion piece to
The Reveries OF "A Bachelor" she called
II The Reveries OF Spnster" and pub
lished II anonymously, bringing many
letters 10 the paper and making quite
stir amid certain spnsters. She had
contributed also to the humorous papers
~ New York and written short stories
for several OF the minor periodicals
Mrs. Wigs" however, was her first at
tempt at a long and sustained piece OF
work
The manuscript was read one rainy
saturday morning to a little group OF
ardent young women. which called Itself
with a courage half gay and half iron
zeal. The Authors Club OF Louisville"
At that time it boosted no real author
but the following was the roster of the
club Evelyn Snead Barnett, Alice He
gan Rice. Ellen Churchill Semple. George
Madden Martin. Annie Fellows John
ston. Frances Caldwell Macaulay. Alb
bic Mcclure Reach. Eva A. Madden.
Mary Finley Leonard. Venta Sebert
White. Margaret Van der Cook and
Margaret Anderson. This club meant
nothing AZ the time. but II means now
such stories as Mrs. Wigs" and "Mr,
OPP" Emmy Lou" The Lady OF the
Decoration" and the Little Colonel
Books" II means also such work as
Mrs Reach's studies of married life,
which rendered a year OF Hdrper's very
memorable. and such achievement In
anthropogeography as has made Ellen
Sempie q name on two continents and
a lecturer Al oxford and Cambridge.
Ht In aet
scientific societies. To this little club
was read this little story-and the C'gb,
as a body became the very figure OF
laughter. literally holding both us sides.
The story was published by the Cen
fury Company In october, 1901, and
that next summer, as somebody put H.,
every tourist had II sticking up out
OF his pocket" The hour had struck
for the change. Alice Hogan was now
to be Alice in Wonderland.
on December Is, 1902, she was mar
ried TO Gale Young Rice. poet and dra-
matist. and from this time on their life
has been a succession of happy years.
These have been broken sometimes BY
severe illness and sometimes by natural
griefs but on the whole have constituted
delightful and wonderful period. Mr..
Rice Is as well known In Europe as at
home his work has been honored bV
sucn men hS pNioIu r'nolhrs ana saw
ants OF India, while In Japan he has
found particular favor by reason OF his
deep understanding and poetic interpre-
tation OF the Oriental spirit and ideals.
Complementary In many respects, these
two have found that rare thing a mar
ried friendship. and together they have
seen the big world. its glory, its beauty
and it's terrors,
Meanwhile the little book has gone
everywhere. II have travelled" said
Louisville man. "all over the coal re-
gions OF West Vlrginia-and In huts
where they didn't have a Bible found
they had a copy OF Mrs. Wigs" In
village OF Corea, II 10 said, there Is