The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-11-21

1oA. LEWIS luSlSIS Cdidt NuiuAiSSoen 10
virgin soil for authors. He gave the
following .peppery interview to the
Minneapolis Journal Friday of last
week which will be read with interest
by many Herald readers:
Minnesota is bully stated de-
clared Mr.. Lewis This is our sec
ond winter here. That shows we like
it. Last winter it was St. Paula
delightful city. Now it is Minneapolis
even mose delightful. The tradi-
ticn of rivalry between the two cities
is must amusing. My opinion is they
secretly like each other very much.
Wonderful Minnesota!
"But Minnesotans are so compla-
cent about their wonderful state. They
muffie themselves in furs and roll
around in motorcars, but they never
notice Minnesota sunset, like fam
ling furnace. Or silver birches in No
vember. They are too comfortable
and prosperous to care for the beauty
and variety of their state.
"Last winter went to Star Island
in Cass lake, the guest of the forest
ranger. The island was hemmed in
by wall of ice. shall never forget
the snowy solemnity of those Norway
pines. There was visit to lumber
camp, one of the last of the old type,
and trip to the range with its most
interesting industrial conditions. Con-
trast all this with the wide fields, rich
farms and small town life of a doc
tors son in Sank Centre.
Finds Best Type of Americans.
"I chose Carl Erickson as the
hero, protagonist, whatever you call
him in the Trail of the Hawk be
cause he is typical young American.
Your second or third generation Scan
dinavian is the best type of Ameri-
can.
"These second generation Scandiva-
VANS are American in speech, Ameri-
can in appearance, save for faxen
hair and China blue eyes, and, thanks
to our fiagdecked public sch ools, they
are overwhelmingly American in ira
dition. The typical Americans of ear
lier stocks have moved into the city
palaces or are marooned on rundown
farms. The Scandinavians have come
to take their, places.
"They are the New Yankees, these
Scandinavians of Minnesota, Wlscor
sin and the Dakotas. They have mas
tered politics and vote for honesty
rather than handshakes. They make
keen scrupulous business deals. They
send their children through school
They accumulate land, one section,
boone Methodists and Congregation
two sections, or move into town and
alists, and are neighborly with Yankee
physicians and ministers and trades
man and in a generation they are
completely American. :,
minnesota people often ask me II
Joralemon is Sank Centre and if Plato
college from which Carl Erickson
was expelled for standing by dis
credited socialistic professor who was
trying to find new horizons for his
students, is Carleton college. DIS
tinctly not. ] have never been near
Carleton College in my life. Plato
college is typical of dozen colleges
in the middle west. wrote about 1t
because the Carls, Olafs and Adolphs
I PLAYED with when / was readhead-
ed lanky kid in Sank Centre, went to
them,
Middle West Virgin Field.
sTbe middle west is an untouched
field for the fiction writer. Quite VIZ,
Gin should say. Of course there are
Stories of the gold rush days, but nor
of Seattle for instance as an INDUS
trial city. There are Montana stores
of bucking bronchoes and cowboys In
chans. but Montana is primarily
farming country. Minnesota with its
history. with the romance of its IN
dustries of lumber and flour, Its MN
ars dock hands, mill,rs, foresters,
automobile men, Nonpartisan Lea
plers. politicians and hardIeaoed
Farmers. offers stunning opportunitles
to the writer. 49,,
.aThe reasons that the middle vest
does not figure IN hctlon are wv
First. middle westerners don't BUY
books. They buy country homes SIX
automobiles and four books. Fine TO-
the four authors. But how arc 'ne
other 100000 going to buy sseak'
shoes and typewriter ribbons! Like
that prophet fellow, the western au-
thor has some salutary experiences ln
his own country. People say, we
know him. He's just one of US. We
know everything he knows. Tell us
about New York
Young Writer! Shun New York.
aThat brings me to the second rea-
son for the failure of middle western
fiction. The young writer makes q
poetic pilgrimage to New York. he
meets lot Of other optimistic rebels
who are trying to find out where tne
world is going and why and when ana
how. He makes friends. He never
comes back to the middle west. .
envy advice to the young writer is
4o, awav from New York, where