The sun., 1919-07-20
literary Lights Reflected in Traditions of Washington Squar
Some of Their Best
Works Inspired
by the Bohemian
Atmosphere in
Which w riters
Found Delight


Of $1,000 was imposed upon any one
r,bo .hou,d give one-one-half to be
daduoted IL the sinner told on himself.
Again In Ninth street was another
home Of the seemingly ubiquitous Mrs.
Botta, and in the same thoroughtare
was the house OF the actress VINO -
remembered as the first sweetheart Oh
Tom Moore, who was the lndlrect
cause Of all the trouble at the bre-
WORT ball; and there too was one
time abode of William Cullen Bryant,
who wrote of it as being near the
home of Irvins's friend Brevoort. Al
numbers 10 and Fl West Ninth street
there was, not so long ago, little
Franco Spanish American hosiery
known as the Hotel Griffou. There
once the late Thomas A. Janvier lived
and studied the odd types that he in
troduced into his stories OF the Ener-
anti family. William Deaa Howells
frequently dined there and described
the restaurant and the little box-like
outdoor terrace in "a Hazard OF New
Fortunes" and from time to time Ed
mund Clarence Stedman and Richard
Watson Glider and Richard Henry
Stoddard made their way there.
Then the older and more sedate
writing men drifted away, and to
carry on the laughter and literary talk
at the tables came younger group,
known as the 'Griffou Push" OF whom
conspicuous member was josiah
Flynt, who lived by choice the curious
vagabond life that was responsible
for such books as "Tramping With
Tramps" and 1.-The Rise Of Roderick
Clowd- and Powers That Prey" the
last named written in collaboration
with another member Of the Push"
Alfred Holder.
Where Phillips Found Success.
In a three story red brick structure
OF Washington Square, South, between
| Sullivan and Macdougal streets,
David Graham Phillips was living
when he wrote THE Great God Sue
cess" and there he laid many of the
scenes of a tale that was In some re-
spects photographed. From the In
side he knew the boarding house with
the high stopp on the steps of which
the boarders gathered of summer eve-
nnigs to watch the children Of many
nations play in the Square. In imi-
tation of the Pension Nauquer Of Ho-
more de Balzac's famous "Pere Goriot."
in the Sands Boarding House, a now
lodger began by taking the best rooms.
Then, slowly or swiftly as the case
might be, came the social and financial
disintegration, marked by ascending
step from story to story until the
eubby hole under the caves was
reached.
1 I'D 80 hA
step by which Phillips passed from
newspaper work to novel writing. II
was n step that many Of his closest
friends deplored and advised against.
pointing out that it was giving up a
comfortable position in journalism for
the uncertainties OF fiction, and calling
1t spelling a good newspaper man to
make a poor novelist" That 1t was
a step requiring courage Is indicated
by the fact that Phillips $ only pereept-
ible resources at the time were two ar
ticles that had been accepted ny
weekly publication but not yet paid
for.
On the north side of Tenth street to
the east of Sixth avenue is the old
Studio Building, which, since the days
when Henry II Tuckerman lived there,
and there wrote some Of his later VOL
umes, including THE Criterion" and
the Book of the Artists" has housed
many men Of letters, either aspiring
or arrived, and which has been intro
duced again and again as a scene OF
fiction, for example by f. Hopkinson
Smith in Felix ODay.' and by Rob
ert W. Chambers in The Common
Law" But just across the street is a
structure, or rather remnant Of
structure that Is even more interesting.
Back of No. 5S West Tenth street was
a frame building that served as the
studio of Abbey, as the meeting place
of the old Tile Club; that played a part
in Brander Matthews's THE Last
Meeting" and was a background OF
Colonel Carter Of Cartersville." IAN
old fashioned partly furnished, two
story house, nearly a century old.
which crouChed down behind the larger
and more modern dwelling fronting on
the street" was the accurate descr.p-
ton in the tale.
II was there that Col. Carter resided
during that period OF his life when he
was in New York for the purpose of
trying to interest the agents of Brit
'S'' - - AZ q lbAAlpAl bNlltiIlS
which would have given easy accesa to
the Atlantic seahoard to some OF Vir-
ginia's very FIRST families, The street
in the story was called Bedford Place,
and the spot was indicated as being
within a stones throw of tho tall clock
tower of the Jefferson Market The
slret-@ entrance to this curious abode
, was marked by a swinging wooden
gate, Just the kind OF gate that is to
be found to-day where one enters the
nearby Milliken Place from Sixth ave-
nue. Just above Tenth street. The Bed
ford Place gate opened into a narrow
! tunnel, which lodged under the front
house. at was an uncanny sort Of
! passageway, moldy and wet from a
long neglected leak overhead, and
! lighted at night by a rusty lantern
with dtngy glass sides"
/ When the Tile Club ffourished. and
made merry ashore and afioat this
, quaint bic OF local color existed prao-
! tioaIly as It had been some eighty
/ years before. when It was an outpost
. of Greenwich Village, Then Maitland
, Armstrong, the owner OF the modern
: front house, was moved 20 remodel and
, add TO his own dwelling, and part of
! the old structure had TO go. The en-
] trance and the eastern half OF the
) white frame building In the rear, where