The Washington times., 1919-10-30
WROTE FIRST POEM
AT THE AGE OF 8

An interesting commentary on the
llife of Mrs Wilcox is found in ex-
cerpts from her autobiography. She
sets forth in this that at the age of
eight years she began to compose
prose and rhyme She writes:
"My early literary outlook was not
one which would encourage most as
pirants. My family had left a COM
Portable, even a luxurious home for
those days, in Vermont, to seek for
tune in the new West-Wisconsin-
before the year of my birth.
vi had no literary advisers or
coachers. My parents were intellec-
Sual; my mother was a great reader
of whatever came in her way, and was
possessed of a wonderful memory.
The elder children were excellent
scholars, and grammatical error
was treated as a cardinal sin in the
worldly goods and knowledge and
customs, a solitary intellectual aristo-
Gratis of the locality.
Had Few Books.
"We had only a few books and a
weekly newspaper. In an old red
, chest upstairs were religiously pre-
U
| Knight 'Gulliver's Travels John
T, Gilpin's Ride and a few of Shakes
peare's plays. The New York Ledg-
er and The New York Mercury were
sent to US by relatives for. several
years, and the first literary piece l
| indulged in were the weekly serial
stories of Mrs. Southworth and May
Agnes Fleming.
They were like tobasco sauce to
the notwithstanding but not
healthful. They gave me false ideas
of like and added to my discomfort
| with my lonely environment. There
| was nothing in my situation to culti-
vate poetical talent, and 1 do doubt
eve my early development as poet
| to that tfact-paradoXical as the state
| ment may seem.
Born with intense cravings for
pleasure, / should have been the veri-
est amusement seeker In my youth,
| hau not necessity stood at my elbow,
Whatever genuine talent we possess
must reveal itself in time; but my
! early start in my profession was due
| to my desire to change and enlarge
my horizon and better the conditions
Of the home, where no one was con-
! tented.
Completes First Novel,
| AT the age of nine, completed a
novel of eleven chapters headed with
original rhymes.
During my thirteen yearslThe New
| York Mercury ceased to come to us
L missed it's weekly visits with an
intensity scarcely to be understood
by one who has not known the same
lonely surroundings and possessed the
| same temperament. There was not
money enough floating around in
| those times to permit a subscription
to The Mercury, and if l were to pos
| sess 1t L knew l must obtain a long
| list of subscribers which would be
a difficult and laborious understand
| ing, or earn it by my pen.
| Il resolved to try. But fearing
failure l did not want the family to
know of my venture. / wrote two
| essays-just what the subjects were
l have forgotten. How to post my
letter was the next question. / often
acted as mail carrier, riding to the
postoffice, five miles away, on my
graceful single footer, Kitty, in COM
pany with a school mate. Alice Ellis,
who possessed Shetland pony.
Hits On Strategcm.
"While 1 could post a letter un-
known TO my family, the stamp had
first to be obtained, Finally l de-
cided on stratagem. ! was CORES
ponding with a young girl, several
years my senior, who was in the
freshman class at Madison University.
| confided in her. inclosed the Mer-
curry letter. and assured her she
would be reimbursed for the stamp
when we next met. l would save my
pennies for that purpose.
Jean posted my letter and watch
ed the newsstand for results. Two
months later, long after had reIin-
quished all hope, she wrote me that
my essays had appeared. Whereupon
| ] wrote a stern reproof to the editor
for not sending me the paper, at least
as pay for my work il he could af-
ford no other remuneration. Shortly
afterward a large package OF back
numbers of the New York Mercury
came addressed to me through the
country postoffice."
A tribute to Mrs. Wilcox IL made
by Ella Giles Ruddy in Mrs Wilcox's