The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1921-10-20

f the author Of "Maln Street" blu
ertain facts connected. with his lif
nd early surrour,i' gs and infiuen
es which may help them in tnei
Judgment of his work. She write
hat the father of the young autho
las been the family physician in nc
household for 30 years, which shou.
ring her fairly closely home to tn
subject under discussion. Her letJe
ollows:
MY Dear Mr.. Pierce:--In iook-
ing over your paper l noticed al,
article on the novel main Street.
and the criticisms you have about
the author, Sinclair Cor as he is
better known to his friends, Har-
ry) Lewis.
In the first place you have evil
IDENTIFY been misinformed as to
the town called "Main Street"
No doubt everyone who has read
the book considers ''Main Street"
to be Sank Centre, Minnesota.
Such, however, is not the case.
The author, as a rule, has always
taken Minnesota as the favorite
state on which to base his stories.
No doubt you know the average
small towns, and l am not taking
exception to that, but when one
reads in your article that Sinclair
Lewis spent a few brief vaca-
tions in a certain midwestern
country village" one is inclined
to think that you have not taken
the time to inquire into Mr.. Lew
is past life.
Mr.. Lewis was raised in that
"midwestern village Whether
he was born there or not, l would
not say, but I could easily find
out. His father, by the way, is
our family physician, and has
been for over 80 years. His
mother died when he was
small boy, his stepmother pass
ing away early this summer.
AS to that village" Sank
Centre is charming little city
of some 5000 inhabitants. It is
situated on the shores of Sank
Lake, and is a thriving little city
in every respect. The "Home
School for Girls" is located there.
This school is for the delinquent
girl, and is under the supervision
of Mrs. Fannie French Morse, a
woman of nationwide reputation
as one of the ablest women to
superintend institutions of this
kind.
In conclusion, / want to say
that Mr.. Lewis graduated from
the high school of Sank Centre,
later entering on of the big east
ern universities believe Har-
vard-although I would not say
for certain. Indeed, there is no
need of Mr.. Lewis "to buy a home
in a small town." since for the
greater part of his life he lived
in a small town. Sank Centre is
just IL miles east of ,Westport,
on the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern railways.
Very truly yours,
'ELMA M. SMITH
'Westport, Minnesota
81 believe that Mr.. Lewis has state
somewhere, in reply to his critic
hat he was not seeking to portra
he whole life of the average sma
own and that he was only seeking
loid up to ridicule what he styles tn
too puritanical and. Indifferent att
ude' of the small town mind towar
'eople and ideas that do not conforr
o the village standards and practi
es. He held that the artist has tn
'rivelege of exaggeration and tina
o be effective he must strike hard a
ne point and not, as the saying goes
tempt to cover too much territory
ike most purpose novelists, he wa
ttachng, or imagined he was, an Gin
which in this instance wa
he opinion of the small town. Lik
1any other writer's and speakers, al
o, he might have done it in an en-
rely different manner, in the toler
rant spirit of playful humor, for in
lance, with which iona Gale oftel
epicts the same village life. TIL
arm or injustice which such stor,