The sun. [volume], October 17, 1914, SECOND SECTION LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, Image 17

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916

Image provided by: The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation

                
SECOND SECTION
eight" RAGES
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1914. crvrig-i,t, ih, b tu, vrmtmu ..mi nMiM..tf ,u...w..no...
HABITS-AND THE
LACK OF THEM! AND
THE ART OF WRITING
THEIR WORK TOUCHES MANY DIFFERENT THEMES
! '
re
I f.
HI-
writer, write violently for n tlttie. rind
what I haw written and tear i up. This
goes on Indefinite 1 . Mcnnwhlle I smoke
cigars wiiuout counting lliem until :it lnt
I think to myself "I ,im smoking too
much " T'ii m I smoke soul, cigarettes.
About " o'clock, becoming hungry for j
the Mrs! time during the entire dny, I
hive tin and iim spiced cuke. After
thai I feel In lit-,. I on nut on tne puri'h ,
.llirl Sllilil.nlv .,,wml...i flt.it 1 tin ti..t tiln
until about 3 but that ' enough exercise. I'.iery ot tell tne that j
ii is true. I nuiii exercise, nut 1 say to 1
myself: "I must excelse. I.e. aiise It will
make me fee) muie like working-" So I '
take n Utile wall;, thinking constantly
about my work, nbnit the bail writing I
havn done and the way to Improve It. And .
after t haw walked a little wa I think I
have discovered whiil Iihk 1m en the)
trouble. That exciter me. 1 till 11 mound, ,
hun home .mil write rapidly until It Is
time to get read) fo- dinner. '
l: thl lnt woik hn gone well 1 ninny I
it, 1. 1, h i m in: M iinit to.N.
i i none personally i necci
. urn uleep, but If 1 don't set
fi. 1on and pretend that I
mil .m usual--. Hid no doubt
i ! hot in the morulUK. t
i' i'. i i; what 1 plcurr, as I
take nothing hut tea
1 Inn I cnt u Aery light
i if fle hours work. Ho
- i .i n a In) a. isslhlc and
whatever. A to en
1 i , i co to some new place
i nf work, eo that my
. iu ili'tineted for a moment
i.i'iotis. llrnldc, there Is
g M-w to lenin and se dur-
m -s,ril,- devoted to recre
. , i.. -ile to me t, I should
I -.ttled down luxuriously In
iiji I etii) give this personal
w.nt It I worth. If writers
.'K ..lualltv enough to evolve
ii. !h.i.l ndilce won't do them
authos. or
On. I II...I ... 1.-. ... t
out P. dinner, no that 1 cannot work In j Person w," familiar part of
the evening and 1 am consequently very ' 1 he A'101";1 " "re V, !r 1,
much annoyed. 1 say to my wife: "We telephone. He Minimi au-ld ctiue, and
must not dine out so ninth: It I terrible I "' 0!h, r human sodity. until hi i
for my work!" Hut If tin work has gone I ''one
badly, whleh It ustinlly hn. I find tint we ...... .IT". t
M I.I V stiii:i:t. I nie dining alone at home, whereupon I " 1 "MIM.
,,ii..tlon about my habits as j uk at b r necu-ingly nnd ny: "It seems i The work method of the literary
in on- miner mini nnee inai wuen 1 aru , worker are a uivcrsiueu a ine linger
r." -v
ns
Ii'
y
.y
.a"
1 .' f
ti n
1 e;i ng and recreation In con-
m work embarralnir. I11
1 etiiKirriiMlnK twice over.
't 1, , mbnrraMcd becau.e I did
.n w-at my habit were, and then
iulit them out and realized
m ir I was more embarrased
blue tmd dlBeouraKcd about my work we ; print of the erond tory worker.
tide and Set 1
habit, the habit -with
i--f . t. the habit of IrrtBU-
. 1 line. 1 want to bo regular,
t h.m been lmpolble for me
-eKid.irity or nnythlnK llko It.
1 tri.n. I oan keep enpnBe
1 1 not arrive at other people'
I dinner, but there my re
I .iv till with lnenrejiK-
' r I am pixuadel that the
ltaliac wrote hi novelH In the garb
of a monk and Mark Twain wrote his
In bed.
Kohert IamiIm Steveiinon loathel
t'hateauhrl.ind and I'lerie l.o.l wn
Ohate.iuhrland'i" literary heir.
Au attempt Ii- compare the workday
n
cannot dine out once In
i'hcrf, up a little
I think that upon the wlmle the lt
work 1 do I done after dinner at tilcht.
I feel more alive generally a nlRht come
on. A It urow. later am! the houe be
comes quiet 1 feel that 1 am KettliiR on.
I become enthusiastic. All of n sudden I method of writer can only result
uiscover inai it is 1 or ; n tue morn ni:. ..i.o, f-,.-Hnn i,o r.iiw nun ir e
been strucclInK since I ' want to keep on. but I say to myself. "If The future man. s.i.n Mr IMIson. will
... .V. J , rr,.l '! nl ",Kht 1 hh:.1 not b- ,U ." I spend les time In bed Willie MtzR.b-
mm in tne morninE. o I r-o upstairs to i,otuli ,,-ho dnllv eell ribbons, winds his
bed. Hut whi n I tet In bed and turn out j ttj.irm co?k and slides Into hi laven
the llRht Wautlful sentences becln to form I ,VTt thanklnc III I'ower that hi
themselves In my mind. All my dlillcnl-; lot lK .,, ,utll ,.ntctit.
ties of the day seem to be swept nway Y,.t Confucius and Wilbur WrlKht Ivoth
I say to my. If: I y (leorrre. 1 can write! i f whom llrlp0(i. to tur ,,. hpart out
There s no doubt nlKiut It' Then a the war,i woui(1 hlllH welcomed such nn era
M,".,I'!r,f V1 "yn ep comlnp I say: 1 N-Hpo'eon allotted lilnifelf a minimum
"TnilM llml if Vltlm n-...i'l .4., I .tuikl ' . ... .....
i i i- in. n culiir In nil i . . i , . ... i, . V .. ." amount or fcleep nnil llooevelt is a'.w is
: r..J-r.,.r!K," l. I Pt . I tiiii.il ' Hut I can't. So :l,..nu at the crow Inc hour. Thellronto
i
rr
M r ' m '
t. ih ! r
!. i -
eirh '
' , I.,-'
r f ' '
A-
t
'
?
i
fd '
fTt -
t-'r'. ' i
t'f' i
!!'.
t- , t
r' iip e
-nt .
e t
c'
V) .
ii
f
K
I..
( "
11 ,
lit '
4 . t i
T '
Vi- ,
1 .
. li n.ilte hour In the morn
. n the countiy there Is a
it The foot of my bed, from
t ie . arly mornlmr Hutu. This
.1.1 i u.1. oi,ii ' ' .. : . awtiKK at tne croninir nour.
ii , .lnd h mself more. . . ' m",lr,",'u 'inVP 1 ca"r"t , -Islers were addicted to the sleep habit
I'll and linn mmseii man !,,.. i mav as well mnrove mv time. , . ,.. , , ,..
,, . , . ami ioiioi wit uiir-i m-i iiKiLi.ii-i. r.u
Then I llpht my bedside lamp and read , lurw ,, 00,,,nlr,? ;i :,.n.
-omethlliK. Mmt of my readmp Is done, If , fof, a ,,1(lk of hylcnl rfr,eency
In bed. There Is no luxury like It. , and wwer take what you have and
It l. not nlwn exactly like that. Home- ... ' , , ,, ,,vi.i,k-
flrn T ift tft lu A Yw 1 nml in ilmm liv I 1 ....
... - ! ' .-.' v-,. . hah. mill In.l th it '1 fi.tir.llil tullt'flr
,- Honn tlmes to rise miner i t Oyiook. Sometlmej It I 2. 1 should
..r early I mean. say. or My t,mt lmfl be,.n my aVeraKO hour dur
If I hao been up late the . m, thp ,ast yeAT
h.iwever. 1 have learned tol ... flf)1, tn u , rhnni.r ln th, r(.,p.t s
eve,- a chair so a to shield , j Brow ,ior. At t us(.n to thlnU t
..n, the direct llKht. Then needed nine hours sleep. Now nt S5 I
w.ike up. If I am very tired h(1f.Vo , can on nfJ av,.raK,.
i-it!l half past 0 or IP. I of M-ven or seven ntid a half hours, t
,! thlnir 1 (ret up feellntr t.refl i neV(r ,nke n nap un, nm actu.,u,. .
have an appetite lor nreaR-; j m,15t VPrv nl na,,(, ifpre I ceae to
''
Ynv ii "pi m i ' 1 1 iii.il i mi im i in n 'i
ip sat., -bmmmtm m mmrs
r -yarns'- y , TMMrr'ait i mr-
Kifil 11t .'I
qTAWES
-VVM 1 "3 'COM U
N1CHQLGON,
nuTxoii or
THE IOUT"
IIOUCUTQI4
Mirri.m
co )
md you. will llml th.it a tenfold lower
has urow-n In Its place. And Toltol went
n. eien IMo Kreal nee. eemliiRly burn
Inss the candle at both ends. Vitality.
Ileallh. eonsrlontlousne, enduranco, will
IMiwer. all pl.iv a hlc role In determlniiiK
the way, mean and succe of an nu
thor. I require seven hour leep and spend
fix hour a day reuardles of mood or
the strength to work on such a schedule
only the writer who dm- not depend upon
he white Unlit of Inspiration can know,
-.in as I awaken 1 Win t wh to smoke. That has only happened ' "npule at my de.k. Ith what pain
!! order to freshen tnelf 1 1 n,r ti. a ti, t,. ,,. ,. mnd forced eonceiitrntlon I have found
. oii,.. very tlrcome exercises y or txVl,
i iiiRht to me by an objection-1 to (1,.t j ,njov n rlchi indlifenlble
I lie there uually for fifteen 1 f,i ivi ,n.i, i.
- '..If .n hniie fiftfir wnklnir. I . t, .... . ..... .... .... Thm u lilln lli'lil mil ,f lienvcn h.iH
' , ' llliijo l will e.ii ii jus; inr ine lasie anil i " " . .
i.w 1 o: le to do thov exercises. , 1:p0p on ,.atnc wllPn i j,now. t)la, j )iaV(, , never struck me, le.ivlnit a polished sen
n.. tuey lire for me. Then I , hl)(1 Inore thnn fnoiiKh. I love rich flavor. ' tence. or a fourteen carat thoucht at my
I t-e to forpet them. If I ean-.ami j,), ,ea!ionlnif. Amone wines my ' f,,'t- In fict. I seldom fwl the Impulse
' nm throuph them rather j favorite Is a heavy old Chnmheriln. which Is ' to write, but the srlie to write Is uu:illy
iii.i.lio iun iiiri.iiKii in-' the worst 11, nir I enn dr nk. since triknn
there. I haie neer risen In the watches
of ;he nlKht to Jot down a heaven sent
thought except on one occasion when 1
mllook a poor epiKram for nn Insplra-
nriplitm: his teetn. .'two or three nlshts ruimlnir, It seem to
fliK nade my toilet I descend thruM a knlfft Into my rlirht shoulder, I
,t This meal alwa beulr, Mronc olcars. and the clcireltes 1
v. illilocue neiwefll Hie lil.ini ,moj,H ar(. thick nnil rather heavv In' Hon
I always ay to her: I don 1 1 u,lVr. Iiurlnc the day, however, 1 do not Work which I value mot ha been
r for an eav this mornltiK. , Hmoke the elnrs 1 most enjoy. If I did written hj the flank nnd literal sweat of
i..iy: "Wld jou have tea ortnt my hm f(lr n(l)1,ii; would be nhotit ' my brow. 1 was neh.-ut one day to dls
v. i I " 'ny "nl" I J""'. which would b i cover on count thnt I had written a more
I sny. Hut Jut as sne i j shortly. Therefore I smoke mild Key I or les trlllinif parasr.iph over 110 times
,. onin I chance my mind nnn west cl-ar until after dinner. Then I i to s.-cure a certain nnd unimportant prose
"'n. nut coffee. Tea. I hv ei. hi., t'nm, if t a..i.A.i . ......
i , n.v h.r ' '"" "V riiyuini,
if ,e.i limn-" .ii .. j " ..... nisiui my won; i say to mv wire: "i
. MMtb-r with It. nnd he always , thnk t n.nl nIIim. m.1f nn f.xtra ,-orona
. the same tea. the tea I like , to-ulRht to cheer me up." Hut If work
I has cono well and I nm happy 1 sav to
.f.ist I read the war news .,.. ..j ,usl celebrate to-nlrht. I will
; il me and in my own nouse, i ,inoke n second one.1
(ccwunyi
i ;
AUTHOR OV
"OUTS PHJLMlEl.PH1A'i
TOCCTH Kie WITH
1Il,rZ.JT3llTl TeOT3ITS
J,&3JJ-K1.1 (L1PJJ1MCOTT)
labor pain, It 1 the Joy win .li only an
author can know. He hHs tasted the
cloud and he has n ecrt.
ii mi . ii v i:. vii,ivi I'lii'.i: vi x.
1 fear I have neer had Mny rules I
sb-p all 1 can. I eat all 1 can nnd what
I like when I am able to procure li nl
thouxh I think I like only reasonablo
f.iii.l 1 rlo it-hull I it I li 11 lilf. nu'llke lllld I
unable to sleep any loiiKcr.
Dr. Johnson would have scorned me;
for If I wrn to state "m purpne I to
regulate m sleep" the sleep would refuse
to be regulated I hale never theorized
at nil about myself my method of llf
HOPKIfTS ADAMS.
tvu-tj-jox: oy "the cirkion
(housktou MirrLIN.CO.)
he.ny presu.e At such time I may
work for sevtr.il das from early morn
ing to ea'l the next morning. I're
(iurntl 1 work till 2. 3 or 4 A. M.. and
march off 'to bed triumphant In the eon
vlction that I have written Immortal pages
of biipecc ible logic. Three or four hour
latei I w.ik- Li a stale nf acute melan
cholia, with a tbo! oughts completed crl
t uiie nf tin' tueiou night's work run-
or work. I lriie slmp! Ihed alone a i ning iir-UR!i my bend, pointing out the
Ti i li i"
necessary to preserve my
. '.ii: always open the paper hop
" lmig pixtponed decisive victory
i ' "S
I r. id mv mall. Then I go out on
i nut wish 1 felt like work. Then
i nns 'f ' "PerhapH If 1 go In and
live utter I'll feel like working
'ii'. Ilnlshed."
n ruin answ cr icuers. i lien
f - 1
S"i1
t' 1.
,1 , .
Till Is an outline of my daily llfo at
present, but It Is subject to change with
out notice.
nr .MMir.s io.Tf:on;iii' ri.soo.
Vou will be enchanted to know that
I go to bed every once In n while and
rife promptly at 7 30 A. St. t find after
irrlllliiir eT,e rlmptit th.'it t iiiiieI Tim... ..
the maid comes and knock certain amount of eleen. I gavlv thought
mil tells me luncheon is at ono t,n(, tnat t ,,.,,, ou, kl,.n n,
entirely And deoto the, time, thus gained
to porch climbing or something lucrative
and exhilarating like that, but I found
I could not stay awake always, and be
sides there werei several beautiful new
pairs of pajamas that had been lying
around for weeks thnt T wanted to try, so
I Ihmlly gave ln nnd went to bed! And
I have fallen for that sleep wturf off and
on ever since! What really worries me.
though. Is which Is more refined, to brush
your teeth before or after breakfast?
- v thu Juncture I am always in
-v. . i t .,f a long, Important letter, t
iir 1 .in presently," and keep on
v'i l- w i.'ti I nm conflicting a most
!"" irt p-iragr.aph my wife knocks, at
tm .1.. . d tells me luncheon I served.
1 r I ", be In In a minute," and keep
rr, iri Then my little boy knocks at
nr tl. in m. I tells me nbout luncheon.
Ami n -ii i me or tw-o later my little girl
hi tne thing.
hue finished the letter I go In
i d ns I go In 1 think to my-
. the whole morning Is gone and
l no woik" That thought
i v appetite. 1 eat little lunch.
. I keep thinking: "I must get
i mdl.itely. I must not wasle
at table" That gives mo In
Suddenly t rle from the table,
workroom, charge at the, type-
ny TIOOTII TAHKIr.TO.V.
A writer at work should rise when
he has slept na long ns he can. Ho should
not wake until ho hn. something to say.
Ho should eat lightly nnd drink nothing
hut water, tie should write no letters,
transact no business. He should eeo no
On a short story of some seven or
eight thorn-and word I spend from
twenty-ore to thlrti of my six hour day.
The m'tjorlty of writer, for some pecu
liar and unscientific teaaon, work best at
the fag end of the day, when their phy
sical vitality Is at lowest ebb and the
brain has caught Its "second wind." so
to speak.
My own experience Is that with seven
hour sleep behind me I work best from
D o'clock through the noon hour without
Interruption to mldnfternoon Luncheon
sap the blood from my brain nnd the
paiie breaks the momentum of the morning.
After my workday I feel pretty much
a If I hnd emerged from a Turkish bath,
peaantly weak but full of enthusiasm
nnd a new- strength which I cun feel flow
ing Into my vein.". A feeling for recrea
tion. mulc, pictures, walking, riding,
golfing, the dance, as the case may he,
and nbovo all companionship.
All of my working day I have talked
with no human, seen no human except
the maid, who tiptoes ns she dusts, my
studio, nnd whom I entice by hook or
crook to linger a moment nnd ohat with
me.
After nil my method, so drab, so color
less, so lacking In romance nrs not the
methods th it will cntleo the nsplrlng
young author whose dre.ims of fnmo over
shadow the dreary realltle. or the busi
ness of writing, realities which I think
evory writer knows too well. Yet the
Joy of creation Is worth every hour of
best I could, worked as I could, and
h.iM- generally, except In extreme c.iee.
nllowed my strength, mental and physical,
to lead me and not attempted to lead my
strength.
11 HI IT.HT in ;iu.
Since 1 am Invited to expriss my
opinion of sleep and work I am com
pelled to Indulge in thono llret personalties
which 1 am to avoid.
It Is my opinion that sleep has been
prnlsed with too much regularity. Sleep
Is the enemy of work l.ife Ik so short
and opportunities for enjiyinent and ne
compllshment ar so nearly Infinite that
It Is pitiful that we have to spend co
much time In a state of Inanition.
1'erhaps I speak so contemptuously of
sleep because It Is so ensy for me to get
It. It has seemed very precious' nn the
rnre occasion when I have ixprlene.d
Ineomnla. It Is like the tradition nf love
perhaps: ewiding who purnes, pursuing
him that file.
I am forever fighting off sleep, but when
I yield I sleep like n log. At the risk
of boatlng I will say that I nm one of
tha ablest sleepers In existence, up tn
yet (pause for knocking nn wood). It Is
very hard to wnken me or to waken
myself. When I nm called 1 come up
like ft strangling drnwner. I find mvs elf . henr and rend nnd be,
saying thnt I would rather die thnn get ! Artificial aids to wnkefulness have often
up; I would rnther let the world perlph ' been worked by people with a test for
than get up. 1 totter to the bathroom life nnd toll. Vortunatoly perhaps for my
ln a stale of woo that makes the blind health, none of them hns worked for me.
King ClMlpiiH a low rnmeillnn. Tin-, If I am to Mcep, I sleep. I used to drink
thought of cold water Is poison. I take a good deal of coffen nt night. Pome
a little exercise 'to steel myself to the times I worked late, omct!mfS I nearly
Inhuman torture nnil then splash ! I nm ' fell Into mv empi) stcond cup. Now 1
another being, allie, nlert nnd, In some, rarely drink coffee late, though 1 believe
body's prase, I have "a mush box In I I could sleep ln a bathtub full of It.
every pore." Alcohol ha nlways been an opiate to
Itarely do t wake without being vigor-1 me. A cocktail at lunch gives me a
ously cnlled, unless t nm working under drowsy afternoon. At night liquor tends
muM appalling faults, inconsistencies and
nbsurd'tle The fiercest reviewer could
hardly be more scathing. 1 get up then
nnd endeavor to correct the rhapsodlis
of midnight In the cold gray remoreeful
morning.
Constantly 1 work for two or three
week at a time on three or four bourn
sleep a night. Then I have a week or
o of comparative Indolence devoted to
strolling about the farm or cultivating
the tlonire In Now ork. Meanwhile
1 fume and fret and curse myself for
the latest loafer on earth.
Experience has taught me that for me
sleep Is dangerous In cxrits. If I tnke
a lot of sleep I HUl nlways sleepy nnd
discontent. A sleep of nine or ten hours
ruins my energy for n day or two. If t
take but little I am In high fettle save
for the bitter trngedy of getting out of
bed. Perhaps our nerves nre like violin
string!, which must not be let down
nnd which respond with sensltlvene. only
when they nro taut.
I should be very glad If T could live
without ever sleeping Socrate said that
If the King of Persia himself were naked
what was the greatent comfort he ever
hnd he would sny n night of perfect
slumber. Dut luxurious a It Is, sleep
Is nlwny a poor substitute for the million
other thlnRs there nro to no nna see ana
to remiti I mo of the beauties of early
slumln r. I tan be Just a. convivial nil
ice water If the company Is convivial.
And so since drinking does not add to
mv energy or my comfort, I rnrel drink.
Tea seem to gl" mo rhnnnatle twinges.
I'oflee I my peculiar food, and It weds
! excellently well with cigar, of which
I smoke a good many. Neither of then
seems to Influence mo for or against
sleep The thing that keep me going Is
Interest In my work.
or that rcuson 1 n.ivo niw.iys snugni
rest In change of occupation. hat is
I why 1 believe In k eplng several Irons In
I the fire. When I am writing on a novel
1 begin to want to write a short stotv.
' and vice versa. Hy changing from one ti
the other, or to music, or dramatic work,
I keep mi self everlasting!) Interested.
That Is something worth mlng for, unv-
Wil
When 1 first came to New York as a
young man I met an elderly musician
who worked like a demon all day and
was n bon lant of extraordinary l
vacity nil night. He was the heilthle-t
old gentleman I ever met. lie said that
hn had never had nunc than lle hours
sleep a night lncc he w.is a boy. l.ati r
1 read a reported statement of .Mr. IMI
son s that two hours sleep is enoug-i.
That Is e than 1 can get tied to.
Hut t firmly believe that the one wsy
to get work done I to keep at It till
It I done, that many people who pr
tend to devote, long period .of time to
the completion of siietr literary tasks nre
really devoting most of their time to
Idle reverie and elumber. Theie I nf
course a neeeitv for letting the fruits
of thought ripen on the bough. Hut
cultivation, fertilization and ardent atten
tion may hasten nnd Improve that process.
And there Is such a thing us letting fruit
shrivel and rot upon the bough.
Hut since n man's style I himself, so
his processes mut be moro or less h'.s
own. 1 happened to be born with the
constitution oi it hmck ooim',a i nine
tried to keep the nag on the go. uphill
and down. It seem to be a fact that
horse that nrn worked hard and kept
to their pnees last better thnn thoo that
are encouraged to loaf In harness nnd
stnll ; and they see lmmenely more of
he scenery.
HOW SLEEP AND
EATING AFFECT
THE WRITERS
t what other profession or occupation might
bo hers on the outside and I believe
l an Intelligent, capable woman can do mur
than one thing well, I have nlways lei
certain Inslstrnt demands; 111 my homo
life take ilr: plnce In the day's doings
Hut of lalo I hale realized that It would
be neither wicked nor wnrteful If I helpe I ,
' tnjfelf to ii few hours u dio for a few
Months hi thu e.ir, and out of th.
realization li.i, grown the only working
hit bit I possess.
When a now IkidU Is on the wayn 1 now
w tc from ten o'clock until! two during
M) mornings In the werlc. mitl the weeks
,i which 1 wilte arc usually winter
weeks During thise hours 1 e no
on that Is, 1 nm supposed to seo nn
t.ir If jou loi ttii don t louii to see
1 tut don't call me up nil the telephone,
don t send mn a message 'n the morn
ing. 1 tell my ft lend when nt worl
, on a new story, and those who Iop me
don i disturb me. Hut all of iu friend
do nm love uu, and their delight ! In
upoliiRctle Interruptions.
I never, or piiutlcally never, write III
tin, nitcrnouiu or etchings, or on Sat-
urilns ur Sundays. Itefnro going to my
desk In tho morning, nil orders for the
day are g.en, all meals plnnncd, nnd a
dozen and one other things done. Tho
afternoons, nre used for outside obllga
lions, and Innumerable are tho demand
. of the presmt day on a woman who has
ex en tho germ of ,i conschncn or the
I remain of an up-keeping .hn' necessi
tate, thu perfm iiiiiiu'c of socl.il ameni
ties. Tho evenings I keep fren for my
I husband. If I wcie n man I'd hntn .i
i unman who wns Hlways doing sonit tiling
that kept ln-r fioni doing something else,
'and when engagement do n t take us
I nu: we read together other people's books.
ami speculate concerning their conUnts,
which frequently offer remnrkanle con
trasts of iiiipatdon.iblo truck and won
derful work.
Just what effect the amount of Ieep
has upon what is called ilteiny nutpu
is a question with answers too wnliii
np.iit, 1 Imagine, to permit of nuthoritu
tixe or final conclusions, Tpe and tem
peraments vary so widely: what Is s
sentlal to one in unessential to iinotht r.
and whut ono mny desire or bo depend
ent upon Is so unnecessary to .i-iot!jcr
that It :e doubtful whether a valuable iK
i sion enn i ver be teui'lied i ni.ernti c
the effect of much or little sleep upon
that division of the human taimh called
writer. Personally 1 haxe no theorb
on tile subjeit. So far a my own won:
Is cincermd I have neier noticed tin,
effect of a greater or bss amount of
sleep, t'nllkc lit Johnson, I never "re
Mhi' lo ilse ns early ns I can,'' lla"e!,
most rarely, do I feel sleepy t
nigl.t and I object to going to bed onty
a littlo less vlgorousl.,, than I tesept
getting up In the morning. If m writ
ing had to be done hi tho early dawn t
wuuld not be done, since childhood I
h.ie put melf to sleep telling inyse'f
stories, but In the morning I tell not'd g
and I want to be told nothing. I wnnt
only to be let ulotie. I am tlrmly con
vinced In tlui moiling that I m nl sleep,
much sleep !
The writing that l do Is done because
I I love to do it, and not Iliiilliig It a
nerve, rucking or soul wearing or bod
breaking occupation, I get out of It Jo
and In It find gladness and g!i-
thourht to public nr puhlMicr until I
work Is done. My cold splai.li o i
when 1 1 realize It I out of , I n t
and all the ii-u.il "wills' as t.. li.r .
did It for rise up and squint iK mc.
nnd tor n time 1 am In dejection or n ,
foolishness, nnd folly llnweer, t'ie u -Jectloil
In Its turn I 1 . 1 In quit n
juicing that I have neer Imagined t
had anything to say which neo ssitatcd
the siibudlnntlon of the dnllv lniim
of n busy llfo to lixed habit, which
dominated and coutrnllxl, rather than
regulnled and directed, the creation of
nu pen and Ink children wlm come when
I call, and do not sulk or get angry If
. I do not call on time.
Ily KATI. I.IMIM'.V llllslir.H.
I wish thnt I had some iperfectly lady
like or rigidly cast lion habit. concerning
my method of writing' Hut I've nlways
felt about habit ns I do about New Year
resolutions, that for peace of mind they'd
better be left alone. However, of Into I
hnve succumbed somewhat to their neces
sity nnd formed n few, but these few a
yet nre weak nnd wabbly, evidencing
something nf tho Irresponsibility nnd con
descension of the present day young
person from R to is, nnd In them my con
fidence Is neither firm nor fixed.
I am afraid t shall never learn to look
upon writing a a serious, or solemn, or
toplofty profession to be entered Into
soberly or superiorly, nnd In the fear of
a sniffy or unnpprcclatlng public That
which t do has hud to take its bit of
time when It could get It . has long been
forced lo yield to the pris-edence of other
things, nnd not until recently b.ne 1 had
any regular hours for work nt my desk.
Always having had an Idea that If a
woman had a home her chief Job n life
wns thnt of a homo maker, no matter
ll M WM TIIIIMI'MIV nn:t.
Your reUeM for an uttenincr. c II,
subjii" of nn author's work rriched
me by the bnnd of a negro bov, who rode
through to Sweftbrlnr l'sirin from the
eiNisspimd grocer) with my mull at
seven o'clock this morning, f hnd Just
unWncil cook'ng breiKfast over a .cd.ir
brushwood firn in front of on- lent to
111) hrntli'r nud tw; hired hand, wh.. are
remodelling nil "old ll.irpelh Valley
Colonial farmhouse which I hue hmig it
nlniig with elglilieii acres nf N'rg'n
woodland.
I'nnii this vantage point on old H.ir
peh I affirm conlldentliilly that thl
author can keep her henrl nnd hrnln
clear, Willi more diligence, when she s
out In the open, rustling imetlc lllglitM -if
soul, nt tho same time she lights with
the woodchuck nnd the posum for tint
enrly persimmons, which nre fain
raining down on the hillside, than when
she Is within roaring and revelling lbs
tance of Hroadway
Some great literature has been wrltle
In the dntk of night be aid of l h.i. i,
absinthe n,tnl owrkii-cd nerves, hut I
tnu l do ni) Iiiiniliie Ii-h; from tin unnn
call of the mucking bird to tie inu.1,iv
whinny of the hungry thoroughbred c It
1 find brawny arms and back arc a pn Mv
reliable supiMirt to a literary cateer nnd
my new book Is vigorously writing Itsilf.
MODERN TENDENCIES TO CHANGE POETIC FORiVl
J4
1
r
Vat
to
POLYRHYTHMICAL POETRY
n ,imi:s opi'ivmikim,
' K ln-en asked wherein the form
I m "Song for the New Ago"
'. r from both prose nr.d the
ii nt poetry; os, nnd where
' i ftoin the form used by Wnlt
1 1 inie could say that walking
ili.e to prose, anil dancing the
i ,o to poetry, then one could
'! dancing of Isadora Duncan
u I h.iie attempted Walking
: ihwhiiiicni, ni.'l without the
motion pattern dancing I
e 1 il, and maintains n regular
in i miliar variation; th ilanc
' ' .nlni.i Inincun changes con
ling Itself exactly to the
' 'notion and of thought. That
' I h iv striven for, exactly n
'c for It In muMc, to vary
ns to Uu. constant lluctu.itlon
i inoiiRht, but still to main
ii nl' a steady Iveat, a recur
' ' I' I..HO" ili.illini, to give, the
"1 Might of poetry n compired
ti.ee sluggish mid cvtn step.
, i.ic There haw beep
' , e ih.it presented both speed
" ' ' but the principle In prose
t variation, with pi.ietlcnlly
' of Mmilur biat. Vet It in
' nig bent that gives poetiy Its
quality, lis sjngliig stride. I
'I t,, ..ft the Viiiiet) of prose
illation of pis'liy.
Vi hum ii of ' eu ,uhlv-.l this,
1 q oisilnetlvelv Hn referred
poiiinneity, though hi own
searched for the right rhythm and m'l
ody As a mutter of (act. It la not "free
verse," but rather controlled verse. It
demands all the artistry posMblo, In or
der to give It continuous melody nnd yet
have tho rhythms vary with the vnrla
Hon of thought and passion.
It Is nn attempt to do ln poetry what
Wagner did In music . to widen
tho area of expression, to romn out of
tbo repressed nnd soldered forms, to step
Into a region of more delicate nnd nlsn
more slrldiut nnd colossal song. I offer
It as nn experiment In that direction.
The effect on thn render ought to be
that he forget thnt It Is labelled isietry
or anything else; thnt he forget tho form
and Intimately be engaged by the thought
nnd feeling. Wagner said ! "Don't try lo
see how my muflc was made, Just listen
to Iti It ' for the ear, It Is nimple." Poly,
fhythmlcnl poetry demands the same sort
of reaction.
IS RHYME WORN OUT?
"I",
riunu-x-'v' rhniv how patiently he
rhymownrn out?" was tho question
put lo Arthur Stringer, whose new
volume of so-called poetry, "Open
Wnter," aeems n cross In'tween the vera
llhre of tho Futurists and tho Hebrew
chant as we see It In the Sunga of Solo
mon.
Sir. Stringer, who is nn Oxford man and
a critic as well as a writer for the popular
magazines, pondered the question.
"My personal feeling In tluit rhyme his
pretty well played lis part In tcrous
English verse," answered the nulhor of
"Open SVntor," thn new volume of
"pootry," whloh la wrltton without either
TWO POEMS FROM JAMES OPPENHEIM'S
"SONGS FOR THE NEW AGE
WAITING.
TjrltV ntn I rriltrmT
YY U 'iv tin I tret I rnnnot trnrt Aer ten mlnulttf (
From what am I tiering?
I think I nm trtinp In run from mw'lfl
1'itr the. moment I il kIIII mv mind propoiinrft i7f''lon,
.ttu( prment pwMims ... .
What nf II'
l.rt il uk t'f ittirt't quetnn 1 vill litlen pnfienfi,
l.cl it eprnA' it wnrnl. I run endure it.
Ilrntly, I Anic fiern tJeiinp frnm Clod:
I'or iis snnii it ifitY uilh inym, find thnt I nm tii'lina itith
A'fifiiri1' -
nm of iniiie vifA I'nrth nnif the Sisht nnd the people nrniinit
mr-
For nil life ' one, ,.j
Anil the ninrml jit nf it i' here in thil bmtv nf mine,
VfDl'
mi-: body.
trftence cnne mind nnd son'
If M f
V it.
B
"Ah," enid the Tlmlu. "ftom tne; K
I nm n tree, oiiif mv mind nnd tout nre the fruit
Anr of fecund irenthrr nnd nnurtehing dark erperirttte.
And the etrong mm nf Imr nnd hnte.
And the rnin of prniy ndereilu,
llnr benntten nt l"t, vnu, hied wander immortal,"1
If (hi be so, my Imtlv,
I ehall dfpiee tn, no lanurr: lull mete vnu and iratch oier s,i:
'iinif-jjnfe nf the rare I and ehnri s nf mg era n f epirlt.
rhyme or rhythm. "You see, rhyme Is
really a sort of punning, a punning In
sound, nnd ii wen It still appeals to the
moro elementary mind, JnMmees of this
you will tind In thn ilijined maxim of
peasants and sailors, anil in the persist
ence of nursery thymes, to which children
tnke. an a duck takes to water."
"Then you mean there will be no more
rhyme'.""
"On the contrary, there has been and
there will be so much rhyme lli.it the poet
who wishes to achlevo distinction In ultcr-
nncn will bo compelled to divorce himself
from It. lthtno may still bo of service
(o ihu writer nf vera dc roclcte and to the
cinnlo poet, for rhyme really resoltes it-
self Into a sort of smurt alrckrr. and th
versifier who still wishes to amaze his
readers by nn exhibition of adroitness
will carry along his burden of rhyme, Just
as the light rope walker has his paniplur
nalia for liiiprctslng the circus audience.
"Most people. In thn Hist place, think
of rlijmu as a fixed part of pootry. It Is
not considered poetry. In fact, unless It
rhymes. Yet It Is wollh leinberlng
that the noblest poetry In tho Hngllsh
language, tho blank verso of Milton and
Shakespeare, Is written quite without
rhyme. And 1t 1s equally worth remem
bering that rbynio Is a compaiatliely
modern decoration lo Hngllsh poetry. It"
scner.il lle doe not 'cur b fori, the
thlUeenth century That, considering the
ant'qulty of poetry, la a pretty ahort life.
Some languages. Indeed, ate quite without
rhyme, and among them I m.iy mention
the lYille and Teutonic and Scandln.iilan
Jt has been said that tho early poets if
Palestine who affected the trick of lie
ginning n number of stanzas with the
s.imu letter of tho alphabet prep.ucil thn
way for rhjmn by giving n sort of decora
tlc selvage to cre. Thl lib.i of verbtl
embroidery was In tlmo applied to the
end of the Hue and gr.iduiill) evnlied Into
a consonance of tcrmihalH"
"Hut didn't the cailiest writers of Latin
vcise ni.ike use of rhyme?
"As I pointed out In my si inly of the
psjclioing) or ih.Miie in n lltiT.ir mngn
zlne several )e,iin ago, we often llnd the
semlfe t of the pentameter constituting
i hymn In J'.nman poetry, and I quoted
Ovld'a 'I'nair us nil example of I li In,
Hut In 1,200 lines of Ovid tha corre
spondence of the final sillables of the(
two halves of a Latin pentameter occur"
only once In every five couplets, and Is
more a matter of accident than iirtlllce.
It was not until the end of the fourth
century thnt rhyming Latin came Into
use, And It wns not until the llcn.ils-
snnce thnt the use of rhyme, was In
nny wny a general practice"
"Then what nre your objections to
rhymer'
"Thnt they are so confoundedly hard to
find." wns the prompt reply. "The number
of rhymes In Kngllsh Is strictly limited Wn
are unable, as they once did In tin, Italian
and still do In some bngiiagi s, lo nller
the spelling or a word for thn take or
harmony of sound. So we have created
that absurdity known as an 'r rhyme'
III contradistinction to the ordinary 'ear
rhyme.' The limitation of rhyme words
hampers Hie advance of the aillst. He
hns to cross his Ohio of Ideas hy Jump
ing from block to block, like Hllza cross
ing on tlu, Ice, Naturally such a course
takes bin mind off what he Intended to
say. It restrains his freedom. It Until
Ills Held. It preoccupies III mind with
formal exactions, tt also chops thought.
It makes veise' a sou nf bed of Pro
crustes Into which .ill emotion must be
llttid. Kvnn our best poets, as a rule,
are hail rlomcrs, and to them tradition
hns granted a suit of special dispensation,
so that w now huo our correctly Irreg
ular and our Incorrectly It regular i Idiihs.
Sonio patient soul has compiled the
number of Imperfect ihnnes, in Hie thou
sand, III a llliuib, r of poi In of established
repulnllon mntiir these Shakespeare
slipped up fifty the limes, Wordsworth
thilly-Hlx. Teninson thirty-two and II) run
twent)-elghi Ttuic were a number of
others Investigated. ''Ut 1 can't icneuibe'.
their market raniig- et tl e mistake
I ..... ,.. ..I I, II. 11 '.IL-lltir
iiri' OOV 1 " lll'n'l ......... in
a tight rope niet- s' ig.ira tioign is until
I Inr compared to writing a pi feet Minuet
I mean perfect from the Mnmlpolnt of
tmvhanus. Hut when that perfis-t son
net Ii) duly whittled nut It Is u-u.ill'
found to be wortfi alMUt ns much a- a
well crocheted lambrequin. It is. rein k
able as n triumph of tndustiy It may
be wonderful erb.il cnibmldeiv. but .
has not brought n new menage to t n
til nf innn.
"Sly contention is tint much of t'-e
ntnenila of modern verse mm hi- l . d
nt the door of rh)nie. It iiimln pm-m
decorative, It Is true, and .ipinaled in II, .it
Victorian era which wn m tried lo a
passion for pretllness Hut wlnn .i i.
sellated pavement lends to a i. ..i
are not In the end cieatle Impi.-. ,!
by Its ornamentation. Ithym is ie..n
n uniform, a uullmni Into which, under
conscription of Ideas, some prut, pmc
bodies of thought h,ie been thrust, and
hao paraded ubmit without ib teriiou W
accepted the glitter Mfiilont being n
Inquisitive as to the content m wb.le
the poet was strolling iiImiui In ill tin.
grandeur of crimsoii and sllici and clanl.
Ing metal the quiet legions in pi.nu
kliukj. the lighting lines of plain p .isi
were doing the wiitk nf the world
Th" poet Is trying to get Ii.ii k on fin
firing line. He Is awakening to the fact
that lie must be something nun. than a
song writer In Tin Pan Allc). lie is. In
reality, the housekeeper of the In art ll
Is the shock absorber on tin: car nf v
perlcnce. Poi it ) . like religion, must siil
be nssncl.ited with rite mil lint uti ',. d
with llutpsody. It must still hivi II
element nf mysticism, for m sine m i
the self-.inicstbcsla against plr1t Krem.
ugalnsl tile shock of ennsciou-m - In . -llslon
with the iitiknow able, and as sin h
has It distinct uses. Hut to u t.f'i - n
rameiil il wilurs In tin nine in. ch.itucs
of rhme 'Hid in pt leelde thought and
fiillh emotion slmplv because they have
boil thrust Into uniforms lli.it were once
worn In forgotten wins i lo do an HI turn
lo the IlKhtlns spitlt of Poetry"