GETTING KNOWN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 11

GETTING KNOWN.

DISCOVEItED BY ACCIDENT. Everybody 10-day takes Mrs. Humphry Ward lor granted. She is generally adinittod to be of the very front rank of women writers. But it is (juito possible that even she might have missed Ure if it had not been tor a certain article which tho lato Sir. Gladstone wrote, in which ho mentioned Mrs. Ward's first book, "Robert Elsniero." The book had been out some time when the article appeared, but no ono except such an omnivorous reader as tho G.0.A1. seemed to have read it. Yet, in tho month alter tho article appeared— written, it must bo remembered, in strong disagreement with ilrs. Ward's theology —the book was being read by everybody, and talked about in street, and train, and omnibus, and was being translated into half a dozeii European languages. Almost the same thing occurred when John Kuskiu happened to say in a letter ho wrote to a friend that he had been reading a book by "Mister" John Strango Winter, and that he had found it very entertaining. This book was "Booties Baby," and for many years Mrs. btnnnard's novels almost monopolised the rail-way-bookstalls. , ■ , „„„ Tho Baroness Orczy, whose novel, Ihe Scarlet'Pirnnernel," both as ft book and as a plav, hos'been such n phenomenal suc-cess,-actually only took up Writing by a "fluke." She * whs a black-and-white art-ist-engaged in illustrating other peoples books and stories for the magazines, nnd living in -modest lodgings somewhere wusl of Hydij Park Corner. Her landlady's daugnter.-was a.girl of.gr.ent good nutiiro and average intelligence, and of. less than averago education. The baroness know that she scribbled <t little. -.luilro of. her amazement when this young lady (lushed into her room one day and told hor .site had sold one of her stories to a woll-kiuuvii magazine for five guineas! This was an eve-opr-ner to the baroness, ami Mio immediately thought that if a girl of such moderate education could write a Mory which an editor would pay fivo guineas for, surely she, speaking half a dozen languages, a woman of travel, culture, and education, could succeed in tho same line. Sho tried, and with what success the world now knows. Thomas Hardy might still be unread or might have given up tho writer's craft in disgust if it had not been for a happy accident. The late Frederick Greenwood was looking over the second-hand books displayed on a railway bookstall, when Ms : eyo was attracted by his own name— Greenwood. Tho title which contained it was, "Under tho Greenwood Tree,"