Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/279

 WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS By Db Witt Clinton Spbaqub FBOM my earlie&t remembrance^ from the time before I could ready when I made up stories to match the pictures in the first book I ever looked at, ^one con- tinuous purpose ' of literature has run through my life. Now in my seventy-third year a proof of the things I have last written is as wondrously precious as that which I printed from the types put together with my childish hands, when I could have been only about seven, in an essay on Human Life. The theme is one which in manifold phases has engaged me since, and I suppose will flatter my notice to the end.** The statement here recorded from Mr. Howells's own confession is significant as showing the subject-matter of almost exclu- sive interest to William Dean Howells, poet, essayist, critic, dramatist, novelist, and lover of mankind. The constancy of devotion to the craft of literature to be found in the para- graph quoted is the secret of the distinction of style for which Mr. Howells is justly admired, for style is the man, and long literary service is necessary to give such veteran character to the man-of-letters that his language can express with inevi- table word, phrase, and sentence whatever message Divine inspiration or his own self-experience may give him to de- liver. In the words, stories to match the pictureSj there is indication of the attitude of Mr. Howells toward life on the one hand and toward literature on the other — the story is written after the picture has been looked at. Mr. Howells 's literary creed and active performance have been to conform his truth to the outer reality, and not to deform the picture of reality to match a questionable! truth. In 1865, Mr. Howells, a young man of twenty-seven, was wondering what turn his enterprise must take to support his family. For the past four years he had been living in Italy, as United States consul at Venice. His term of office was nearing its close, and, although he had faithfully spent the