if it

felt the
.1 Zcckert
ize an-
'e.v' gain-

- cattle ranch in the foothills of

WRITER TELLS H0W1nE/
7   CAME TO WRITE “CA 7715”

___.__._._..

F

wmmrm-:o EATON *REEVE
(Onoto Wstnnna)

I/l‘I-IOUGH my novel; “Sunny-
sa.n" was the first work by me
published after I had come to
live in Alberta, I conceived and I
wrote "Cattle" as a scenario nearly
two years before “Sunny” appeared.
My main character "Bull” Langdon
was back in my mind for .1 long time
before I put him on paper. He was
there -before I had any definite plot,
a great brute-man,
passion for catt!e—the human proto-
type of his own prize bull.
__At this time we were living on our
the
Plocky mountains.’ \Ve have 8. won-
derful place there, and we were run-

. unlng several hundred head of cattle.

rode daily. Sometimes riding alone
for hours over rthe hills or into the
utterly silent woods. and I would
come out into the grazing lands. there
were the cattle and the horses: and
sometimes I rode with our'men and
brought in “bunches" of cattle. and
I" would help at the round-ups.

Then I heard the story_ of a. young
English girl. and of the fate that be-
fell her at the ‘hands of ‘a ‘brutal
‘rancher. This story automatically
connected itself with my “Buli,"
‘though the Bull‘: character was
drawn from noone man I knew. He
was a. composite of several types I
h_ad_met in both the States and Can-
ada. V , , , , ‘

One day I made a. rough outline or
the plot I had in mind: Then I re-
wrote in in ‘detail thistlme. When I
was through I perceived that I had a
.full syn'o-pills‘ for what I then thought
would mal{_1'a. play.‘. Nevertheless, I
was not sure of my story, and ‘I
argued with myself: ' . ’

"This will never do. No publisher
will dare to touch it," and so forth.
And. ‘defending:

‘‘There’s nothing bad in my story.
Truth is never bad. Certain elemen-
tal facts of life are proper subjects for
the story—wrlter as well as the psy-
chologists. Some of the greatest
books Wotlld never have been written
had their autr ‘rs not possessed coug-
age and conf.4ence.” "

“Cattle" was then still in synopsis
form, but very detailed. I decided to

 

lUS‘SlA

-—-Fokker
g for the
for Rus-
ies equip-
ics of 450
Svenska

submit it‘ anonymously to two. film
companies, the Famous Playersfland
the D W’ Griffth Company. I aimed
high from the first.

Follows Advice

Meanwhile Mr. Murray Gibbon and
Arthur Stringer visited me at our
much at Morley, - and ‘I told them
something of my story. Arthur
Stringery advised me not to try to
."come back” with a. Canadian story.

that 500
uissia, bo-
riivery of

vgove rn —

‘ncs and. .

ousand
ow re-
tiating
's for
hel-

He said: “Don't -'leave'your Japanese
tales too suddenly. « When you are
re-established. then try a. Canadian
novel.” "

(I had not Wr
five years).

So, while “Cattle” was out at the
film companies, I followed Arthur
stringers advice. I wen't_to‘ town.
shut myself up in a. room, and in five
weeks I -‘wrote my “Sunny-san." I
worked especially hard and absorb-
cdly, because just prior to this I had
a. reply from the Famous Players.
'I‘l1ey‘wrote a long letter. They said
“You have a. vcryreal and gripping
nai-mtivc, with strength and screen

itten for more than

drama:” but they also declared that
ny situation of the betrayed heroine
'as impossible for the scifin.

“That’s tliat."’ lled my

I said: ,

tnuscript up and chu ed~it into a

twer. I had had .n reply from
V X mm. ’

, , -anch. I could scarcely bellevb

A 5
had been back at the a_n_ch about
ve months when ._pne - ay :_I"_Ij0dé-
» after the mail to‘Zyio ey_._ an In-
trading post sevennnilcs from

 

dominarted by his h

l

I
nario editor. and he wrote that lit)
considered by “Ca.ttie" the “very best’;
script that has come into this office
in many and many a day." .'

‘ 8tory,Acc,opted I

You may ‘be sure that after.rea.dinx.'
that letter I rode home literally on
air. There followed a. lengthy corre-
spondence -between Mr. Carr and my-
self. He wrote me that “all of us
here hope that Mr. Griffith will see
is way to doing ‘Cattle’ and that
‘he believed it would prove “a. world
tlpper of the cattle country.” Also
that he personally believed I would
“blaze the trail for a new type of
western story" and so forth and sy-
on.

Despite the fact that Mr. Griffith
gave, me no personal verdict, Mr.
Ca.rr’s judgment buoyed me up. Soon
after this “Sunny—san" was published.
sold as a book, for the stage and for
motion pictures, and I went on to
New York for a, business trip. In
New York, Elizabeth Marbury. who
had read my,"Cattlc" and three other
scenarios oficanada. I had also writ-
ten. said to me: “Got to it. Your
Canadian stuff is away-ahead of any-
thing .you have" done in Japanese
stories."

Back I came to Alberta. and I
leaped at the work’ of writing "Cattle"
as a. novel. It literally poured out
of me. I could in t set the words
down swiftly enoug . V

The manuscript had an eccentric
career in publishers"offices.‘ It actnd.
like a bomb in one or two places. One
New York publisher wrote me that
it had caused more heated discussion
and argument than any manuscript
that had been in their office for years.
Ce:-tain'of the staff were for it. The
sales end were against it.

More Advice ,

Another Wr0te_me :1 mourhfnl and
fatherly let.ter.« (He was an old
friend). He deplored the subject I
had choeen;_ he thought that my life
in Alberta. was ruining me. in a liter-
ary way and he said tha.t“'C:1.ftlc" was
a_ma.n’s subject. Another man l.lrg{*(i.
me to choose a more popular theme
for a first novel of Canada, and fol-
low it with "Cattle.” One publisher
wrote: “It is one of the mostbrutal
stories I have ever read. I could not
put it down til-l-I had finished it. if.
gripped me: but its sheer brutality is
awful. and renders the book impos-
sible for publication.”

that is.‘ they would publish my book
on certain conditions. a total revision.
in one case and in another the tie-up
oftseveral of my future books.-

.followed at least the advice of
oné of the firms. I wrote a “cheerful"
story of the ranching country. and
while “Cattle" was being considerccl
by the publishers of New York, I
wrote "Cheerio.” I named it “Among
those Missing.” but the motion pic-
ture manager who acrlllired the rights
to it changed the title (with my con-
sent) to "Chcerio." ‘

Meanwhile “Cattle" was well re-
ceived in England, where it w.'1s im-
mediately accepted by the l-Jnglisli
house of Hutchinson & Company, and
soon after I made a contract \\ iih the
Canadian firm of I-Iodder & Stough—
ton. Followed a contract with the W.
J. VVa.tt & Company of New Yorl;
city, who will lnalic it their first Dub-
lication for 1924. “C:1ttle" ‘was at
last disposed of.

GERMAN LO8ESi

'MUNSTER, Doc.
otie of tllifew lecti
in German universl
polled to abandon ,
university here. ’

 

1
IOMENTHEN JOB
7.——Prof. d'Estcr
rs on journal!’

  
    
   

in

fell down and -lie .
aln I’ -‘ ""','l6
jk;

hnzqnlvx

l

E

I had two tentative acceptances--h

/‘

/A,

“-«,*\_

i

i

4 .
l‘-1--

'___._._.,.

A L // l ’

 

.. *'  77 1; a

Book Week Activities 1; 
Calgary Branch, C. A. A. » V

Under the able leadership of thev

I President, Mrs Winifred Reeve, andl
4. with the co-operation of the Men’s=
Canadian Club, the VVomen’s Canadian:

2 Club, the Women’s Press Club, and‘
the Literary Society, the Calgary‘

l branch carried out the most detailed;
and successful programme for Book],
Week the city has yet had. ‘

ii
On November 19th at the Public
Library the Week opened with a Re— ‘,
cital by Wilson Macdonald. The poet ’\‘
delighted his audience with the‘
strength, beauty and versatility of his X
selections; “Niagara”, “Whist-Whee”, K,
and “Song of Better Understanding" ,‘
proving favorites with most of his -
hearers.

l

At the Rotary Club’s luncheon on
November 20th Mrs Reeve gave an
address on behalf of Book Week and
Wilson Macdonald read two of his
poems.

 
     
   
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 

in
On November 23rd members of the 
branch who had had at least one book '
published were the guests of the Board

of Trade at their noon luncheon. Dr. . .
Kerby gave an address on Canadian 

Literature, and Wilson Macdonaldi
lighted this large gathering of businne
men with two more of his poems. I
is as clever a reader as composer 1
fine poetry, and Calgary was fortunat
in having him as a guest during BOOi\
Week.

On November 24th the Week came
to a successful close with a very en-
joyable dinner to which representatives
of the clubs who had contributed to
this excellent week’s effort were in-
vited, and those present numbered
about fifty. Mrs. VVinifred Reeve pre-
sided and read a delightful letter from
the veteran poet Charles Mair. Re-
gretting his inability to attend he
closed by saying: “With a history like
ours, so full of noble effort and
romance there need be no fears for
the future of Canadian Literature, if
our authors preserve their fealty to
the true, the beautiful and the good.”
Among the speakers were Mrs. Laura
Salverson, Admiral Como, D.S.O., L.
Clarry, P. Harcourt—O’Reilly, Mrs. J.
Price and Mrs. B. Stavert. Mrs.
Elaine Catley read her poem “Song to
Canada”, and the Press Club presented
a charming Book Pageant. Mrs. Stav-
crt introduced each number as the
Macdonald Kiddies, each representing
characters in Canadian Books stepped
from a large volume and gave dances
appropriate to the story portrayed.

During the week articles contributed
by the members appeared daily m_the
two local papers. These _C0mP1'1§€d
biographical sketches, some interesting
matter on the business side of writing
by Mrs. Reeve, and a discussion of
the popularity of VVestern Stories In
England, by a member who held at P05‘
as librarian there during the War.

A new feature this year "
broadcasting by Radi° C’
Mrs. Reeve gave a fine
Literature as a profession, 311“ *".
Salverson and Mrs. Catley read orig-

T=: J;-_