Burlington High School - Rarebits Yearbook (Burlington, Ontario Canada)

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24 RAREBITS IHNIY HIE An llntvruiew with ileam fllirlllmraiih By RETA SWARTZ V. In a recent publication . of Upton Sinclair's there is a remark on his hope that Doubleday Page 81 Co. would publish a book by Theodore Driesler, but Doubleday Pagets elderly maiden aunt wouldn't stand for that. Double- day Page's elderly maiden aunt is now quartered in our midst-and is still en- gaged in editorial workl The other day I called on her. I went, intending to have a brief, business-like interview with the writer, but the person I found in the charming little cottage on Caroline Street was not the dread being of my imagination. My first impression as she came down the stairs to meet me was that of soldierly dignity-and soft, white hair. On further acquaintance the dignity yielded to graciousness, and I found that her large, rather humourous eyes had the lovely quality of looking directly at the one whom she was ad- dressing. VVe talked about her life as an author, about the nine and a half books and of her experiences in New York where she was reader for the publishing house of Doubleday Page. The young writers who handed in their manuscripts at her desk called her Aunt lean . As I paged through various of the tempting volumes on the book shelves beside which we were sit- ting I came upon this inscription in the frontispiece of Christopher Morley's I Know a Secret . To Iean Pic- Ilwraith in appreciation, by her nephew Christopher lWIorley. I looked up inquiringly. Aly hostess smiled as she explained that she had once advised Morley to get married. He had taken her advice and also a raise in salary for both of which he was extremely grateful. Miss McIlwraith wrote all her own books except Diana of Quebec before she went to New York to edit. The business of writing she said, some- times doesn't bring enough returns to keep one in golf-balls. Miss McIl- Wraith golfs. My unsophisticated idea of New York had been that it was a regular Mecca for writers. Another illusion gone smash! New York may be a Metropolis for literature of the day but the best sellers are not written there. Miss McIlwraith quoted several recent successes to illus- trate, and spoke of her own experience with a series of articles written on a lonely island in Georgian Bay. Our conversation veered around to the modern style of composition. When I was with Doubleday Page she told me, I used to return about twenty manuscripts a Week, and send up probably two or three for consideration of the publishers. To-day some of the stuff that comes off the press reads as though there were no readers , Besides reading or smelling manu- scripts, as she termed it, Miss Mcllwraith also edited, a process which, I learned, was the whacking of a manuscript into shape, pruning out the undesirable material and in general polishing up the highlights. Freckles, by Gene Strat- ton Porter was her first job. The most

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RARE interesting book she ever did was the work of the Swedish writer, Selma Lagerlof, a Nobel prize winner. After the death of Mr. Page, Miss Mcllwraith although she had left the firm, was asked to aid Burton Hendrick in writing the Letters of Page. I was surprised to find that most of her books were written because she had been especially asked for them. Her last one, Kinsmen at War , had a rather tortuous climb to the press. A publisher had asked her to write it to celebrate the hundred years of peace between Canada and United States. She wrote it, but in the meantime the Great War broke out and the publisher was ruined. She sent it the rounds of the New York houses. It returned. Too British! they all protested. Later when a friend of hers was visiting the old country she sent Kinsmen along to the London publishers. Again the book returned but this time because it was too Americanul And so it lay, un- accepted, almost forgotten, until one day the author heard about a contest. She thought about the old manuscript and on a chance once more mailed it off. This time it was accepted and won the prize. Of all her books Miss Mcllwraith likes best her work on Sir Frederick BITS 25 Haldiman. Personally I have always been on the opposition, she said. In the 'Little Admiral' I tried to show how it felt to lose Quebec. Somehow to me there was something fine in that statement. There are few indeed who have the understanding and the gallantry to paint the other side. I asked her how her interest in the French Canadians had been so aroused. The answer was that she had spent years in school with girls from Quebec, that her sister had married a man from Quebec and had gone there to live and that she herself spent as much of her time as she possibly could in Quebec. She loves it allgthe picturesque old grandeur, the quaintness and simplicity of the habitants' lives but most of all the character of the habitants themselves. The French Canadians are our broth- ers now. They are a fascinating and lovable race. We should be proud to share with them our Canada. The writer's face was serious as she said 1t. Then- What if Quebec were inhabited by 'Reds'? The twinkle was back. Laughing, I took my leave of Doubleday Page's elderly maiden aunt. Swrnnh Elinrm lift. y By PAULINE TANCOCK The second form Lit has just begun The whole school's waiting for the fun, The programme's to be brief and sweet Here's the announcer short and neat. Everyone knows that its little Ioe Two senoritas, dark and fairl Spanish music fills the airl Over the crowd they cast a spell. Whol VVhy, Helen Daggett and Iean Bell Here is the big.event of the day! Read to tell us about the Show' Ioe is announcing the second form play. V By the smile upon his face, Second form Lit will set a pace. Ernie Berry and Elizabeth C. Sing two songs quite merrily. Next comes Alice to recite. She gives us a piece that's very bright. Now Second shows what they can do. And Fourth are pulled down a peg or two. Now we see Russell from Form IIA. He has the major part of the play. Here comes Fred, slick and trim, Everyone is delighted with him. Mary Burnet is deserted by Fred, And falls for Russell, heels over head. They act their parts without a pause, And the hall is filled with hearty applause.