AN INTERVIEW WITH WILL CARLETON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1847, 15 April 1887, Page 31

AN INTERVIEW WITH WILL CARLETON.

Every frequenter of Penny 'Readings must be familiar with the ballad,- "Betsy and I are Out ; " but, probably, few of those who know the ballad know anything about its author. William Carleton is the son of a Michigan farmer. His mother Vras of a romantic cast of mind, and she> gave him much encouragement in his early days when he betrayed a tendency to forsake" farming for verse-making. The father took a different attitude, and he did his best to, give the boy a good education ; and at the mature age of 15 Will was deemed competent to teach in a school, and his services were rewarded at a very fair rateof about £&% month. Out of his earnings he defrayed ttie cost of the completion of his education" at Hillsdale College. We recently had an opportunity of chatting with Mr Carleton. ,' •. • - " I remember," said the poet',"]aughin.gly, " with what breathless expectancy I v awaited ; the appearance of first my poem in ou)r,viljage paper. It was a great event 'in myjlfe. when it came out in print and t-"sa\v. niy-.name attached to it." v\ "■;•*''' " What was your first poem ¥\ w,e asked. " What may really be called rnyflrst poetic effort was written at 10 years of age',- and was a letter in rhyme. I heard of a neighbouring youug man who could' write Tetters ' in rhyme, and so I thought I wbukl vnjw|er*take the same feat. I did' up^emythj'ng at the farm and in the vicinity in bhoiMtdpggerel, and posted it to my pistery whoTvas, away at bo'ardingscboo].. 3f-r.eme^ber'

that it slosed with the following pathetic lines : — ' . .• I must now end my letter, And bring it to a close ; . ■ Perhaps it will be better To make the next in prose. The eagerness with which she consented to this proposition made me fear that poetry was not exactly my best card. But she was a dear, sweet girl, and upon her return home she petted and encouraged my poor little rhymes much more than they deserved. -The I grief of my boyhood was her death a few years afterwards. In her I lost an appreciative and congenial friend, as well as an idolised sister. ' " Where you a lover of poetry in boyhood ?" we asked. 11 No, not of the everyday kind," answered I Mr Carleton. " Shakespeare was my favourite author and my idol, and I recollect how every spare penny I could get was laid away to buy a copy of his works." " When was ' Betsy and I ' written, and how was it conceived 1" " During the early part of 1871 I was much impressed by the great prevalence of divorces, and. would often stray into our court-room and hear the evidence in the various, cases. It was there that I heard and saw the domestic troubles of others, and they gave me the idea for the poem. The characters in the poem, of ' Betsy and I ' represent no one in particular, and are only intended to be typical of a class. I wrote the poem, and it was published in the Toledo Blade. From this paper it was copied into hundreds of papers, among them Harper's Weekly, and I was surprised at one day receiving from the Harpers a request for a poem. The compliment was of course a high one, and I sat down and composed ' Over the Hills to the Poorhouse,' • Out of the Old House,' 'Gone with a Han'somer Man,' ' Uncle Sammy,' and a number of others, which were published in the Weekly in the spring of 1871." 11 Was • Over the Hill to the Poorhouse ' based on real incidents which you saw in any institution ?" asked the writer, "Well, yes, partly." " Have you any objection to saying what you received for the poem ?" " No-o, I think there is no harm in saying that Mr S. S. Conant, for many years editor of Harper's Weekly, sent me a cheque for 30dol (£6) for it. For • Besty and I ' I never received anything, as the Blade was not "a distinctively literary paper, and paid its contributors only in kind treatment and editorial encouragement." " Are those poems favourites with you, as they are with the public ?" " Well, I confess to a paternal weakness for them, but believe that there is really more in ' The First Settler's Story ' than in any other of my verses, and indeed I hear it oftenest commended. If I have a favourite I think that is the choice." "What are your methods of composition ?" " I have no regular or stereotyped methods, j not being a believer in the mood theory, as some of our poets are. My principle is to work for a mood rather than to wait for one (barring fatigue or pre-occupation) ; and one time is the same to me as any other for work. At times a poem will be entirely outlined in my mind before I sit down to write, at other times I go to my desk without the least idea of what the effort will result in. The construction of a poem with me is a labour of care, and is often slow work." " What portion of the day do you think is best adapted for work ?" "Well — I can, of course, only speak for myself — the morning is by far the best time, and I generally employ that part of the day. • No, I never do any work before breakfast, and I never toil with the brain after 6 o'clock. General reading, music, and home and hall amusements are good enough for the evening, '•I firmly believe in outdoor exercise," said Mr Carleton, "walking especially. Daily and persistent inflation of the lungs with fresh air saved me from consumption. No, I use no stimulants or narcotics. I drink a very little tea or coffee, but 1 could work just as well without them." He has no children, but divides his love and devotion between his wife and his aged mother, who lives with him. Mr Oarleton's home is in the upper portion of Brooklyn, generally termed '.' Bedford." The poet is 41 years of age, though to a stranger he appears much younger. Notwithstanding certain unauthorised newspaper paragraphs, Mr Carleton will not visit Europe this autumn-, but will reserve that pleasure for the spring, when he will probably undertake an extensive lecturing tour throughout Great Britain. Mr Carleton believes that his lectures have had a most salutary effect on his published works, and in almost every city where he has appeared his books immediately thereafter have had large sales. His " Farm Ballads " have thus far had slightly the largest circulation of any of his works, although his subsequent volumes are enjoying a good and steady sale. His i four books combined have had a circulation of over 300,000 copies. Many of his most famous ballads have been translated into several languages. ! Will Carleton's struggle for fame and | recognition by the public has been arduous and not without its drawbacks, and he therefore fully deserves the literary honour which he now enjoys.