MauriceThompsonspenthiswholeliterarylife，andGeneralLew.WallacestilllivesatCrawfordsville，Indiana;Mr.MadisonCaweinstaysatLouisville，Kentucky;MissMurfreestaysatSt.Louis，Missouri;FrancisR.StocktonspentthegreaterpartoftheyearathisplaceinWestVirginia，andcameonlyforthewintermonthstoNewYork;Mr.EdwardBellamy，untilhisfailinghealthexiledhimtotheFarWest，remainedatChicopee，Massachusetts;andIcannotthinkofoneofthesewriterswhomitwouldhaveadvantagedinanyliterarywisetodwellinNewYork.Hewouldnothavefoundgreaterincentivethanathome;andinsocietyhewouldnothavefoundthatliterarytonewhichallsocietyhad，orwishedtohave，inBostonwhenBostonwasagreattownandnotyetabigtown.
　　Infact，IdoubtifanywhereintheworldtherewaseversomuchtasteandfeelingforliteratureastherewasinthatBoston.AtEdinburgh（asIimagineit）therewasalargeanddistinguishedliteraryclass，andatWeimartherewasacultivatedcourtcircle;butinBostontherewasnotonlysuchagroupofauthorsasweshallhardlyseehereagainforhundredsofyears，buttherewassuchregardforthemandtheircalling，notonlyingoodsociety，butamongtheextremelywell—readpeopleofthewholeintelligentcity，ashardlyanothercommunityhasshown.NewYork，Iamquitesure，neverwassuchacentre，andIseenosignsthatiteverwillbe.ItdoesnotinfluencetheliteratureofthewholecountryasBostononcedidthroughwriterswhomalltheyoungwriterswishedtoresemble;itdoesnotgivethelaw，anditdoesnotinspirethelovethatliteraryBostoninspired.Thereisnoidealthatitrepresents.
　　AglanceatthemapoftheUnionwillshowhowverywidelyoursmallerliterarycentresarescattered;andperhapsitwillbeusefulinfollowingmetoothermorepopulousliterarycentres.DroppingsouthwardfromNewYork，now，wefindourselvesinaliterarycentreofimportanceatPhiladelphia，sincethatisthehomeofMr.J.B.McMasters，thehistorianoftheAmericanpeople;ofMr.OwenWister，whosefreshandvigorousworkIhavementioned;andofDr.WeirMitchell，anovelistofpowerlongknowntothebetterpublic，andnowrecognizedbythelargerintheimmensesuccessofhishistoricalromance，HughWynne.
　　IfIskipBaltimore，Imayignorealiterarycentreofgreatpromise，butwhileIdonotforgettheexcellentworkofJohnsHopkinsUniversityintrainingmenforthesoliderliteratureofthefuture，noBaltimorenamestoconjurewithoccurtomeatthemoment;andwemustreallygetontoWashington.This，tillhebecameambassadorattheCourtofSt.James，wasthehomeofMr.JohnHay，apoetwhosebiographyofLincolnmustrankhimwiththehistorians，andwhosepublicserviceasSecretaryofStateclasseshimhighamongstatesmen.HeblottedoutoneliterarycentreatCleveland，Ohio，whenheremovedtoWashington，andMr.ThomasNelsonPageanotheratRichmond，Virginia，whenhecametothenationalcapital.
　　Mr.PaulDunbar，thefirstnegropoettodivineandutterhisrace，carriedwithhimtheliterarycentreofDayton，Ohio，whenhecametobeanemployeeintheCongressionalLibrary;andMr.CharlesWarrenStoddard，insettlingatWashingtonasProfessorofLiteratureintheCatholicUniversity，broughtsomewhatindirectlyawaywithhimthelasttracesoftheoldliterarycentreatSanFrancisco.
　　AmorerecentliterarycentreintheCalifornianmetropoliswenttopieceswhenMr.GelettBurgesscametoNewYorkandsilencedthe'Lark'，abirdofasnewandrareanoteasevermadeitselfheardinthisair;
　　butsincehehasreturnedtoCalifornia，thereishopethattheliterarycentremayformitselfthereagain.IdonotknowwhetherMrs.CharlottePerkinsStetsonwreckedaliterarycentreinleavingLosAngelesornot.
　　IamsureonlythatshehasenrichedtheliterarycentreofNewYorkbytheadditionofatalentinsociologicalsatirewhichwouldbeextraordinaryevenifitwerenotaltogetherunrivalledamongus.
　　CouldonesaytoomuchoftheliterarycentreatChicago？Ifancy，yes;
　　ortoomuch，atleast，forthetasteofthenotablepeoplewhoconstituteit.InMr.HenryB.Fullerwehavereasontohope，fromwhathehasalreadydone，anAmericannovelistofsuchgreatnessthathemaywellleavebeingthegreatAmericannovelisttoanyonewholikestakingthatrole.Mr.HamlinGarlandisanotherwriterofgenuineandoriginalgiftwhocentresatChicago;andMrs.MaryCatherwoodhasmadehernamewellknowninromanticfiction.MissEdithWyattisatalent，newlyknown，ofthefinestqualityinminorfiction;Mr.RobertHerrick，Mr.WillPayneintheirnovels，andMr.GeorgeAdeandMr.PeterDumpintheirsatiresformwiththosenamedagroupnottobematchedelsewhereinthecountry.
　　Itwouldbehardtomatchamongourcriticaljournalsthe'Dial'ofChicago;andwithafairamountofpublishinginasortofbooksoftenasgoodwithinastheyareuncommonlyprettywithout，Chicagohasaclaimtorankwithourfirstliterarycentres.
　　ItiscertainlytobereckonednotsoveryfarbelowLondon，which，withMr.HenryJames，Mr.HarryHarland，andMr.BretHarte，seemstomeanAmericanliterarycentreworthytobenamedwithcontemporaryBoston.
　　Whichisourchiefliterarycentre，however，Iamnot，afterall，readytosay.WhenIrememberMr.G.W.Cable，atNorthampton，Massachusetts，Iamshakeninallmypreoccupations;whenIthinkofMarkTwain，itseemstomethatourgreatestliterarycentreisjustnowatRiverdale—
　　on—the—Hudson.