Woman of the Century/Jessie Fremont O'Donnell

O'DONNELL, Miss Jessie Fremont, author, was born in Lowville, N. Y. She is the youngest daughter of Hon. John O'Donnell, a man of influence and wealth. Her mother was a woman of literary ability. Miss O'Donnell studied in the Lowville Academy and later spent several years in Temple Grove Seminary, Saratoga Springs, N. Y., graduating with the highest honors of her class and as its chosen orator and poet. With no thought of preparing herself for any career, and being free to follow her inclinations, she divided her time between horseback-riding and the pursuit of studies which she chose for her pleasure. She began to write of what she beheld and what she felt in her daily life, and she has developed an extraordinary gift of imagery. While she was JESSIE FREMONT O'DONNELL. writing in an irregular way, she learned the art of printing, working at the case in her native village and in Minneapolis, Minn., and writing occasional editorials. Her first poems were published in the Boston "Transcript." In 1887 she published a volume of poems entitled "Heart Lyrics" (New York). The strong originality and musical quality shown in those poems won appreciation. The reception of her book was so assuring that she decided to pursue literary work systematically. Since that time she has accomplished much work. She has chosen largely historical subjects for her poems, which have been published in various magazines. In December, 1890, after patient preparation, she published " Love Poems of Three Centuries" in the Knickerbocker Nugget Series. She is also a very successful writer of prose. Her story, "A Soul from Pudge's Corners" was first issued serially in the "Ladies' Home Journal." Her series of essays entitled " Horseback Sketches " (New York, 1891) has been one of her pleasantest and most successful works. They were written for "Outing" and were issued in that periodical through 1891 and 1892. She is achieving a marked success in the lecture field with her "Three Centuries of English Love Song," an outgrowth of her editorial work on the "Love Poems.