Mike, If the stories don't interest you, feel free to tune out of the thread altogether. But there may be architecture to be discussed from his stories. For example, the amateur rule as clarified in 1915 most certainly had its impact on golf architecture, as it stripped architects of their status. For another example, see Francis's description of how Merion's holes played in the article above. I am just not interested in allowing the thread to turn into another one of your tired digressions on the Francis land swap. You've already been doing that on the other active thread, and as I said, I'll be happy to address your points about the swap (for the umpteenth time) on the other thread, but first I hope you get a chance to consider and answer my pending questions. Thanks.
As for your question as to why he used a pseudonym, if you ever actually bother to read his many stories and the mini about-the-author pieces that sometimes accompanies the stories, the answer becomes easier to comprehend.
As for your speculation earlier in the thread that the real life Richard Francis was probably a bit of a stiff who lacked creativity, here is his entry to his Harvard class update from 1917:
TO the best of my recollection, I have already explained to an anxious and interested public all momentous events of my life since leaving college up to three or four years ago. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the facts as then outlined have not been changed by the several years which have flown since their transcription.
Life for me is nothing more or less than a constant struggle to keep my income to such a point that I have a little time and a little money left over to play golf. Having struggled with golf for some twenty years, I have reached the point where I am almost a good golfer. Over and over again I have come very close to being a great golfer, but somehow or other somebody turns up at the psychological moment with the idea in his head of demonstrating that I am entirely mistaken as to my skill. Most unfortunately the demonstration is accurate, forceful and to the point.
Of next importance to golf in my life is the Woman question. Mrs. Francis, entirely without my knowledge, approval, or consent, entered and honorably graduated from Bryn Mawr College, an institution generally supposed to educate women, but which, as a matter of fact, exists primarily to humiliate men. It was by the merest chance that I came to live in the town which boasts of Bryn Mawr College as its proudest institution. It seems to me that the yearly calendar is hardly extensive enough to contain all of the meetings held in this quiet village for the promotion of Women's Suffrage; the enriching of the poor;the impoverishing of the rich; the advancement of learning among the ignorant; the purifying of food, politics and males; and thirty or forty other uplift movements of the same sort.
It seems unjust for me to condemn any of these worthy crusades, as there seems to be plenty of time left over for the proper management of the house, home, children and myself, which is done with great skill, effectiveness, economy and kindness.
I have attended the usual number of Harvard dinners, which have been delightful as always. One point about them which has worried me a good deal is — it is explained at these dinners, as it has been explained many times before, that to be a Harvard man is in itself pretty nearly sufficient for any ordinary human; but
that to be a leading Harvard man among Harvard men is the sublimest height of achievement. Of course, I thoroughly agree with this, but I somehow or other have a terribly hard time convincing the general public that such is the case. Of course, if you will read again the last line or two the answer becomes perfectly evident.
Otherwise, life seems to be simply delightful.
Except for a good many useless newspaper articles, more or less technical, I have never written anything. I am glad that I cannot write, for if I could, it might have been I and not Owen Wister who wrote the verses about Mr. Wilson and had them published at a most critical period of our national existence. Incidentally, I am a Republican.
Perhaps Joe Bausch can track down his technical articles.