Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-12-22
The Rewards Of Authorship.

sidered ignoblc Tor an author to ac-
cept rewards tor the creations of his
genius, and with the greA rush OF
men i'll this country towards things
material, literature has come to have
a commercial value.
Advocates OF q strict breaa-and.
butter philosophy in all other things,
those Americans who lave chosen
literature as a profession have not
disdained to swell their bank &C
counts. or to live in marble houses.
Authorship in this country has been
in the main successful. In passing in
review the names Of our most dis
tinguished writer's, it will be seen
that few of them suffer from the goad
Of poverty. Bayard Taylor, gen.
tleman of no education, as we under
stand education, and who commenced
life as few now woald or could com
mence it, has accumulated within the
past twenty years a considerable for
tune, and lives in comfortable ele-
gance. DR.. Holland, a bankrupt coun-
try physician. turned editor, and not
very successful at that, has sold
enough of his socia! platitudes, and
delivered lectures enough, to become
rich, and lives in mansion which is
the wonder of the country people for
miles around. lie is supposed to re-
ceiye from lectures and writing from
twenty to thirty thousand dollars in
year. William Cullen Bryant who
may be justly called author, poet and
editor. is, worth half a million, owns
two country seats, and if he choose
could drive as fine turnout as Jim
Fisk. Mr.. Bancroft, the historian,
now minister at Berlin, is rated at
100000, and the copyright on his
works is OF great and constantly in
creasing value. The Boston authors,
Longfellow and Holmes, are both
rich, and live in elegance. Lowell,
Emerson and Whittier. although not
as Wealthy, have long since driven
the wolf from the door. TX. Marvel
has an income equal to that of the
President. The genial Higginsou
rates way up in the thousands. Ol
minor writer's Gail Hamilton is said
to be rich enough to have husband
(s1O0,O0O.) Miss Alcott and Mss
Phelps are now able to get on alone
in the world, $4,000 each. Mark
Twain was rich enough before his ia.
ther-in-law died, and now we fear he
is too rich to write for bread or tame
James Parton says he makes $4,000
year, and Steedman, Fanny Fern
aud others make comfortable in.
comes.
=. AAmopg. \ editors are. TO he ~fauRd
comes in the country. Numerous a
are the wrecks in the sea of journal
ism, the successful men have beer
eminently successful. James Gordon
Bennett Is three times a millionaire
aud clears thousand dollars every
twenty tour hours. Bryant and Parkt
Goodwin, of the Evening Post, art
both very wealthy. Horace Greeley
is worth 100000, and might have
been worth ten times that sum. Man
ton Marble, at thirty five. is yer,
rich. Most of the other New Yorl
editors are rich. Sam. Bowles, q
Springfield, Mass, has large compe
| tcnce. So has Murat Halstead of tn,
Cincinnati Commercial. In our owl
clty, the income Of the principal ed
itors of the Tribune and Times rang
from $40. 900 to $4,000 each.
But no young man will act wisel,
who in these days shall enter, unald
e,l aud poor, upon Journalism, witt
the hope OF speedily, or at any time
4 coming to such fortune as this
4 Men who have been so successful i
4 journalism have the abilities whic
4 would have fitted them for succes
in other dcpartsnents Of lite. In
l commercial sense, Journalism an
authorship are reasonable successes
/ but these looking about for carec
in lite will do we'll seriously to re
feet before choosing either OF thes
professions. The prizes are grea
and dazzling, and they are well ca
culated to blind the eyes to the hun
dreds OF pi,iable hacks who are scrit
bling for bread, aud in whose hear
the hope Of fame or wealth has die
out. z, g g