Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-05-14
4 Gossip on Literary Matters.

SAN Francisco, May Is, 1870.
"'There is but one step from the
sublime to the ridiculous" said the
great Corsican slaughterer, and the
truth Of the saying is about to receive
a fresh illustration from the Richard
sen-McFarland case. The author of
Beyond The Mississippi, the editor Of
the New York Tribune, the gifted
letter-writer, Mrs. Calhoun, the unfor-
tunste Richardson affinity, Mrs. Nc
Farland, and all the other celebrities
Of the trial have been worked up into
a four-act drama, with the realistic
effects of an actual pistol-shot, police
men in uniform and a jury of twelve
supes, the whole interspersed. with
comic songs and an Irish faction fight.
The Pacific Theater, on Kearny street,
has had the play written to order, and
would have produced 1t a week ago
only they were uncertain whether to
hang or acquit the hero; but the tele-
graph tonight ended their suspense,
and Mcfarland is made to clasp a six
foot son to his arms, exclaim "My
boy! my boy!" and leave the Court
room amidst weeping lawyers, green
fire and thunders of applause. Our
San Francisco theaters, large and
small, are always ready to encourage
local literary talent. The Californis
has kali promised to produce a bur-
lesque on Fofmosa, written by 4 city
gentleman Mcguire has under consid-
Grafton al Irish piece by the author
Of Michael O'Brien, and Arnold's ORA
matte efforts are too well known In
your section to require mention. One
would think that in 4 young city like
this people had something else to do
besides writing five-act tragedies, yet
Barrett and Mccullough are so over
whelmed with these productions that
If q new William Shakespeare was to
forward his Hamlet by mail 1t
would stand a good chance of being
Immediately consigned to the waste
paper basket. Dramas are sent to
them from all parts Of the Pacific
coast. The sheep hcrder OH the San
Joaquin plains whites away his leisure
hours by mentally Incorporating q car.
nival Of ~villainy and murder; the
honest miner, after q hard days toll,
refreshes himself by dramatizing some
wild bloodshed story Of early times,
and the backwoodsman in Oregon
forests seizes his pen with n fierce
desire for Immortality, and labors at 8
play which he firmly believes will
make him famous for all futurity
Some one has said that every man i:
inwardly convinced that he could edit
a newspaper; and it may be truthfully
added, that every man, woman ant
child has the same opinion about
writing q play. And they all go in fol
tragedies. 4 dismal comedy, 4 dolo'
rouS farce. or u fearful burlesquc is oc.
casionally received, and always com
mandS attention for its rarity, but the
prevailing mania is for daggers and
bearded Barons, rightful heirs and
wrongful heirs, distressed maidens and
rcvenging lovers. Soft any aspirant
thinks of mailing his brain-child to a
local manager, the best advice Jack
Horner ian give him is summed up In
the simple word-dont.
The Alta is the only newspaper that
encourages literary talent. The week
lies are too poor to pay q good price
for q good production, and a clip all
they want from foreign exchanges,
Notwithstanding Mr.. Vice President
Colfax's commentator Of II of our
Sunday journals, which he says ode:
serves to circulate from the peaceful
waters of the Pacific. whose foam i
amber, and whose sands r gold, to
the rock-ribbed coast Of Maine" they
are none of them very crcditable spec
linens of editorial ability. The old
Californian, defunct years ago, was,
under Bowman's control, 4 clever, well
managed paper, and the nearest ap-
proac6 we have yet had to what a good
weekly should be. Since then we have
had nothing but silly, nurse girl sheets,
and the chances are not favorable for
the establishment Of anything better.
The Ledger and Nsp York Weekly have
such \ large circulation here that a
| local Of the same character has no room
to compete with them. Of course the
witty, wicked, pungent Neees Letter Is
excepted from these remarks. 1t Is
fast becoming world-famous, Is eagerly
read East, West, and everywhere, and
has actually ELECTED the admiration Of
the great Punch, and favorable notices
from the Saturday Rerie,c. Mr.. Bow
mans serial now appearing In the
Alta, "Ten Ticks Of the Clock, or the
Dwarfs Mate" was commenced three
or four years ago that is, the opening
chapters were written then. Most OF
our local celebrities, easily recogniza-
BILE, will be introduced In the narrative.
Michael Reese already figures in it un-
der the name of Matthew Rand, and
the descriptions Of San Francisco life
and manners promises to surpass in
fidelity anything yet written on the
subject. The ala pays five hundred
dollars for the story, and deserves much
praise for its creditable enterprise.
| am almost ashamed to recur to the
time-worn topic Of
The Weather,
And but for a woeful lack of ideas
would not have mentioned 1t. A few
days ago we were half roasted by a
tropical sun, and consigned wrappers
and big overcoats to the depths Of cav
ernous trunks, blissfully imagining
that we should not want them again
for some weeks. This morning q fierce,
bitter Norther set in binding the
eyes of persons on the street with
dust, playing all kinds Of wild freaks
with bats, caps and crinolines, and ex-
posing as much limb rs can be see In
one Of Lydia Thompson's burlesques.
Tonight we are shivering with cold,
muffied up like Arctic eNpeditionists,
and taking our whisky hot, while the
ice men are in despair, not having sold
enough to pay for axle grease.
Now that
The MercantiIe Library sehene
is fairly launched, opposition there.
fore useless, and advertisements secured,
the city press is hurting harmless thun,
derbolts at the managers Of the enter,
q