, 1872-12-22
IS LITERATURE tLL.PEID7

our 10flner afflcla VIC HIS5ut aaQ tloSc OF itGS
kin. Reaae, Yates, Mil1nan, Mill: and the tw
Balwers. especially Sir Edward Lyttoa. II:
latter has published nearly seventy volumes
some Of them upon subjects exac!ing much spe
cia1 research; and for many Of his novels ha
received 81, 900 each, besides winning aBaronet
cy and a seat in Parliament as result OF hi
literary distinction. And yet how hard, thin]
you, has Bulwer worked? Never, he tell.
Us, SO 1abo7oualy as to degenerate intt
slave Of tho pen, d mere literary drudge
He has won his present proud position by de-
voting, as rule, not over three hours day te
reading and writing and yet Bulwer is not q
man OF genius. He is only man OF prodigious
talent, who has narrowly escaped being a
genius.
But, sa5s an objector, the instances you have
| mentioned Of well-remunerated authorship are
exceptional !; You cite al the prizes in the lot
! tery, and say nothing about tho blanks. What
Of Chatterton, Of Savage, of Hood, Blanchard,
and Poo In reply, ne readily admit that some
men of letters have lived lives Of penury, ending
in starVation,-that sone Of the works which
have charmed the world, hnve been written with
the hearts blood Of their authors. But are such
failures tho doom OF literary men only /? Do We
| not see them in every cal1ing md walk of life ?
| Are there no starving doctors who ind it harder
to keep the vital spark in their own bodies than
| in those Of their patients; no lawyers, Of whor,
some future Gray may truthfully eing:
"Bnt ah! to them no clerk his golden page
kieh with rctaining fees did Ger uErou;
Chill negligence repressed their legal rage.
And froze the quibbling current Of the soul IN
Has not the Church it's army of martyrs-pas-
tors stepped in poverty to the lips, yet having as
many mouths to feed as the -Malthusiau John
Rogers Is money drug with every druggist,
is every tailor as familiar with turkey as with
goose,-and are teachers never impecuniousS Is
any fact better established than that uinety-tiye
out OF every hundred merchants quit business in
disgust. or become bankrupt? Not much Is
said Of the unhappy lot Of these men; but ne
hear continual ding-dong about the niseries Of
authors.
Ina New York World, in speaking Of the Pc
cuniary receipts Of the authors OF that metrop-
oils, says that they do not average $500 year.
:" No profession, " it adds, seven when success
tul, Is so precarious, demands greater brain
labor at smaller compensation. There are doz-
ems OF literary men in this city, whose names are
popuiarly familiar, living on incomes that
stone-cntter would laugh at" This, We believe.
Is an exaggerated statement; but, allowing it to
be substantially true, why is the fact thus !? We
cannot help thinking that, in great majority Of
cases, it is the fault Of the literary men
themselves their own imprudence When
vulgar mortal, tailor, mechanic, or stone-cutter,
despises economy, and spends in one day the
earnings OF ten, LIE goes to wreck. He knows
perfectly well that, however hard he may work,
unless he carefully husbands his receipts, and
Jealously guards against the little leaks OF use
1ess expenditure. he can never become indepeud-
ent. Why should the man Of genius expect to
be exempted from this rule? Does he EXPECT
q miracle to be worked or rather seriesof
miracles, to save him from Tia CONSEQUENCES Of
his own acts7
Look again ut Goldsmith. How is it possible
for any man to thrive who equandsrs his money
so reckless1y es he did his7 EmptyinE his
pockets as soon as they were filed,
be was eternally harassed by credit
OTIS; and though receiving large sums
from his writings, had always his daily bread to
earn No Boomer had the proceeds OF tt,u
Good-Natured Mar" come into his hands than
the bulk was spent in purchasing and furnishing
with elegance set of chambers in the Temple, |
paying for this +s400, at a time when he had |
just been sorely distressed by his debts. At an
other time, when he had not shilling in his !
pocket, he gave away his ed-clothes to u poor
woman, and was found sleeping On the feathers |
OF his bed, with his arms thrust through holes
IN the tick. Goldsmith might have been inde- |
pendent had he not thrown away his earnings. |
True, he died $4,000 in debt, We have already |
stated; but when was any other m.n in similar |
SO trusted7
There are scores Of literary men at the present |
day OF whom Goldsmith was prototype, They |
realize for years fair or a large income; they
live beyond it; they get Into debt, and are |
dogged by sherins; they.borrow Of their friends
till they eau borrow no longer; houseless,
money1esa, shabby, and hungry, they join in the |
cry about the miserable rewards of literature
md the woes Of literary men. Yet Who docs not /
see that, till the laws OF nature are reversed,
they cannot reasonably expect, unless they
themselves change; E change in their condition?
It is misfortune Of the literary profession
that it is one to which hardly any person is bred
It is recruited largely by persons who, having
tried several other calings and failed adopt this
Is pis-o!!e'., OF because they have, or fancy
hey have. for it a natural taste. It is made up,
N short, Of the vagrant talent of the world. The
complaint Of Pope, and Of Horace before him, is
200 true Of the Bohemians Of today:
"He served premiership who sets up shop;
Ward tried on puppies and the Eoor LIS drop;
But those who cannot WRITE and those who can.
AL rhyme, and scrawl, and scribblo to man.
II is well, perhaps, that there is such LHop-
tai des Inuahdes, such House Of Refuge, for
he lawyers, doctors, clergymen, and others who
nave found out that in the pursuit of their call
nga the round men get into the square holes.
t is fortunate that there is one kind Of business
Il which any man who has d ninnble brain.
luire Of paper, d steelpen, and an ink-bott1e,
an set up shop. But having adopted this call
ng, tho writer should consecrate himself to it
elgious1y: He should give up his gypsy habits,
lis contempt for rule and system, and recognize
he iron conditions that hem every man in. Re
hould realize that he has life Of toll before |
i'm, and brace himself to it with all the cool
1858 and energy of Q man Of the world. He
honld see, and profoundly feel, that while he
as many advantages over other tpilerB, in the
bility to- command his time, and to 80 to bed ;
hen he has o headache or heart-ache. he ia :
ot ut other times to be continually dwelling
mons the roseH md lilies Of life, but must :
ripple with its stern realities
He should never forget that on him, as on his :