Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-01-21

The once prevailing impression that lltera-
AZURE to a COED writer means not only fame
but a well-iilled pocl1et-book is not widely
spread nowadays, but there are still people
who believe the lot of the aversge writer to
he, pccgniarily, 4 happy one. They have
heard OF the fortune that Scott made out of
his novels and poems-he received $4,000
for The Lady Of the Lake" alOne,-or that
Lord Byron calculated one morning, when
the most brilliant portion of his career was
vet before him, that poetry had nctted him
some $4,000 forgetting that at the same
time Shelley was rushed about London COM
planning that he hadn't enough money TO
nav his printers bills and that over against
Scott may he placed hundreds Of now
famous authors whose early works made the
rounds of the publishers and were declined
with thanks" The example of Paradise
Lost is too well known to bear repetition,
but every one does not remember that
Robinson Crusoe" went begging for a
publisher, and that even when Defoe had
made his reputation as an author. Sterne
offered "Trisiram Shandy" TO book
seller for $3.50 and was refused. Another
declined TO give Si25 for Tom Jones"
when a more fortunate rival stepped in and
cleared 800, 900 Jane Eyre" was sent to
every prominent publisher in England be-
fore the battered manuscript fell into the
hands Of Smith q Elders reader. Thackeray
failed repeatedly in getting his productions
into print Carive was edited out Of all
semblance of originality in the Edinburgh,
and was finally turned away altogether,
kinglakcs grea; work ''Eotheu," was en-
phaiicaly rejected 10y every publisher to
whom it was submitted uutil$he indignant
author threw down the manuscript as a
present to one of the number. Motley 5
dutch Republic was returned with
thanks +; So was Carlyle's French Revolu-
ton" Lord BrougEam was rejected. JET
frey, who had rejected So many manuscripts,
was himself rejected. George Eliot was re
iccted until she found an advocate in Lewes,
who was also rejected. Thus it Will be seen
that fame mas been won in many instances
only by the persistence Of the authors; and
who shull say how many writers OF genius
have zone down 10 their graves,
.Unwept unhonoIed, and unsung,"
after burning the productions which might
have made them Immortal. Even when q
writer gets into print he realizes but paltry
sum for his lab1rs. Anthony Trollope, in
one of the first yeas of his literary labors,
won something over sixty dollars by his pen
Bret Harte told friend recently that he
barely averaged $1,000 4 year from his
books Mark Twain, on the other hand
draws annually over 500, coo from the bank
account of his publishers. When Albert
Rhodes now~n Europe, was the best known
magaznist in the country he made 50, 900
per annum Charles Lamb wrote paragraphs
for the -HorhiHg Post at siXpence apiece.
But Tennyson has SEQ, 900 Il year from his
copyrights and a guinea line, even for
such poetry rs "Dc-Profundis, although the
regulation price of the -\iHeteenh CeHtary is
- a page, the same, we believe, as the
A,ldatic. Special Contributors, however,
have more. OF all writing that for maga
zines is the most improbable, if followed
systematically Suppose writer to make
monthly Appearance in some first
class periodical of this description, and
what phcnomcn1n sucha writer would be-
his income would reach something like 500
or 5000 a ycar. We ARE inclined 10 the opin.
;a- that ta.erioan periodicals. pay much
!. .a! ....... g.. English, and that newspaper
la th,s country aic more liberal. The new!
bureaus in England, however are more elab
oraic and satisfactory than here, manifold
letters being sent 10 all important provlncia
papers, which sometimes pay one such cor
poratlOn $4,000 "a year This, however
can hardly be called literature. To return
to our multous, il is an axiom that literature
as profession does not pay in a strict mon
etary sense, unless indeed one is prolific
sensation novelist and can turn cut volum'
after volume Ike rolling pins from lathe
The material rewards of intellectual labo
are allotted only 10 a few favored children 0
fortune The incomes Of the great mass 0
professional ittcratcurs are rarely large
they may in most instances furnish livel
hood but tie fortunes now are few and ia
bctUrcD