St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-09

experienced press writers, and they frequent
ly sit in judgment upon volumes they do not
understand. My experience is that some of
the best books receive the worst notices in
the press and some of the worst books get
the best notices. / do not desire to run
down the influence of the press; it would be
absurd to attempt to do so, and especially in
publisher; but must say that think the
success of a book is made very much in the
same way as play; people read book, like
it, talk OF it, recommend it, just as people
talk of piece at the theatre Criticism crop
erly handled and by responsible writer's would
be of great service no doubt.
''The work of criticism is arduous, and@noi
very satisfactory to the one engaged in it
don't you think so!-especially considering
the quantity of rubbish that is published in
the shape of books.''
eyes, / quite agree with you there. and
that reminds me to say word for the libra
ry system of publishing books that obtains in
England distinct thing from all Ameri-
can systems of publishing. There is one
three volume novel published every day in
the year, and one-half of these works are
paid for by the authors-they never pay their
kexpenses-- and not one-tenth of the entire
>eot is ever reprinted. Now, the library sys-
7 tenn is a sort of sieve, through which this
quantity of fiction is poured, and thus the
chances of discovering good novel are null
tiplied. The library readers are the tasters,
then come the critics, and between the two
the bad novel as rule, should disappear, and
the good ones remain, like the ore in gold
washers cradle''
''What class of literature has most read
ers?''
Fiction" he replied; ooh, yes, felton,
the potentialities of fiction are developing
enormously
''The taste of the moment" | asked lis
it not rather in favor of what may be called
studies of character scenic sketches, psyche
logical studies, skeptical essays and semi
religious discourses, with thin thread of
story holding them together novels Of
character, rather than of plot and character Of
incident aud character"
eyes, and you say well when You speak of
the taste of the moment, for it will change.
Now, to my mind, Charles Reade is the great
est novelist of the age. The public to-day
do not think So but the next generation
will; and, depend upon it, the taste for mere
light, sketchy story telling, without strength
of plot and incident, and strong, firmly
drawn character, will go out, and Is going
outn
''James Paynes books have large salel
And Besants and Rice's:'i
Eyes, we publish for BOTH
HARDLY FAIR QUESTION.
''People often ask me curious questions
about the collaboration of Rice and Besant.
1t is not fair to go behind the work of such
clever novelists and reveal the system, eha
What do you thinkP'
Hardly" he replied; "but this much
may be said, that Rice was not what you
could call the literary partner in that combi-
nation; he was the practical man in the way
of construction, and his suggestions may be
traced in some Of the humorous passages of
their work. He was a very pleasant, con-
scientous, good fellow, Rice; an excellent
journalist, for many years London corre-
spondent of the Toronto Globe. What I
think essential in a successful noveists is
thorough belief in his story and in his char
acters; now, | was once in Edinburgh with
Charles Reade; we went up TO Arthur's seat.
There, said Reade, pointing far away in the
distance, that's where Christie Johnston
caught the herrings." He regardes it, you
see, as history, the incident an accomplish
ed fact, the woman realty!''
You have told me something about your
success, now about your failures. What
about your young writers!''
II have no failures, f" he answered, laugh /
ing-and Chatto can laugh heartly---''my J
friends tell me all my geese are swans, but
tell them no, they only ducklings that
grow into swans.'
"Christie Murray, the author of 'Joseph's
Coat, is an ugly ducklng, thenl'
well, yes, and he will soon be swan;
he is full of promise. He is engaged to
write the next Christmas story for the Graph
To, affa- fi,o4 ho &, e. Il
for the Cornhill. l think his 'Joseph's Coat
may fairly take rank among the best exam
pies of modern felton,
''It is pleasant to hear Il publisher speak so
nicely Of the authors with whom he is assoc
ciated. There are publishers, l believe, who
know little or nothing of the books they in
troduce to the word.''
NOT FICTITIOUS SENTIMENT.
"You see," he replied, 81 am my own
reader L read several novels every week
/ rely on my own judgement; L don't leave
the duty of saying what manuscript is good
or bad to others. undertake all that And
it is no child's play as you will admit, when
l tell you that we have published $50 differ
ent works of fiction and own nearly al ! the
copyrights of them. And apart from the
profit of the work, | rejoice as much, think
as the author himself when one of the books
we publish makes a special hit. You re-
member 'the agent in advance described in
Charles Reade's woman Halter! Well, |
think publisher should be as devoted to an
author as that agent was to his employer.
Men who do not read the books they under
take to publish are no better than mere
tradesmen.
AL e., I
for which all authors should honor YOU"
81 am glad to have an author say so he re-
replied, and so we parted Mr.. Chatto to take
up the thread of the DAYS business in his
counting house, l TO stroll homeward aud
write this letter. A stout policeman con-
Quoting a crowd through the congested traffic
of Piccadilly circus took me in with the rest;
/ walked along Regent street to Regents
Park. The weather was warm and sunny, 4
thousands Of people were out taking adYanT
tage of this glimpse Of summer. Regents
Park was crowded with cricketers, military
band was playing a selection from "Faust,'
the elephants were trumpeting a concert on
their own account in the Zoo, long line of
carriages were waiting near the north gate
to setdown and take up the guests at an art
lists CAT Home" the grass was green, the
trees "bountiful of outrageous leaf" and
came TO the conclusion for the thousandth
time that London is great and interesting
city, ''you bet!'
SOME BITS OF GOSSIP.
Justin McCarthys son about 22), who
wrote 'England Under Gadstone,n (men-
toned in one of my previous letters, is now
a member Of parliament-eected unopposed
for Athlone in place of Sir John Ennis, who
is dead. An author and a member Of the
house of commons at % is a remarkable be-