National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-12-05
A GENTLE VAIL.
lRr Ell NYc ln cnl.nr, Nnws.

90 not say this because IL makes so much
difference 10 me, but on behalf of my friends,
several Of whom have shown intellectual
symptoms which could not be easily mis-
taken.
There are many features OF American
progress that are entitled to approval and
hearty Enforcement Any OF that class, Of
course, uron being properly forwarded,
will I've duly approved, Endorsed, and re-
turned; but there are others which call
for reform To call attention TO one Of
these chances for reform is the purpose OF
this paper.
IL Is no secret, Of course, that wherever
the Monaghan seeks TO inveat bis oriental
style Of Precipitation In American dollars
riot, bloodshed, eud destruction ensue. The
Chinaman, in the great perspiraton tourna-
ment Of this country, represents In degree
the stolen labors OF the foreign author as
used In the markets of America against tho
toll Of those who are striving 10 jerk Amer
lean literature ont Of the swamps of neglect
In which Columbus found IL, and elevate IL
to proud position among those Of other
lands. And yet the Chnaman does receive
something for his labor. In many cases he
receives as much as the white laborer 10
that he will hardly do to represent the Jesse
James element In literature.
OF course this wholesale use OF other peo-
PIES property, by means Of which the
American author Is compelled TO saw his
own wood aud wear his summer clothes till
long after Thanksgiving, is doing much to
spread literary work all over the world and
TO bring the authors of various chimes into
competition with each other, but we cannot
afford IL yet.
On behalf of many literary friends, one of
whom is the author of that little poetic
gem
You soy that my meter Is wobbly,
That my song is too rich for your blood
That NY feet Hrc Il little bit tender,
And that nin aslick.in-the-mud.
You say that my brain Is fermenting
And that ought to be und guard;
But this surely cannot be madness,
For get there Just as hard.
On behalf of this author say, and sew
cral Others of our school--our kindergarten
school Of literature, as II wcrc--I desire to
state that we nre not yet ready To have the
great field of literature thrown into Il com
mon.
International copyright suffers because
the author has no time TO spare In protracted
efforts at Washington. While the author
does not feel above the congressman. he
feels that his sphere lie different one. lie
does not feel at home in Washington. lie
saves up the royalty on hislast two works,
goes to the best hotel, where 1t costs s. O
day to exist, and by 3 o'clock in the after
noon he has exhausted the royalty he
brought with him aud has accomplished
nothing. All that he can do Is TO go back
home md write another book with which TO
compete with Struggled foreign literature.
The author Of to-day has an uphill time
of IL generally. In the first place he must
compete with o long line Of deceased
authors, from Josephus down. Then he
must compete with all who write In his own
language to-day, for book can be jerked
across the smashing brine and stereotyped
and printed and sold on the 5-cent counters
very soon these days. But that is not all !;
he must compete with the writer who thinks
and studies and writes in a foreign tongue,
for the translator is at hand before the ink
is dry on the first copy.
II Is tough Sometimes L wish that had
quilted this great throbbing desire to be an
author, and had kept my place as night clerk
In the livery stable, where i was free from
care, and where the phrenologist advised
me to remain.
Moreover, the publication of foreign
books In this country-books that have been
smuggled through without cost to the pub
lisher-is monopolizing the book presses of
America TO great degree.
One Of my own school OF literature,
personal friend OF mine, who writes poetry
at night and whacss pair OF reluctant
red mules days, recently became the author
of q beautiful poem, entitled "The Crea-
tion"--a eulogistic poem in two parts, at
So per part. IL was good, fair poem, l
thought 1t was about the length Of Mil
toms "Paradise LOST and something the
same style Of book Still, good connois-
seur could readily detect the difference.
Little as i know about poetry, could see
that the soarings were different. Miltons
soarings were uniformly in an upward di-
In Ia In
flights, seemed to be constantly and earn
estly seeking for good, soft place where
he could alight in such manner that he
would not hurt the place.
Still, the poem was meritorious, and
weighed about nine pounds. 1t was re-
turned by the publisher, however, on the
ground that the house was engaged night
and day In the reproduction OF an English
book that had been recently procured while
the author was looking the other way. It
is thus that the American author is coldly
repulsed, until at last he gets mad and goes
into speculation in government contracts,
or perhaps at last, goaded on by hunger and
by want, he may himself become the pub
Usher of foreign books In this country.
For these reasons / assert that there Is
room here for Improvement, aud IL the Con-
grcss Of the United States would win and
retain my self-respcct II cannot longer post
pone decisive action In the matter Of copy
right.
do not wall In this manner because
have suffered personally through the lack
of proper copyright laws, but / wall be-
cause there Is suffering among those who
are In the habit of borrowing money of me-
So far, my own works have been peculiarly
exempt from piracy. Though have, figur-
atively speaking, frequently left them out
at night, where they were very much ex-
posed, they have not been alarmingly con-
tagious. But 1t is the principle for which l
contend. The man or woman who sits up
all night to chase skittish and evasive
thought, and, while others sleep, follows on
for hours in the wake Of some swift-footed
may have the benefit, should be paid for the
time thus expended.