New-York tribune., 1886-02-14
erccESI,0y FOR / DINNER.

A CTEGfNIiON IOE 4 bI'-']<'''
4 few years since il was suggested aI'ol - '''
liant dinner gwen to a famous author on MS SeFcn-
tictb bir,hlly by his Only less successful literary
brethren that conspicuously UNSUCCESSFUL au'hCi'
in case hr too lived to three score ana ien' ouHH'
to ne similarly honorod by sympathetic "literS
who had achieved 4 GOOD deal Of 4 failure them
selves Itwos cogcnty argued by those iavorlhg the
nrovati,u that there was greater innate proprie'y
i'm dining au cmInently unpopular rather IIlah d"
cmiucntly popular book-producer. Your cUiheh''S
popular novelist or poet they pointed out can ouS
hi. own good meat and drink and no thanks 10
ANYBODY: but your cmlucatly unpopular ho'eiS'
or poet stands a good chIlce 0t gong " u"
hungry unics. he dimes at somebody eISe eNp'"'''
Naturally the suggestion was opposed Dy nasty
oeocr,lizrts They sad that the scheme aIthouHh
undonbtcdlc'phiMnrhrop was not practical since
the unsuccessful authors of the country Won'u
never cons. nj 10 advertise themselves - Slch bu'
fins affection was seen to be withOut force a. soon
%. il va. examined. A dinner on his scfehlI'lu
birthday rendered to man on the ground lh'i TIC
was Americas most unpopular author anu ~
ccpt,d ~ HIM ON tnlt understanding, " p'InH
equally wei understood that those that JoIAen III
having the compliment recognized that theY were
allied To him by the tie of general inapPrec'adoh-
such dinner would afford an rneqGalled opp'rl'h'
f. Cor film, protcst against the crude and vItated
taste Of the multitude aal for organizing i move
mcnt to elevate it. OF course at sn;h dinner the
guest of honor would be crowned WIN 0"'P''O
bearing he legend:
lis not iu mortdls To commend success.
But We u do more .cmpronlu- We he7e'' '" ~
OF coursc also. ea,h member OF the large and IN
distinnui,habie company WoI.d wear badge
slammed with the comforting assurance Inc
world knows nothing Of its greatest men, Inc
nost-prandial speeches would necessarily be devote"
to q drnon,tra of the ,ckcnng fact thai the
vos. majority of readers owing touatural dcpravitY
Jcfceut ci, urr general cus."ducss auda conspiracy
among publishers have left unread the books they
| ouobt tn have read and have read the books when
| .t.y oucbr not ~ n ,vc read. such "a dinner cou d
NOT Lclp 10 prove no matter how un>u'cc''lul lho''
r,igr. he who par,ook of 1t tremendous success
The American experimenting the " dear reader
have q great admiration for pluck. And the
spertaclc Of the unsuccessful contributors to our
\,t,,pa; rtcrlturc. havIut the To admit that
they were srch ,ud >urliugiy gong ahead and din-
INC IN. .clf-confc,scd cou,uunatr flower of failure
on his -cycntirth birthday. would touch 'hc great
popuiar heart "a il mas rarely been i"nched SINCE
! dinner was instituted among men, Indeed II Is
more than likely that the ou'come "i the ''h"'L !,
would hr q widespread demand for the works oi
! the venerable ob~curtv IN who's" ho""r IL was
oryc, and for those Of hi. congeuill stitngers 10
! fame.
I.,t the suggestion for such dinner has not
already hccu acted upon only goes To Indicate 'h''
tb, ,uccr,,ful authors of America are IKE most
of their frilowinrr, given to cpnSrrVat'ih. li""'
eyer now that thriratfcntlpn re- lrrcrd t"lt II
is 70 be- hoped that II viii take shape before t"'
present dinuer-g giving season l. over.