Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-06-07
Pen AND PENCIL.
What the Literary Guild is Saying
and Doing.

L uACS3 10 p1OPnA4b5 q oNAAOS VI -
on the Kansas litterdti.
Tom p Morgan is regular Kansas
contributor to the Inter-Ocean.
Arthur G. Grissom, formerly city edi-
tor of the independence MO- Sentinel,
has forsaken journalism and is giving
his attention to literature. His
sketches and long stories give much
promise.
Precocious producers of bad poetry
are becoming more numerous. Two or
three volumes of verse have been issued
this spring by mere youths who will in
coming years blush for the doggerel
they have sent forth.
Charles Dudley Warner, who as one
of the editors of Harper's magazine is
never idle, is preparing study of Kan
sas City on the same plan as that of
Chicago and other cities recently pub
lished. The Kansas City people are
showing him numerous fayOrS in order
to get favorable notice.
D. Lothrop & Co.'s publications
which are adapted to children of all
ages and even for the grown, are among
the best of their kind. From Baby
land" to "Wide-Awake" they are gems.
Nothing goes so far in determining
the acceptance or rejection OF an arti-
Gle as the preparation of manuscript.
4 manuscript that does not need re-
vision is a joy everlasting toan iitor's
heart and commends itself for publica-
ton if there is the least spark of avail
ibility' in it.
Abilene's editors deserve another
good mark for not having inflicted up
on their readers one of those idiOtic adj
vertiSing stories entitled "a Leap
Year Romance" and dealing with the
purchases of a newly married couple.
A couple of scribblers have been work
ing the racket all over the State and
seem to have found plenty of suckers
for their musty chestnut. Council
Grove was recently victimiZed.
Minerva Boyce, a blooming Missouri
poetess, mournfully whines soulful
ditty about what Love and Me- did.
Get down your grammar, Minerva, and
see if it says anything about such syn
tax even if "me' does rhyme with
Gree
Sylvanus Cobb is dead, half dozen
cheap, trash libraries have expired.
Robert Bonner has retired from the
Ledger, the Sweet Singer of Michigan
is running a lumber mill, Mrs. Eden
Southworth has ceased grinding out
blood-curdling novels, Ella Wheeler
Wilcox hasn't been heard from for q
month and Donnelly has done his worst
it really seems as though literature
might have a respectable revival in this
country.
1t is said that the brilliant para
grapher, Walt Mason, has been offered
$50 week to take a position on
Wichita paper. He used to scribble
for less than that month.
The Century for June is out. 1t con.
tains as usual large amount of excel
lent matter. The Siberian prisons are
further discussed in an entertaining
manner, the Lincoln history continues
there are two good short stories and 8
continuation of 1.-The GraysOns. One
poem in particular, kansas Bird
songs" has much beauty and strength
Now Donnelly claims that Bacon
wrote Marlowe's plays, Montaigne's
dramas and indeed almost everything
that appeared between 1881 and 1892
It is thought that the great cipherel
will soon announce that Bacon was the
author of King James authorized YER
sion of the Bible.
Invitations and programs are out fol-
the meeting of the Western Associa-
ton of Writers at Indianapolis, June
6 and Z. This organization, of which
Maurice Thompson is president, is a
most meritorious one. 1t aims at the
upbuilding of a western literary spirit
which shall to some extent offset the
mutual admiration societies of the mag
azine-ridden East. All writers whose
work rises to the character of worthy
literature are invited to membership.
Kansas will have few members in the
Association: we are too far removed
from the place of meeting. But Kan
sas has as brilliant coterIe of literary
people as any State in the West, and
Kansas should have literary associa-
ton of its own. Its writer's are too
much engaged in working out their
own salvation. They need acquaint-
ance with one another and the stimulus
that the bond of mutual interest gives.
Let us have a Kansas Writer'S Associ-