Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-27
Novel Writing.

II novel writing only consisted of the art Of drv-
ing the quill and turning out clever epigrams; II
the votar1es OF the schools Of nction-realistic,
naturalisric, romantic or pessimistic-needed only
TO sit down to their writing tables. evolve plots
from their inner consciousness, and people them
with characters taken not from lie, but born
within themselves. then undoubtedly the plalanx
OF ulustrous authors would be much larger and
more powerful than It IL at the present day. But
nctlon means life, experience, observation and
suffering; It means the tasting OF The cup sorrow
individual taste which this cup leaves on
the tongue OF the author. To write the
story Q. humanity means ysais Of experimentng
and hatred, OF pain and pleasure, OF ambition and
disappointment upon his own soul BY him who as
upon mankind. Il means the Infusion OF ones
own heart In the pages OF q novel and TO be sue
cesstr4 70 appeal % the reader, the STORY
wrung from that heart, and sung 70 the rhythm Of
the chants OF gratined ambition and victorious
love: inartyrdom Is enclosed between the covers
London streets traced she story Of the poor
orphan, not with ink In the quiet OF his study, but
w4tsr ts - ms n own T Ss y0s'
greater tnan That OF the doctor who undertakes to
cure bodily Ills, and hts selfish attempt TO expert
mental woes upon o,nsrs iSsssaa Of On nins r. :
dangerous and Outlines pernicious. For 1t will
i've on after him, be 1t ever 50 narrow q circle,
enced hands may prove panacea, but which left
toitseif, without It's true properties being known
more probably ~til vitiate the healthy life-blood
Among Tue different schools OF fiction there Is
none that reQui es Q more wide experience, none
which demands SO much observation, testing aud
proOing as the pesSmist1c school, PeSSliniSm Is
one OF The many paths which lead TO Truth, but
II Is very rarely found by young people 70 whom
the ordinary aspects Of life the sins and iniqui-
Ties which have existed and thrlven In This
meiiteur des mondes ever since man first struggled
for existence, seem the outcome OF the worst and
depraved period In the history Of mankind, un-
eQualled by any OF the transgressions VI former
ages The lessons OF childhood are str1ll strong
within them, and they proceed 70 shock the world
with tales OF what has been OF daily occurrence
since the beginning OF life.
An especial attraction Tor them has the sin OF
whose hlgh-sounding Name George Sand very clev-
cry said tnat IT Was "a long name Tor very little
affair" and they constantly Ting the gamuL ON
this subject, and Call dong peSsinlsln, though
both " perpetrators and cookers on IL has long
since LOST whatever pessmlstic aspect IL may ever
have had when women were chaoLe and mortals
were pure. Their heroes pesSlmistically love
women VINO. IN tlelr eyes, are pessmisticaily de-
cally Dad friends In WHOLE they put q kind or pes
simisticaliy stupid confidence, and they usually
end by pesSmistically taking their own lives,
those or the depraved woman or or the bad friends
In winch latter Two cases Lhey are pessmioticaily
aud ANONYMOUSLY hung.
Sucn peSsimlSIn Is the result Of tneXpertence and
youth; II lS untrue, unreal, and leads now here,
and even the slightest semDiance OF truth Is taken
from IL Dy those small and yet so pow erIul inSti
tutlOnS-the conventlOnallLieS OF LIE. Perhaps
what aids most In defeating the ends or these
works-iI end there Oe-is the necessity OF imUrOO-
ably candid Characters 10 set on the u pravity and
disgust vi lie OF the black sheep in the fold or the
writer's story. Pe,Slmlsln Is not the outcome OF a
rev years Of doubtful experience added to mucn
unbiased supposiI,on and conjecture; IL Is very
SLOW of grown, and never Is really found among
those who, at the beginning OF life, without eX-
per1ence or guarantee, resolve 10 bc pesSiiuislS,
ell, because IL looks so interesting.
The real pessimist, the man ripe In years and in
knowledge OF the world, dues lot parade his peSs-
lmlsn; ~ within him, IL forms part or his exist
ence, and MS actions and experience will neither
lea him TO suicide nor make hlm expect murder,
but Will SHOW that on the contrary 1t is at the emu
The moSt cheerful way OF looking al lille, IL ex-
poets disappointments, anu dues not Duild It's
hopes upon Ine imprOba Dlllties Of our existence.