Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-08-04
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
GERTRUDE eARRIsoN's LAST NOV
ElETTE-"THE WRONG MAN."

GIG IHE WhONS VIZ"
Allan Forman on the Fascination OF
Newspaper Work-something About ths
Editor Of The New York Sun. Mr..
Charles A. Dana
Especial CorrespondenceLl
NEW YoRK, July 3O.--One Of the sweetest
stories which the press has recently issued Is
the novelette, entitled 1.-THE Wrong Man."
which was published in the July number Of
Belford's Magazine, edited by the brilliant
DOM Piatt. "The Wrong Man" Is not in the
least sensational, not the kind Of story to
set people talking about its possible conse-
quences on the minds of unseasoned readers
No, it has nothing feverish, questionable or
coarse In it Much rarer qualities does Il
possess, which give it distinction IN these
days Of rankly favored fiction.
1t Is STRONG as well as sweet. and told in q
style Of exquisite simplicity.
We all know what Gertrude Garrison has
done In journalism-how versatile and pow
erful has been her pen, not as q writer
merely, but as an editor. A journalist In
every sense Of the word, she has made her
potent, but never offensive, individuality
felt A certain dash and spirit peculiarly
her own pervade whatever she writes, and
abe has withal, what few women writer's
possess, faculty for humor.
This is as noticeable in her conversation q
in her writing.
I feel peculiar interest In this authors
works Of fiction, largely fer the reason that
two or three years ago, when ! first read
some Of her short stories, Isaw that. although
she was exceptionally successful In newspaper
work, she was missing the developments Of
her highest talent, which Is story writing.
Her stories have the charm Of tenderness In
an unusual and powerful degree. They
touch the heart, while seeming to have been
written without any thought Of producing
effect In that and another particular Ger
trude Garrisons stories resemble those Of
John Shorthouse, in that an atmosphere Of
high spirituality pervades them The inter-
est of her stories hangs less upon the incidents
and events than upon the subtle interior
changes Of their people We meet minds,
and not simply figures, in the creations Of
her fancy.
IL is @ rare gift to be able to write an ex-
cellent short story, and for the most part it
Is thankless work. The author uses up ms
terinl which IL expanded into q serial would
bring him money and fame-hs gets but
little Of either for the short story.
Among Gertrude Garrison's many estima-
BILE and lovable attributes are those Of gen.
eroety and kindness to her fellow writer's,
being ever ready to give them helping
hand up the steep and thorny path of litera-
turc which she has so successfully travelled.
/ CELIA LOGAN.
There is . variety, fascination about
newspaper work which is possessed by no
other profession. Yet it is the hardest pos
sible work and the money reward is ridicu-
lously small The instances where cul-
tured, practical newspaper man can make
5000 year are very rare indeed Fifty
dollars q week is q good average for men who
have been in the profession for years. The
Same amount Of ability and hard work in
law or medicine will bring man fortune
and fame. We have our Cockerills and
Lords and Townsends and Howards, men
who are receiving good salaries for work and
brains which would In any other profession
bring fortunes But they are the exception
and not the rule. Il is the proprietor who
makes the money In journalism The work
ing journalist, however brilliant he may be,
Is rarely endowed with the business faculty,
in fact it frequently seems that the more able
he is IS a newspaper man the less he under
stands of practical finances The average
citizen with his snug bank account and
methodicai ideas Is therefore apt 10 regard
the newspaper man as an erratic and some
what reprenensible person who, possibly, has
great capabilities but who fritters away bis
chances and ekes out scanty livelihood by
little writing. That he Is hard worker
rarely strikes the average citizen as
possible. He brings his counting room
logic to bear upon the case and
reasons in this fashion: The journalist
is paid ten dollars for a certain article. It
takes him, possibly, two hours to write 10
With eight working hours day he should
be able to make forty dollars or two hundred
and forty a week The fact that the Journal
ist does not accomplish this Is looked upon
by the average citizen as prima facie evil
dence that he mast loaf great part Of his
time. But the journalist does not care. he
works on, scribbles away until or
o'clock in the morning, braves all sorts OF
dangers, takes the most daring risks, faces
the most trying weather, all that the average
citizen may Be able TO open the paper, damp
from the press, at his breakfast table and
learn, over his coffee and rolls, what the
great world has been doing while he was
sleeping. The average citizen Is apt to re-
gard the journalist as rather useless and
sometimes annoying person, but how favor
less that breakfast would be il it was not ac-
companied by the morning newspaper And
how the average citizen would growli
ALLAN FoRMAN
mn a-rv1
MI: Cnaris =. Dana' ins eai'or o9 ING
ne" hoIk gun, s uoe = sasseey man % ane
ooes not oe.oIs " ny " 'ne us Ne~ iolt
ciuos Inns ialeer iscs Lnay oe ous 70 tne