Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-04-17
WRITING AS A TRADE.
Hts Not Such a Bonanza AS Some
Are Led to Believe.
COmmon-sersc Comments by DR.. Edward
Eggleston-Of All tho Learned Profess
siOns LiteratePe Certainly Ii tho
..lf Most. Poorly Paid,

The phenomenal sales Of many recent
books. notably such as General Wallace's
"Ben Hur" and Mr.. Bellamy's Looking
Backward" have led the general public
to believe that the business of author
snip must be profitable one. This i'm
preston has been intensified by reports
of tho great prices paid certain writer's
for their productions. Examples. in point
are the handsome incomes attributed to
Mark Twain, w. D. Howells, Mrs. Bur
nett and others Of far less note. Conse-
quently the recent statement ascribed
to DR.. Edward Eggleston, himself sue
cessful writer, in disproof of this opinion
has been received with surprise. DR..
Eggleston, according to literary jour
nal, holds that there is not single
American author who really makes an
income out Of his books. Grubt street
has become tradition, but the rewards
of tho book-maker continue painfully
small. DR.. Eggleston writes to Globe
Democrat correspondent in reputation
OF the bald statement thus attributed to
him, but in reiteration Of the poorfinan-
cial returns of authorship: "Of course
did not say any thing so preposter-
GUS as the words attributed to mo
in the newspaper in point. This is
only one of many, illustrations of tho
crying defect of American journalism
at this time. More brains, more pre-
cision, moro mental training are want
ed in the reporters work. OF enter
prising reporters there are enough, men
who will find out the secrets Of the
North Pole, steal an interview with tho
Pope c. the Gar, or penetrate in search
of news to lady's bedchamber. But
decent report OF a public assembly, or
OF an address for which the orator did
not himself supply the manuscript copy,
have not seen in a long time. 1 wish
to file general caveat that I am ac-
countable for no speeches put into my
mouth in this way. What did say be-
fore Congressional committee was that
l did not know any author who had ac-
quired competence by literary work
properly so-called. proceeded to ex-
clude school-boo&s. Mr. Longfellow
was professor and made good invest
ments. Mr.. Emerson was poor during
the greater part of his life, believe,
though he endured the drudgery Of
lyceum lecturing, and it is said he only
gained competence in Old age by good
Investments. Hawthorne was" driven
to drudge for book-maker like Good
rich and to seek public offices. Mr..
Lowell has had other sources of income;
Mr.. Howells has had, let us hope, a
liberal editorial salary; Colonel Higgin-
son published successful school-buok.
My very point is that authors are
driven from the production OF liter
ature, properly so-called,' to drudeery
or sensationalism by the desire to
earn that sufflciency which literature
does not give. The newspaper in point
may or may not in it's critical moments
class the profitable juveniles of Miss AL
colt, Mr.. Trowbridge and Oliver Optic
with literature properly so~Galled. 1t is
q matter of opinion, Mr.. Aldrich's adj
mirable Story Of q Bad Boy which L
should call literature without question
mark, did not reach the tenth part of
tho circulation attained by Boston
juveniles OF q flimsie: texture,
LET me remark, I am combating the
notion very prevalent among Congress-
men that an author of reputation has
opened bonanza. Of ali the learned
professions, literature is the most DOOR
ly paid. Tho leading authors must be
compared with leading LAWYERS, doctors
,i"A'Cei9' IL you compare sue
cessful author with country lawyer or
tho pastor of village church, you might
mako fair showing. But what author
eVcr hopes to attain the income enjoyed,
say, by the late DR.. Willard Parker or
by Mr.. EvartsP The body Of working
litterateurs who make pot-boilors for
the booksellers all their lives and are
mover known to the newspapers in such
u discussion as this, certainly have no
hope Of moro than tho livelihood of n
worry humble professional man.
"For many years ] have been accus-
toned to warn young mon of from be-
ginning literary career, because so
few Of tho literary workers ever attain
n COmDetencvD