Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-12
TEN YEARS OF sCRIBBLING.

TEN YEARS OF SCRIBBLING.
The Writers of Books Increase Faster
Than the Population.
THE RECORD OF THE LIBRARY OF CONG aRss-
AN INCREASE OF OVER ONE HUNDRED PER
CENT OF coPYRIaHTs ISSUED IN TEN YEARS
THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN LITERATURE.
| e ONE expert statistician might figure it
| ~. out to his own satisfaction that it is but
AN question of time when we shall he
~ community of authors. The growth of
"ss" the population does not begin to keep
pace with the growth of the nations literature.
| Books, books, books; in time the whole COM
munity will be rushing into print with his
| tories, books Of travel. biographies, books of
poetry, books of prose, works on political
economy aud volumes of romance. The popu-
lation OF the country during the past ten years
has increased perhaps 80 per cent, perhaps a
| little more. The number of new books has
increased more than a hundred per cent
| The number of copyright entries in
the national library in 1879 was IS, 900. In 1889
the number was Al 1000. These copyright en-
tries do not all represent books. About one
! fourth are for books, but the ratio is main
| tanned Decade after decade, year by year the
increase in the number of new books and new
| authors goes on with growing per cent of in
| crease. In few centuries. perhaps, say in the
year four or five thousand and something the
whole community may have leave to print aud
each man be his own author. Books may
| be exchanged instead of visiting cards and cold
| type take the place of conversation. The man
who has anything to say will write it and he
with funny story to tell will be given leave to
| print
STILL BEHIND GERMANY,
| but even with the present prolific production of
authors it will be some time before this all can
come about. Germany now has greater pro-
| portion of authors to it's sane population than
we have. The empire Is overrun with authors
We have caught up with and perhaps passed
England. however, in the proportion Of authors
| to our population.
STAR reporter was talking the other day
with Librarian Spofford, who is custodian of
the copyright and authority on most things
concerning books or to be learned from books.
MIR. sPoFFoRD's OBSERVATIONS.
He says the growth of literature in this coun-
| try year by year is enormous. The increase Is
in every branch OF literature and new branches
are developing. The progress of invention and
| the development of industries. science and art
| Is accompanied by special literature suited to
each particular branch of thought and en-
deavor. One striking thing in connection with
the increase OF the population OF the book
world. which Mr.. Spofford remarks upon. is
the progress OF woman III letters during the
past decade. The number of women who
write Is, he says, increasing rapidly and the
direction of their endrayor is more ambitious
than ever. very large number of women
| writer's nave developed. Many are engaged in
| work for the hour in papers and periodicals:
many others III light fiction or poetry. but their
| best achievement is the entry into the more
serious work of history and biography-work
IN which they have been very successful, some
having won fame and Others having shown
marked ability, who are, as yet, not widely
known. The successes OF some have encour-
aged others to attempt literary work, and the
ratio OF increase among women writer's is prob
ably considerably greater than among men.
and the development of the character of
women's literary work during the decade has
| been more marked.
SERIOUS AND FRIVOLOUS.
There has been steady growth Of serious
work by both men and women, but Mr.. Spot
| ford says that 1t cannot be held that the ten
dency OF our literature has necessarily got
direction In more serious channels. The in
creased production of light literature has kept
well abreast of the other. Our literature has
become more diversified. more extensive and
more varied with its rapid increase. 1t has
extended into nearly every branch of research,
thought and fancy. OF course a great number
| of those who have blossomed out as authors
works will not enrich our literature greatly
There have been some very bad poems pub
.lshed In book form at no great profit to the
author-or to the reader-and novels have ap-
peared and disappeared without creating a
sensation in the world of letters. Histories
and biographies have been badly written and
| inaccurately or slovenly. In the multiplicity of
| authors the increase in quantity of our htera-
| ture has been in greater ratio than the devel-
opment OF quality.
NO GREAT LIGHT HAS APPEARED.
Speaking of this Mr.. Spofford said: "Ten
years is too short a time within which to con-
fine our search for superior authors Within
the past twenty years this country has produced
many fine thinkers and writers, and a quantity
of very creditabe work has been done We
have produced as good men as has England
during the same period. Books have been
| written which will live and do credit to our
literature. But during that time we have not
produced single author of great genius like
Nathaniel Hawthorne Ralph Waldo Emerson
and all those great authors who belong to the
first half of this century. There are but two or
| three writer's of great genius now living and
they belong to that period. No new ones have
| been developed as yet. In this are not be-
hind England. She has given birth to no new
genius.
| COOKS THAT ARE NEVER WRITTEN.
"The number of copyright ENTREES" Mr..
| Spofford said, ''does not represent books pub
| lshed, for among the entries copyright for
music, pictures, &c. Besides many books
| which have been copyrighted have never come
| into existence. Many rejected manuscripts are
preserved in copyright entry. Many copy
rights are got out for books which the ambi-
| tious author never is able to write. A man is
| struck with brilliant idea He gets a great
novel, great drama or some wonderful work
of serious character in his head He has
something that is going to make sensation in
the world, and is much excited over the idea.
He gets up the title of his book or play, pre-
pares the title page, before he has written the
first line of his work, and then for fear that
some one else shall strike upon the same line
OF thought ahead Of him he gets
out his copyright. But when he
attempts to write the book the thing bitches
somehow and he never quite gets a start. I
have no doubt that men have spent the best
part of their lives trying to write book to
correspond to copyright already secured. The
great ideas won't take shape on paper and the
man who becomes an author before he has
written anything meets with disappointment
and misery. 1t would astonsh you to know
how many copyrights represent nothing-not a
scratch on paper. Many plays are copyrighted
which never see the light OF day or appear be-
hind the foot lights. Some of them have been
written and rejected; some have never been
written at all
BOOKS THAT ARE NEVER READ.