New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-30
A SOCIETY OF AUTHORS.
THE ONE WHICH FLOURISHES IN ENGLAND
AND THE ONE NEEDED IN AMERICA.
London, July 10

Why is there no Society of Authors i'll the
United States? / shall perhaps be told there is
one but is there one answering 70 The Society OF
Men Of Letters in France 10 that which MT.
Besant directs in Enghndp Who Will be the
American Mr.. Besant? The work he has done
here is most useful. and il would be hard 10
praise it. him, too highly, If you CONSIDER
that it has been done by author who is him.
self both busy and successful. lie gives many
bonrs n week 10 the cause of Literature, and TO
the interests of his fellow-authors. He has made
the Society what il is body with purely prac-
teal aims using practical methods to attain them
1t takes long time for the English-and perhaps
sometimes for others than English-tO grasp a
new fact or comprehend the real object OF new
enterprise
There are people. as Mr.. Besant tells US. who
look on the Society one which exists for the
purpose Of patching up, or even Of creating quar-
res and grievances with publishers. II is nothing
of the kind The Society has no quarrei with
publishers as SUCH and never had any. says Mr..
Besant, and he explains once more that II EXISTS
mainly for the purpose of maintaining the rights.
the sacredness, and the reality of Literary Prop
erty With the honest publisher the Society
has no quarrel; with the dishonest publisher it
has and il makes no secret of its desire and in
trntion 10 keep the author out of the clutches OF
tie dishonest publisher. As success in that
laudablc effort will increase the business of the
honest publisher, he and the Society ought TO he
on good terms. The honest publisher. like THE
author, owes or will owe, debt of gratitude TO
all who are concerned with it, and 10 Mr.. Besant
most Of all.
1t has some 600 members. with Lord Tennyson
rs president On its council are besides Mr.
Besant. Sir Edwin Arnold, Mr.. Bryce, Sir Fred
erick Pollock, Mr. Rider Haggard, Mr.. Marion
Crawford, Mr.. George Meredith, and many more
non of leading and light in the world of letters.
IL has Offices in Portugal-st., Incolns Inn Fields
1t has legal counsel, solicitors. committee OF
management and monthly organ And il has
principles. MIR. Besant has Just been restating
them in brief and convenient form. and can
not do better than quote him
l. Literary property IS created by the author and
belongs at the outset 10 him.
o. Literary property must be held sacred as
any other kind Of property.
3. Literary property is ruled by the demand for
a book Just collcry property means the sale of The
output. Ard as the value OF a collery depends first
on the output in tons and their price the value
of book can only be estimated with reference to the
number Of copies sold.
4. The author must not part with his property
without due consideration. without understanding
exactly what possibilities well what ccrainticS,
lie gives and what ne receives
3. What The author j. entitled 10 is after pay
ment Of the cost OF production and the publishers
agency and labor. all the remaining proceeds. This
proportion of the returns is the property which he
has 10 sell for a lump sum down. to receive year
by year.
6. The publisher has TO be remunerated for his
agency ard labor out Of the returns Of the book In
certain proportion which should be fixed proportion
recognized by both contracting parties and under
stood by both
To some of these the publisher may dcmur
but they are principles which the French Society
Of Men OF Letters have established in France.
There is. | apprchend, country in the world
where the rights of Literature better under
stood or settled more practical basis than
in France. The English Society OF Authors is.
in fact, an imltator of the French, and will per
haps end by doing for the English author what
has been done for the French.
Both in England and America public opinion
On this subject has yet to be created Recent
events have shown that in America there is a
great body of opinion which is hostile to the
whole IDEA of literary property. Mr.. Payson of
Illinois and Mr. Mills of Texas seem TO deny its
existence That they represent the majority Of
the American people do not believe. 1t is
enough fer them to have carried with them naD
jority OF the House of Representatives. They
an0 their majority nave Drought Sucn dlScfcdlt
and disgrace upon the American name many
years Of honesty ana honorable dealing will not
altogether elrace Judge Shipnon, OF the United
Stotes Circuit Court. has done something to
efc<e it-all honor to him, strange as it still
seems to be procloming honor to judge because
he will not admit it TO be legal 70 steal.
The question of copyright, domestic or inter
national, may seem aside from the main subject,
but all questions Of literary property are mex
tricaby interviewer and cannot he separated.
They all have the Eighth Commandment for their
basis Untn the Encyclopedia Britannica
case it had been supposed that the American
Pirate put forth no prctenson 10 rob any other
than the foreign author. 1t was then seen that
be claimed the right 10 rob the native Author
also; the American of letters was TO DC his
spoil just as much the British. There can be
outside of the courts and the courts are always
a last rcsort--uo complete remedy fol- such state
Of things ard no redress OF grievances, otherwise
than by the creation Of sound public opinion,
and that is one Of the aims Of the Society Of An
thors Very different, l may remark, is Mr..
BesanJs handling Of the copyright business from
that Of Mr.. Wemyss Reid, whose heavy-handcd
invective attracted some notice at the timr. Mr..
Wemyss Reid would tain hold all America re-
sponsible for MI Payson and Mr.. Mills Mr..
Bcsant urges, on the other hand a recognition
of the noble efforts in behalf Of copyright made
by the leading men, the men of culture, IN the
Eastern States. These men, he tells his British
readers, include all the authors Of America. all
the honorable publishers and a great number Of
editors. The opponents OF the Bill were Western
farmers, who knew nothing about literature
literary property, authors rights or anything else
except their own local interests. And he boldly
SAYS that the views Of the British world, with re-
spect 70 literary property, are not much more en-
lightencd than those of the ignorant Wcsicr;
farmer.
Education, however. and most Of all the ednca
ton of public opinion, is a slow process, and th'
Society Of Authors meanwhile busies Itself Will