Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-04-19
McEWEN'S OPINION
He Says There is no Lack of Literary
Ability on the Pacific Coast

/
Arthur McEwen, in letter to the
Press-Tmes of Seattle, says, among
other things concerning the literature of
the Pacific coast, the following:
"There is plenty Of litel airy ability in
California, though an impression to the
contrary prevails 1t is too scattered in
its manifestations to attract the notice it
! deserves. A magazine without green
goggles and a dusty silk hat would con-
| centrate this ability, and shine in COM
parison with the timid dainty, blight
ingly respectable, self-conscious and
| trying their d-dest- TO be-redned maga-
zines Of the East
There is Ambrose Bierce. for instance,
| a man Of genius. with wit as savage as
Swiits and polish like Pope's. Give
him room In "A magazine and he might not
only catch the worlds ear but bite it,.
Nobody who publishes. lets Bierce write
as Well-that is, frcely-aS he can. They
tie his hands and set him to Slaying local
plgmleN. They use him, who is a can
non, TO knock over SparrOwS. He has
written some military sketches for
the Sunday Examiner that are mar
VelOuS in their power and finish
Gifted as few men are, Bierce has per
mltted the narrow conditions of news
paper work to reduce him to the position
of a mere Snarler-a cleyerer. bitterer and
more efficient Snarler than any other
writing in the English language today, in
my Judgment, but yet a snarler An oc-
caSlOnal poem shows to what heights he
can rise, and now and again a few para
graphs reveal the reach of his thought.
Iurn Blerce loose in a. magazine and he
would produce work, think, that would
Drlng MIN lame and the magazine world
wide circulation. This sounds rather
large, ! am aware, but then Ambrose
Blercc Is man of genius.
AS for talent, we have lots Of it, Frank
PlXley is growing venerable, but set him
on the pope, or the delinqHencieS Of the
proud and sensitive Irish race. and where
Will you witness such another cudgeling?
Three poets of national reputation abide
with uS-JOaquin Miller, raising mules ia
FrultYale, John Vance Cheney drudging
in the public library here, and Ina d.
COOlbraith, doing the same at Oakland
Miss Geraldine Bonner, whose stories in
Harpers speak for her, and Mrs. Annie
Lake Townsend, whose book "On the
Verge turned eXpectant eyes on her, are
both San FranciscOans. Mrs. Gertrude
Atherton, whose books are reliShed by
those who like books of the kind and who
writes daShing magazine article. is with
US. NhdlleS howard Shlnn has written
some stories which have earned him East
ern appreciation. Joseph II. Goodman
might be stirred on his Fresno vineyard TO
do again such work i'm verse and prose as
made his name known widely in the great
days Of the COmstOck Charles Michel
son, yet in his early twenties. is turning
of sketches ablaze with the local color of
Arizona. that are making him reputa.
tion. W. c. Morrow is a specialist in the
horrible.
But this is enough. / have no commits
sion TO distribute the laurel. and my object
is merely to indicate that there are writ
ers among us i'm number and capability
Suihclent TO run a magazine that would
hold It's own with the Eastern OUTPUT.
Two things would be essential to make il
go-money and an editor not afraid of
novelty, an editor ambitious to make the
thing original and not like every other
magazine. Berkeley would abhor a mag
azine like that, though even Berkeley
would buy il, especially if Professor Hol-
den could be Induced to write an article
now and again to prove that he knows
enough about astronomy TO be in charge
OF the Lick telescope or any other tele-
scope"
Black underwear. Newman, l1O3 Harris
street.