The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-11
ghe dahita Daily eagle: grdau zorniuo aare l. 1892.
is LII A rnur EoOION
JUNlGS HENRI BROWNE ASKS a
QUESTION ABOUT LITERATURE.
Prominent Authors Who Depend Not on
acknowledgements Notions Prera-
lent as to. Its Rewards-Constant Writ
ing May Beget Fame and Famine.

NEW YORK, Feb. 29.-Although articles
are continually published on the purely
practical side Of literature, interest IN the
subject seems the reverse of exhausted.
The more it is discussed, in fact, the wider
and deeper appears to be the public con-
Germ. The reason of this must be that in
the United States everybody reads, the
newspapers particularly, and is interested
in the affairs, big and little, of the hour
and the time The Americans, as people
welded to work, have natural curiosity
perhaps to know how much members of
other callings than their own can earn,
especially members of the inky guild. The
wages of the pen have been, and are still,
so variously estimated, opinions thereon
differ to such degree that some of the
facts ought not to De entirely unattractive
A great many persons in town and coun-
try think the lot OF the New York scribe is
at least much alleviated; and so it is, but
not 10 the extent that they imagine. Even
here he is, for the most part, engaged in a
losing battle. though the battle may be
less long and less hard than it is in the
minor cities One opinion is that writer's
here gain golden rewards and live sump-
tuously Another opinion is that, however
gifted and Industrious, they can scarcely
make both ends meet; that they are likely
to die in debt and under depressing cir
cumstances. The truth lies between these
extremes
The idea Of a writer becoming rich here,
or anywhere in America, by mere writing
is derisively absurd. There has never been
such an instance. The early authors of
the republic never dreamed of living by
laft \ Ia,
regarded as such. Poor Edgar Poe got al
most nothing from his MSS.-only five
dollars, for instance, for the Raven" In
our own time Prescott, Motley, Bancroft
have had private fortunes. Otherwise
they would have starved while engaged
on their histories. Hildreth, Hillard and
Bryant depended on journalism; Haw-
thorne, who during most Of his career was
wretchedly poor, on political appointments.
Emerson. whose grandfather prayed that
none of his descendants might be wealthy,
practiced rigid economy, determined to
keep within his scanty means. For years
he did not exceed $500 a year in household
expenses. By thrift and self denial, by
plain living and high thinking, he man
aged in old age to acquire property worth
some $50 coo.
Whittier has in the last twenty-five or
thirty years received high prices for his
poems; but before that time he wrote more
for love than money. A bachelor Of the
simplest tastes and habits, he has titled his
Massachusetts farm and devoted himself
to principle and economy, resolved to be as
independent financially as he has been
spiritually.
Lowell was indebted to his patrimony for
a modest competence, literature being his
recreation rather than his occupation. He
doubtless derived far more profit from his
Harvard professorship than from all his
books. F.
Oliver Wendell Holmes inherited hand
some property, and for many years was a
medical professor His poems, novels and
essays, brilliant as they are, have added
little to his revenue and were not inspired
by pecuniary considerations. The more
serious an authors work, as rule, the less
his recompense. A reporter on a New York
paper, though his salary may be small, can
earn more than Hawthorne could by his
matchless tales, or Emerson by his best
essays The richest literature in general
yields the poorest recompense.
Hardly prominent author of the same
or a younger generation than the authors
that have been mentioned supports him
self by his profession alone. Nearly every
one has, and must have, some other source
of revenue by which to live. For example,
among the elders George William Curtis,
who had private fortune and lost it by
the failure of Dix, Edwards & Co., the
first publishers of Putnam's Magazine, has
maintained his family for almost thirty
years by his connection with the Harpers.
He worked hard for sixteen years to dis
charge his entire indebtedness to the cred
itors 81 his unfortunate firm, in whose
management he had taken no part. His
brilliant books, which had considerable
sale at the time of their publication, yield
him next 10 nothing now. He has been in
great demand as popular lecturer, and
would be still if he would accept engage
ments, but his health will not permit this
additional drain upon it, He broke down
several years ago from overwork, and he
has been compelled to be very careful since.
A model man every way, literature, pure
and simple, has been no kinder to him
than to his brothers of the pen.
Parke Goodwin, just turned seventy-six,
has long been known as brilliant litter
ateur; but his interest in The Evening
Post, disposed of some time ago, gave him
financial independence. James Parton's
biographies are perhaps the most enter
tanning of the century and have sold
largely. But they did not provide bread
for him or his. His Life of Voltaire," on
which he spent twenty years. did not
yield him 5000. His main
income was derived from his regular con-
tributions 10 two widely circulated week |
zoe in, ~,
Richard Henry Stoddard, the poet, has /
not since his youth been without some po-
sition by which he could secure liveli- .
hood, his poetry and other literary efforts !
the few luxuries he could Of /
ford. For eighteen years he held place |
in the New York customs; then he was |
librarian in some of the city libraries; at |
present he is reviewer on The Mail and En- !
press. Without such extraneous aid he |
might have been in the almshouse, to /
which literature unsustained inevitably |
tends.
Edmund Clarence Stedman began his |
practical life in journalism and remained /
IN il for years. While on The Tribune he 1
wrote the first poem that drew general at !
tention The Diamond Wedding - for /
which he received nothing. Charles \ /
Dana, then managing editor, offered to pay /
'olumn rates $50 much column, which /
Stedman Indignantly refused. For quar- /
er OF century he has been A member OF /
he Stock exchange. and though he has /
1ad much i'll fortune, his membership has 4
kept the wolf from the door. which his fine 4
poems and critical essays would not have |
lone.
Thomas Wentworth Higginsen was, NJ /
70 his fort -seconG year. Unitarian clergy 4
man. an autislsSery sgitstor snd speaker /
and q Union soldier. As colonel OF the 1