The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-03-11
LEW wALLAce's NEW NOVEL.
'Tis Said He Has Been offered an I'm
precedcnted Price for 1t.

offer from one publisher of S:}0,OO0 bonus
and royalty of 80 per cent. on every copy
of his new novel, the manuscript of which
is about completed.
If this report is correct, and some of the
publishers are inclined to believe it, it is
Inc largest sum ever offered for a work of
iction to an American writer The offer
Of 80 per cent. royalty indicates that the
book will bo Il high priced one, for ii
must sell for as much rs s. - in order to
bring any profit to the publishers after
paying one-half of the retail price to Gen
eral Wallace Larger sums of money have
been offered distinguished writer's, but
never for novel. In England, however,
as much us this sum has been offered to
novclists George Elliot received from her
| publishers a bonus Of $4,000 for Middle
march" and something like $4,000 for
Daniel Deronda." Not even Dickens
commanded such ia sum as this, although
he received from Robert Bonner $1,000 for
IA short Christmas story, and he estimated
chat had he been paid for "Copperiield" or
"Dombey & SON. a proportionate rate, he
would have earned something like 100000
for each of these novels.
Of course General Wallace owes this
offer to the extraordinary success Of Ben
Eur." His profits from that novel alone
must have given him comfortable for
tune, although publishers who are familiar
with the facts say that the amount which
is popularity credited TO him as his share of
the earnings of the book is too large. Had
General Wallace known when he sent his
manuscript to tine Harpers that his book
was to be one of the monumental successes
of fiction, and had they known it, too he
could have made terms which probably
would have brought him more than $780,
600 As it is, the best opinion among pub
fishers is that his receipts were between
$4,000 and 100000. Something like $4,000
copies of the book have been sold showing
that it is pressing very closely upon the
high water mark of American novels
which was attained by Uncle Toms
Cabin" But of tn, vast number of cop
les nearly one-haf was issued in cheap
and popular form, so that the receipts for
royalties couid not have been very large
figure.
OF course everybody is now familiar with
the interesting story of how Ben Hur"
became popular how it attracted but little
attention when it was first published, how
General Wallace and the publishers re.
gardcd it as a fiat failure, at least so far as
than year had passed before the Harpers
began to notice an increased demand and
how for time their presses ran night and
day TO supply the market with it when it
became popular.
There is IA vague idea that the praise of
General Garfield had something to do with
this popularity and that is the truth.
After Garfield became president, one day,
after an unusual siege with Office seekers
and Office holders, he was found hy IL friend
stretched out on Il sofa n lis private room
in the White House reading 4 novel. He
showed the book to the friend and said that
he had turned to it because it,, fascinating
story gave him genuine mental rest he
cause it furnished a ~ Glulu4 and callSCd
him to forget the vicisSitlides anil pCFpIFX
tiles and wear and tear of his Office Then
Garfield spoke of General Wallace Of how
Strange it was that man who had been
soldier and diplomat should have turned
his attention, when the years were begin
ming to come upon him, To literature; and
Garfield told the story of how Wallace.
with little army of 5000 or 4.001 soldiers
had saved the nations capital in the sum
mer OF 1851. And he said he sometimes
wondered rs he read this book which was
the greater achievement intellectually. the
fighting of the battle of Monocacy or the
writing of Ben llur'
iiarteld's friend told this ancr,lotc TO
ncN spaper correspondent, who sent 1t TO
his paper emitting, however as oi trivial
what Garfield had said -!a1ut
the Battle. The anecdOte was widely
copied so that people wondered what this
book Ben liur' was to which the presi
dent turned when he sought rest from his
auNieties of Office. Preachers read it ANA
ii to their Sunday schools and
their congregations, and 50, without any
newspaper nOturiety excepting that chance
of Garfield and the hook, it bud
become "A great popular success before the
critics We're aware Of il
1t will probably become traditional il
Illustration of the capacity of tie great
masses to discover for themselves merit
without the aid OF the critics.
The register of the United States treas
1ry during Mr. Lincoln's administration
Mr. Chitridru, has recently published
volume OF his recolections of Lincoln and
Washington during the exciting days of
he war He devotcs II chapter to the bat
le of the Monocacy and he almost rivals
ne graphic descriptions contained in Ben
Iur' when hcdrscrhes General Wailace'S
on that field With little
lrmy he faced and held ii bay .Iubal
,arly. who with 10000 men was descend
NJ upon the capital from the north
While Grant was pounding away ut the
before Petersburg, Early
lad stolen of with his army to threaten
nd to take the capital if possible Wal
ace met him at the Monocacy He knew
hat his little army could not withstand
Carly, but he also knew that if he stood
here and fought he would delay Fairly and
hu> give Grant time to send an army corps
o the defense of the capital He fought
or one entire day and part of another, and
is defense il not as dramatic was NJ least
: heroic as that of the little band at Mar
thon. OF course his little army was
-hippCd, but when Early had reached the
amendments in front of Washington, he
1und the Sixth corps had just arrived and
-;I> ready to give him battle
To the military men Wallace'S achieve
tent at the MOnocacy will stand unchal
nged rs one of the most brilliant exploits
the war, but to the vast masses he is 70
X to be better known a. the author ~
Ben Hur" +. J EDWARDS
washington's Gridiron Club.
The Gridiron club is composed of forty