The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-26
A VISIT TO HOWELLS.
(Confiauslt from Pace o

could be properly classed as literary? Did
! he consider the newspaper world as good
| preliminary field for the best work of the
highest literature? Mr.. Howells confined
his remarks TO denial that there was any
essential difference between the news
paper world and the literary one. except
the difference that sometimes exists be-
tween two warning neighbors. They may
differ as to each others merits, but they
are both human. He said: II think that
the difference will be found in methods.
The newspaper men and the literary men
pure and simple both go TO life for their
facts. The newspaper men regard the facts
OF much more Importance than their
method of presentation. The literary man
makes the method OF presentation oil hrst
Importance. This difference Is one which
is an outgrowth of different conditions.
The newspaper man does his work under
the drive and demand of tomorrow morn
ing. The literary man is doing his work,
if he is doing it honestly, with an eye on
the morrow of posterity.
Mr.. Howells then went on to make a
very fair criticism of the newspapers of
this country They are in a period of de-
velopment he thinks. At present they
are overshadowed reportorially. There is
too much energy expended in gatherin g
merely so-called news. There are too
many things brought together in which
the reader can and should have no inter
est. The thousand and one petty Incl
dents of the various casualties OF life that
are grouped together in newspaper col
umns are prohtless expenditures of money
and energy. These often remote incidents
are presented in an attractive way and
one soon forms the awful habit OF reading
everything in the newspaper with, to
quote Mr.. Howells, as profitable result
as would be found by man leaning over
the parapet Of a bridge and splitting into q
rapid-fiowing river.
His advice to young writer's, people who
are anxious TO become literary workers,
was. first to be sure they had something
to say and then to seek to say 1t IN the
simplest possible way. There should never
be any straining after effects, any hunting
for unusual forms There should be great
temperance in the employment OF adjec-
tives and an effort to keep as clearly as
possible to what is to be related. The
writer should always sink his individual
ity. He should always be subordinated to
what he was trying to do. The difficulties
in the way of correctly and simply giving
the picture of an ordinary incident in
life are enormous, said Mr.. Howells. Cor
rectly and simply TO describe the act OF
person in entering and going out OF a room
is only appreciated by one who seeks to
portray even such simple incident as
that.
The simplicity and naturalness OF the
present standards of good writing We're
in keeping with the trend of modern de-
velopment. The artificial writing of the
past literature on stills, has been retired
to the background with the professional
orator. The public speaker of today does
not depend upon howery phrases, upon
overloaded sentences and skilliul eli
makes. The thought with him is of more
Importance than such rhetorical orna-
ments. With the orator as with the
writer the simpler his methods the greater
his effects.
During the other visit Mr.. Howells
opened the conversation by discoursing
upon the present tendency Of literature in
the United States. He said: when
the copyright law was passed
we got out our ascension robes
and were prepared for wonder
full things. We expected too much,
however, and naturally there have been
some disappointments. 1t is, however, a
step in the right direction. 1t is of greater
advantage to the foreign author than to
the American; for, as Mark Twain truly
said, 'We used to steal pounds from them
where they stole pennies from u.s. ,"
Mr.. Howells thought that one of the
best developments III this country was in
the writing of short stories. He thought
in this the American writers exceiled. The
critics, who are enchanted with the work
OF Guy Maupassant and who set him up
as an example OF perfection in description
and as the ideal short story writer, could
find his equal among the short story
writer's OF this country. Mr.. Howeils
thought that the work of Miss Wilkins
IN power of description, in pathos.
and in dramatic action was fully the equal
OF the best work of the great French writer
The short stories of Sarah Orne Jewett
could compare favorably with the best
work of the foreign writer's.
Mr.. Howeils did not go into detail for
the moment beyond the examples cited
above. He thought the most encouraging
oped throughout the country. The ability
to write and to write well was becoming
universal. 1t was not such very long
time ago when the ability to write
even ordinary, prose or poetry
was considered wonderful and
exceptional gift. To be able to compose
even IN an ordinary way, was held TO be a
great accomplishment. and of the utmost
credit TO its poSsessor. The British classics
We're filled with rubbish that would not
have been preserved if it had not been
composed during period when all writing
was regarded more or less wonderful.
Many of the compositions of that period
II presented now. would not secure
publication, or attract attention if pub
lished. Mr.. Howells thought that there
was most encouraging growth in the
direction of poetry in this country. He
said: 1--WE receive very good poetry from
widely varying sources, and the standard
OF the contributions in this field is very
high"
Mr.. Howells said he regretted very much
to see that two features of literary work
were apparently going out. These are the
essay and the travel sketch. There was
nothing more delightful TO him than a
good travel sketch, yet the tendency of
writer's was TO ignore such subjects be-
cause they say that everybody travels
nowadays, and consequently the subjects
of travel are no longer new, and conse-
quently less attractive. He thought this
was mistake. The fresh eve and the
point OF view were what constituted the
interest in a travel sketch. People who
have travelled are always more interested
III reading about the places thew have
seen when described by some one else
than those who have never made anv
voyages. Mr.. Howells said that he noticed
that IN any great transition period IN
literature there was some loss I'VE are
going now through q transition period. 1t
Is a most interesting one. There is great
literary activity throughout the country
New writers are constantly coming to tie
front" Ia this change and activity the
loss, Mr.. Howe!ls thought, lay in the di-
rectlon OF literary nicely and in forms of
t..Ef