The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-30
A LITERARY EXHIBIT.
Peculiar Plan for Booming
California Authors.
A Writer Who Objects to the Ways Of the
Women's Literary Exhibit Of Writers
for the Columbian Exposition.
written for THE MoRNINe CALL

er,y what would lie think to awake some
morning and find himself proclaimed to
fame as a member of an organization of
which he knows nothing and would have
cared less but for the freedom it had taken
with his name?
An organization calling itself the San
Franciscan Women's Literary Exhibit of
California Writers for the Columbian Ex-
position has issued list of its charter and
associate members. of which II claims ma as
one though | fail to learn under which
head ! am supposed TO come. This organ
jZation with the singular name publishes
between the same covers with It's list or
members an alleged catalogue OF California
writers, aud a prospectus of a literary ex-
hibit which it proposes TO make at the
Worlds Fair
This prospectus tells us that 'the litera-
ture of California is as yet an unknown
quantity no one can arrogate from what it
las been to what 1t will be-"
might take issue with the statement that
cur literature is an unknown quantity, but
the other declaration that mo one can
arrogate from what it has been to what it
| will be- is beyond c0ntraVentlon. L cannot
| imagine any one being so fOolhardy as Il
| quote Webster's unabridged ito assume,
| demand or challenge proudly OF unreason-
| to what it viii he. The writer of the pros
| pectus is himself quite certain on this point.
and adds. further, after some compliment
| airy remarks upon certain brilliant Cali
| fornian writer's and their works: And yet,
| frem all this rich hoard, we cannot assume
| to prognostcate what Californian literature
may yet become. Although 1t is evident
that all these writer's who have gone before
| have become force in shaping the ultimate
| destiny of this literature which is to be.
hn,t -pt fltn writ aH "a I'm 0C
| of those referred 10 are yet living, what
| have they done that even a member of the
| Womans Literary Exhibit should bray
about them in such fashion? | dare not
'arrogate," but | venture to ''prognosti-
! cate" that their wrathtui protest, when the
| braying at length assails their ears, will
| drown even the rest Of the remarkable pro-
| ductiOn.
| The next paragraph seems to have some
| connection with and hinges as it were upon
| the one last quoted.
| For this reason, if no other" it says,
| must We recognize that the present litera-
| ture of California Is worthy of being col
| iected as a whole In volume or newspaper
| file or Scrapbook for the purpose OF preser-
walton. In few years this valuable
material will be lost to history, and its col
| lection become an impossible thing because
| Of the scattered editions. hither and yOn,
| which have received no encouragement In
| fact in many instances they nave been
1 uLtcl ~ lk0OIeu DHcduSe ITO que HAS VIC liluo
| or inclination to devote 10 the purpose save
| in desultory way"
| Reason totters in the effort to make sense
| from this remarkable string OF words, bnt
| the brain flies "hither and yon" altogether
| at the next statement, which reads:
ITO the honor of the Bohemian Club be
1t said that it has endeavored to secure
| special library OF our writer's, and also
| Captain Lees, but they are still far from
| complete"
Are we to understand from this that the
| Bohemian Club has been trying to secure
| collection Of Captain Lees? 1t may be, as
stated, that that gallant officer is "far from
| complete" but It's brave member of the
| San Franciscan Women's Literary Exhibit
| of Californian writers for the Columbian
! Exposition who dares tell him so.
This desperately named body of women
| proposes" says this prospectus, ITO OBJ
| tain as many volumes as possible by dona-
| ton. and piuckily, to earn themselves the
money for the volumes they have to buy,
asking the commission for nothing save its
| goodwill and freightage OF The library TO
| Chicago and RETURN
When it is returned they intend to pre-
| sent the collection to the Golden Gate Park
| Museum, las a monument OF their lab0rs
| and a mark OF appreciation Of the writer's of
| the past and present day."
That will certainly be a generous act on
| the part Of tue generous ladies, but allow
| me TO suggest that the collection will be in
| complete unless they add to it the writers of
| their prospectus and the cOmpilers OF their
| catalogue. | have been somewhat at a loss
| to understand what is meant by ''the past
| and present day." but after due considera-
| tion conclude that 1t must refer TO the pro-
| verbal occasion when two Sundays come
| together"
| Any lady may become an associate men,
| Der of this literary exhibit" as the society
| calls itself ''f0r short" land | won't adyo-
| cate theft dropping the word literary "by
| the pay ment of one dollar or the donation
! Of one or more books"
| The society has a crest. so to speak-at
! least the prospectus says: They have
| chosen for their particular letterhead ana
| coat 0f-arms, as Ii were, the graceful figure
| of the Indian girl. as designed 10 represent
| California bv that brilliant genius jules
| Taverner, gazing toward the Golden Gate
| at the mysterious white sail Of the incoming
| paleiace."
| Now what l desire to know is whether
| tune to be literary workers in California
| have no recourse but to submit gracefully
| to such qualification of their honest workr
| We have seen much that is foolish perpe-
| ,rated in the name OF the coming Columbian
| EXPOSITION. Fools are rushing IN where
| angels might we'll hesitate to tread. and we
| are having Exhibits" unmistakabie on
every side, but this, surely. is the crowning
| i'm beci,ity of them all. III, as L have reason
! To suppose. the other ladies whose names
| appear upon this membership-roll are as
| Innocent az am OF any intent or desire to
| figure there, then some one has been taking
| liberties that transcend any Of which the
| compilers OF the Blue Book have ever been
! guilty, and it may be la order to inquire
| who this some one" is.
ADELINE E. KNAPP.