The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-10-15
OUR LITERARY COLUMN.
whiche
Which?
One life indifferent. full OF dreamful ease;
The other. seeking not myself to please,
Seeking no fee;
Taking a path trcd only by the few,
Giving myself a noble work TO do,
Which shall it be?

The Commercial Gazette, comment
ing on human nature at the Fair,
speaks of the note-taking epidemic in
Jackson Park, adding that if they all
develop fruit, editorial waste baskets
will groan.
1t is the writer's opinion that the
great majority of notes gathered at
the Fair are simply for future refer
ence in the home circle. It would
hardly be fair to accuse them all of
being aspirants for literary fame, sim
ply because they jot down various in
cidents connected with their visit. And
after all, though there are many tai
ented writer's in the field, is there no
room for the novice? The path Of the
Eliterateur is not strewn with roses.
!, Leading publishers will generally find
room for meritoriouS effort and in
some cases generously compensate the
writer, but fame gives so much pre-
cedence to the popularity of a periodi-
cal that editors seek to popularize
their publications more through writ
ings from the pens of Well-knoWn au-
thors than by contributions of high ex-
cellence from obscure sources; and au-
thorities say that at no previous world S
fair has there been such representa-
ton of special writers. Fully 1000
persons in the employ of the great
dailies, weeklies and magazines of
this country as well as rural newspa-
pers and school monthlies, have
claimed press privileges. Foreign
periodicals are numerously represented.
Germany has 125 accredited correspond
ents, representing the best newspapers
and periodicals of the empire. Eng
land comes next with about forty,
France twenty-five, Italy twenty, Aus
| tria and Australia each six, and about
| twenty-five others representing Sweden,
Norway Spain, Denmark, Belgium,
Russia, Japan, Turkey, Mexico and
| other countries. Among the cores
pondents of the American press aIe
| fully seventy women, many of whom
are experienced writers and very ac-
| tive in collecting information Of all
sorts.
The improvement in the condition of
modern writer's is wildly contrasted
| to the condition of authors in times
past in a recent publication entitled,
Fleet Street, the Highway of Let
ters'' Imported by Chas. Scribner's
| sons. 1t portrays the difference in
their habits, manner of living, hopes
| and accomplishments. 1t tells you,
among other things, that 'once you
found your stripping author in Grub
| street, never seeing society, buried
from the world; now he is more likely
| to be found drinking tea in some May
| fair drawing-room."
| The most typical days of Fleet
street were those of Addison, Johnson,
| Steele, Swift and some others. The
| literary men then were bachelors, and
they gathered not only their news and
| information, but many of them inspi-
rations over a pot of ale at Wills cof-
| fee house. Shakespeare himself spent
more of his time at London taverns
! than at home. If a man wished to be
an author he hired an attic in Grub
| street, and if he wrote anything, in
stead of sending it to the editor of
some magazine, he tried to find some
bookseller who would print it and offer
| it for sale in the form of a little
| pamphlet.
| In those days men went into litera-
ture because of inspiration and were
willing to starve for it. The fascina-
ton of literary work is just as great
today as ever. The attraction of ex-
element, and delight of meeting con-
stantly the brightest and shrewdesh
minds is even greater, as thousands
can enter the field now where in those
days but one could hope to survive
Literary men no longer gather their
INSPIRATION IN cOIIee mouse intercourse,
but from the newspapers and drawing
| rooms. The morning papers keep one
in touch with the world, and the SUBJ
jects of the authors of today are
widely at variance with those of
times past. Women play an impor-
tant part in the literature of today.
because their attractions have become
dominant ones in society writings
Again, the author of today but seldom
comes in contact with his fellow
author. and his writings are more orig
inal than in the past. Genius man
ages to keep quite as poor as formerly,
but there are SO many forms of liter
ary labor nowadays that thousands
make a business of earning their liv-
ing by the pen. Literature as a pro-
fession has reached an enormous de-
velopment, both in the higher class
of periodicals and the newspapers
The novice will do well to outline
policy of reading, observation,
thought, and experience and follow
it. If you wish to describe the atti-
tudes and phases of life, make it a
study and in this way it will become
natural and easy to describe. Observe
nature carefully and cultivate a love
for its study. In contact with your
fellow man do not allow the slightest
prejudice to enter into your thoughts,
but study individuality with pur-
pose. Writings. which have an auto