Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-06-02
SHORT STORY WRITER'S.
Editor Dana's Unstinted Praise of Mary f.
wilkins.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, May 23.-One of the largest
publishers of works of fiction in New York
city, when asked by the writer who was the
most successful writer of short stories at
the present time, replied without hesita-
ton: ut is Mary E. Wilkins, and she is
successful both from the pecuniary and the
literary viewpoint. With the exception of
Bret Harte, probably no writer of the pres
ent generation has succeeded so faithfully
in portraying the distinctive life of a Ger
tain section of the United States as Miss
wilkins has, and her art is so perfect that
she seems to do this without conscious eff
fort Her stories have an enormous popu-
larity, and | think now equal the sales
which Rudyard Kipling's earlier volumes
of tales attained.
Charles A. Dana, in a recent review of
Miss wilkins play, "Giles Corey, Yeo-
man." characterized the workmanship as
of extraordinary quality, revealing a dra-
matte power and remarkable insight into
human nature and especially the greater
passions of men and women. This criti-
cism, which has been equaled in praise only
by Mr.. Dana's estimate of some of the
works of Bret Harte, was made after read
ing the play 1t has since been acted, and
while its dramatic power was recognized
by the audience, yet it was felt that the
subject itself was too gloomy and not sufti-
GENTLY relieved by lighter touches to make
it acceptable, at least in the money making
sense.
Publishers and magazine editors unite in
saying that there is now an extraordinary
demand on the part of the reading public
for short stories, although both Mr.. Aid
rich and Mr.. Howells are reported to be of
the opinion that what is called the short
story craze is only temporary fascination,
and that the demand will again be for
longer fiction. 1t is strange that notwith-
standing this extraordinary demand the
supply seems to be growing more and more
limited. There are scarcely dozen Amer
lean writers of short stories who can pro-
duce what the public, or at least the most
cultivated public, desires, and it is the pub
fishers opinion that after all the most cul-
tivated public is the great mass of plain
people.
Bret Harte is the only writer of short
stories who has maintained that sort of lit
erature from the first. The only long story
which he ever wrote was not successful, al
though he received $4,000 for it, and the
single play which he wrote, which was pro
duced by Stuart Robson, was a sad fail
ure. Harte earns more from short story
writing than any other writer of tales u.s.
ing the English tongue, although his prof
its are not as great as have been those OF
some of the French masters of the art.
There are a number of writers who, pub
fishers believe, would, if they chose to give
themselves up to the work, achieve success
as writers of short stories. Among them
is Professor Henry A. Beers, who occupies
the chair of English literature at Yale col
lege. He has written two or three short
stories which have been greatly admired as
works of art, and which also have the quail
Ity which has given them popularity. But
Professor Beers seems to be willing to write
this sort of fiction only as occasional amuse-
ment, although he has been urged to de
vote himself to it.
Mrs. Annie Slosson Trumbull has writ
ten two or three short stories of New Eng
land life which are regarded as quite equal
to the best work of Miss wilkins, but she
seems disposed not to hasten her pen, al
though she could command high price
for her work. Mr.. Fuller, the Chicago
writer, from whom great things were ex-
pected, is reported by magazine editors not
to be fulfilling his earlier promise, al
though they believe he has the capacity yet
to place himself in the front rank of short
story writers. But although the number
of successful short story writers seems to
be limited the number of those who are
writing them is really enormous, since the
magazines nowadays are literally deluged
with manuscripts of this kind, most Of
which is worthless. Z. j. EDWARDS.