The morning call., 1893-01-19

Ever since THE CALL pr0pounded it;
query, what Are the Seven Best Books by
California Authors?" [ have been very
anxious to note what the verdict would be.
Ia the first article on the interesting sub
ject it was asked that outsiders-person:
not named in the jufy-should contribute
their views. Now | will tell you what
think should rank as the seven best of oul
literary works, thas is TO say, as full volume!
in covers (fOr / understand that things NO
in covers are not to be considered IN the cat
egory).
here is nv list, and let those smile at i
who viii:
south Sea Idyls." by Charles Warren
Stoddard.
'Frhe Luck of Roaring Camp" by Francis
Bret Harte.
Ramona" BIZ Helen Hunt Jackson.
Songs Of the Sierras," by Joaquin Miller.
"Roughing It." by Mark Twain.
Los CerritOs." by Gertrude Anterior.
'The Man Who Was Guilty." by Flora
Haines Loughead.
Now as to why's and wherefores. ] DC
not hope TO convince anybody Of the truth
OF what believe. as II stands IN full, but /
am SURE | have bit upon at least three Of the
names that will eventually be included IN
THE CALLS list rs chosen by Its jury.
Sicddard's South Sea 1dyls' is one OF
the most poetieal Of prose works that
have ever read. and it represents the very
best there is u the man. though he does not
think So He has never equaled this one
little outburst of Pacific island enthusiasm
and never win, though his Ma hallah"
comes quite close TO it, / put the "ldyls"
first on the list because they really stand
highest, and | think that they have never
been properly recognized by our people,
though they are known and talked OF
abroad. They are not what ! call finished
II - oE.,frr c.f~ I'd
no one who has ever been under the IN
fuence of the dreamy tropics will deny the
wonderful power Of what Staddard has
written.
Although THE Luckyof Roaring Camp"
was one OF Harte's first works, he has never
gone beyond il, and. to my notion, he has
never reached il in any OF his others.
Now you viii say that Ramona" is not
really ours. because Helen Hunt jackson
was not very closely related 10 u.s. What
State or country has better right to claim
her? She lived here for long time. and
her best work was done llere-the one work
that stands first and foremost in her whole
Iisr. She did her best thinking ard GER
tainly her best study here. and IL IRA
mona" is not what is claimed for 1.-THE
leading American novel. which nobody who
reads Howells, or james, or Herman Mel
vile will admlt-lt IS certainly very good
thing and we ought to be proud OF IL.
Nobody will deny that Songs OF the
Slerras" is entitled TO rank on The list with
the best seven, and Miller himself Will not
dare TO say that he has ever gone beyond
what is contained in that one volume.
In "Rpugaing II" you see Mark Twain
at his best, and he is nothing If not Cali
fornian.
As for Mesdames Atberton and Loug-
head. | must confess that / know little of
their work beyond VIVA. have read in the
two volumes named, aud it does not rank
very high as literary art, though truthful IN
the main. / have put those Two books OF
theirs down On the list merely because
did not know what there was OF all the rest
of the work OF Caiifornians-that is the
volumed aud bound work insisted on by
THE CALL-that could take rank above il
after the other FIVE works and authors had
been mentioned.
i understand that only one selection
must be made from the works of each
author TO be immortalized by THE CALL
or | would have put in "Mashallah" instead
Of Los Cerrtos" and Gabriel Conroy'
instead OF the Man Who Was Guilty"
SEVENTY NINE.