The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-19

CAII's interesting query as given by MILL
cent W Shnn:
a Perfect Day and Other Poems, by
Ina d. Coolbriih.
Poems" by Edward r. Sill.
"The Luck Of Roaring Camp and Other
Sketches" By Bret Harte.
south Sea Idyls," by Charles Warren
Stoddard.
Evolution and It's Relation 10 Religious
Thought" by Joseph lie Conte.
'Christianity and Humanity" by Thomas
S'arr King.
"Yusef." BY J. Ross Browne.
Mss Shinn is widely known as a schOl-
RTIy woman and a writer, and as editor OF
the Overland Monthly has displayed a high
order OF literary taste and critical judg-
ment Few critics of ability aud reputa-
ton on the Pacific Coast are more familiar
with the productions of California writers
or more competent to estimate their worth.
and hence what she says of them Will be
read with interest.
She readily expressed her views in an in
taryiew with q CALL reporter yesterday.
Replying 10 the preliminary and disputed
question Of what constitutes California
writer she said: Il should say that Call
fornia writer was one who bad gained a
works were written In the California spirit
For instance. II would be absurd not TO IN
G. ude Bret Harte IN a list OF California
writer's.
IN discussing what is the best among
what has been written by California au-
th0rs ! do not hesitate to say that Miss
C01brith Professor Sill and Bret Harte ara
the only poets Of tie first rank We have had.
though there are others worthy OF living.
Miss CoOlbrlth ext bits a great deal OF
Sp0ntaneity, melody and simple emotion.
SIi Is more cultured and finished. HIS
poetry is wider In mood and has an intel
lectual cast beyond the productions OF Miss
Co0.buth. But their styles are so different
DO not Ike to compare them.
These two ! think entitled to first rank.
To name particular publications. Miss
COOlbrith's a Perfect Day and Other
L ems contains her best. 1t would be hard
20 Judge between SIPS three or four books.
Probably the first book Of his poems, pub
lished by Hnught0D, Mitftn i Co., just
after bis death contains more Of his best
Tie Fools Prayer is the most widely
known Of bis poems because 10 touched a
universal chord, but il Is hardly his best
from au artistic point OF view.
Bret Harte's rooms and his short sketches
are equally entitled 70 first mention. His
dialect poems are among the cleyerest OF
tile kind ever written. Among his serious
poems Burns OF Gettysburg viii always
La q classic il its way, and there are others
thai Will live.
a good many Of Joaquin Miller's poems
have a great deal of movement and color,
and John Vance Cheney's productions are
graceful and refined.
while discussing California poetry I
81 ould say that P0ilOck's poems are good
aud he should not be quite forgotten among
poets. dis work is graceful and feeling.
Among other minor poets are a number
worthy OF mention In connection with a
discussion of California literature. Lillian
j. Sauey has written some poetry Of
promise, and the ballad poetry OF Virginia
Ieyteu Is uniformly good. Miss Kate
Bishop as one IF the few people Of best
promise We had. Everything she did dis
PLAYED a high order OF intellectual refine
nenr. Her wOTk consists only Of fugitive
verses and brief essays Bret Harte's
niece. Maud Nyman, always writes good
verse and size contributes a good deal 10
Eastern magazines Miss Irene Hardy de-
serves mention among the minor poets. she
las just published collection for private
circulation which has really ex client merit.
These have crossed my mind at the mo-
meat | could name a dozen more who
have never shown NE anything bad and
not worthy oil tie pages of any magazine
Ia comparison win what the rest of the
country Is doing we do the best the field
OF poetry. The editor Of the Atlantic once
told me that We had more poets IN CalIfor-
MA 10 he square inch than any other place
lie knew OF. Apart from two or three
writer's, the best poems are stray poems
here and there.
In fiction Bret Harte is easily at the
head, and his short stories are better than
lis novels. / do not class Mark Twain as
California writer, and / leave out Helen
hunt jackson aud her Ramona as not
= being Californian.
Ust a bout tie cleVeTest story ever writ
ten in California was Jack Small 0y DR..
Gally, now al aged resident OF Watson
vile. II IS stray story published in the
Overland IN May, 1919. Many critics think
II better than anything Bret Harte ever
wrote. The author might have made a
name If he had kept II I'D.
Aside from Bret Harte and this one story
! would hesitate before selecting individual
names. L don't think there has been any
California novelist OF really first rank. while
there have been a good many writers Of ex-
cellent short stories. Noah Brooks has
written some very good short stories, but
the DGlk OF his writing and the work that
the world knows him by has been done in
tile East. II IS difficult to say which Is the
BEST 1 am opposed 10 the critical school
which favOrs one type and the work of one
school OF writer's. / hold that every school
u literature Is great in its way. | do not
say that this and that is great because II
tails under this or that definition. | accept
Tor publication some things which / per-
hOhaHy Qetest because they are good in
p their line. | learn TO distinguish between
NY personal taste and my critical iudg-
nent 30 l can say only that this is best In
It's way aud that is best in its way.
some OF the best stories written in Cal
liorGla have never got out of magazine
form. We have and have had many very
clever writers OF drifting short stories-the
stories Of Dan de guile, Mlllard and sew
eral others. Some OF them who belong
rather 10 the Arg0naut school, which | am
not so familiar with. Within its Um{ta
LlUnG 8 mNrOcp RfgrQa'c fcra rriF -
and unusual one. he has a magnificent
power OF language, but it is often degraded
to the merest biliingsgate. Flora HaInes
Loushead has done some very good things,
anu presume Kate Douglas Wig
I'm should be mentioned among the
GOOD nctlon writers. Her Patsy and
Inc Birds Christmas Carol are really
very good. There is a young lady. Ida ri
Ballard, now IN tie university who will be
heaTd OF as story writer. She has had
some things accepted by the Century. and
Eastern critics express high opinions IF her
work. Probably J. Ross Browne il az
worthy or being Included with the best A :
any Of our writer's Of fiction, and sYuseP
may be taken as his best work.
Among the essayists Charles Warren
Stoddard is the first, ] should say. and his
south Sea Idyls' is his best work. DR.
Joseph lie COnte's scientific essays are Sc
charmingy written and in such a popular
style that they are not strictly scientific.
Iut'* literary StyIe ana nnlSh entltle them
10 ace among literary productions and
i would place his Evolution and It's Rela-
ton 10 Religious Thought among our seven
best literary works. To complete the list
would name the sermons aud other writ
ings Of Thomas Starr King, notably the
collection entitled christianity and Ru-
manity.'"
Miss Shnn fixed on the list at the head of
this Interview, and then continued her Cos
sip by making a few comments in general.
I'VE are provincial out here" She oh.
served. We are anxious to be independ-
ent OF the East ana we are really depend