The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-06-24
A COMFORTABLE LIVING.
Literary Work Pays Far Better Than 1t
Did Forty Years Ago.
Especial Correspondence


Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, June 6.-Mr. Parke Goodwin,
who is the survivor of that group of liter
ary men who gave New York its first repute
as literary center and of whom Washing
ton Irving, James X. Padding, Louis
Gaylord Clark, George William Curtis and
n. p. Willis were perhaps the most dis
tinguished members. read Il few days ago n
delightful eulOgy of George William Curtis
before the Century club of New York city.
Mr.. Goodwin and Mr.. Curtis were literary
friends nearly so years ago, and their in
timacy was maintained through the vicis-
STUDIES of Putnam's Magazine, of which
they were associate editors, and while Mr..
Curtis was serving afterward rs editor OF
Harper's and Mr.. Goodwin as II Journalist.
1t was with Goodwin and Curtis that
Ihackeray had his closest intimacy on the
occasion of his visit to America, in 1854 at
a time when Putnam Magazine was i'm its
glory, and it was with them that Mr..
Thackeray went to II famous oyster saloon
and was invited to lunch on II dish of extra
saddle rocks. and when he had swallowed an
unusually large one and was asked how he
liked it he made his famous reply, ~ felt
as though l was swallowing baby"
Mr.. Goodwin in his essay had something
of regret that the purely literary man as
he was known 80 or 40 years ago was not
now to be found. But he also admitted
that literature as vocation paid far better
now than it did then, and that it was posi-
bic for writer To earn Il comfortable live
hhood with his pen today, although lie
might not secure 50 great n fame rs the
writers of 40 years ago attained.
The writer III chatting with IL veteran
publisher of that day asked him whether it
was true that most of the famous writers
pf,linnH m a Io
something else than their pen and was sur
prised to learn that for the most part it was
so. Said this publisher: The men who
made the literary fame of America u gen
Grafton ago would be surprised if they were
living now to learn what the earnings of
some of the writers of today are and men,
too, who are of no great rcpute outside of
their own circle: For instance, suppose
Mr.. llowells' earnings arc not now less than
$4,000 year. Just now he is in vogue
and all that he does commands the highest
price. Mr.. Stockton earns ut least So ZOO
year. Robert Louis Stevenson has been
earning from $1,000 to $4,000. Mrs Bur-
nett has grown rich. Julian Hawthorne
counts it a poor year when he has not made
$4,000, and some of the speciality writer's
earn Il good deal more than the average
doctor or lawyer
~ am told that there are number of
| special writers for the newspapers whose
Incomes range from 5000 10 $4,000 Il year.
know of one newspaper writer pure and
simple whose income for one year was over
| $4,000, but that was an exceptional case
and time. His average yearly earnings
have been over 10000 for some years, aid
with his savings he has been able to buy a
beautiful place in Maryland / refer to
George Alfred townsend. Nowadays news
paper and ma5u..i:ir wor,, has II recognized
market value the .-::,c .; -? other COM
modify, and available lLai.c. is quite us
halable in the market. according to its grade
as is wheat"
Here the publisher hesitated u few mo
mcnts, as though recalling some of the
| famous writers of an earlier time whom he
knew, and then he said: "If it had not been
| for some OF the federal and state offices,
| think some of our early litterateurs would
have either starved or been compelled to
| give up writing Pcrcival. for instance, to
| whom it is proposed to erect monument
III Connecticut, gained an early fame rs n
| poet while no supported himself as state
| gcologist. Hawthorne might have starved
| If he had not been placed in the Salem Gus
| com house, an experience which unqucs.
| tionably gave us The Scarlet Letter
Il suppose Harrison Milard's songs have
| been sung wherever tho English tongue is
known, and Herman Merivale's novels of
| 40 years ago were translated into half Il
dozen foreign languages. Both of these
/, men were for years custom house en-
ployces. 1t has generally been supposed
that Fitz-Greene Hallock was In the Gus
tom house, but he was all his life private
| secretary to John Jacob Astoyt1
- 800 =. I EnHARpa.