Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-31
AUTHORS AS READERS.
DIR. Conan Doyle viii Take the Platform
In This Country.

Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, March PA few years ago
the manuscript of a romance written by an
author then unknown was offered to sew
| eral American publishers, both of books
and periodicals. 1t was refused until, as
last chance, it was sent to the editor of a
periodical, who accepted it gladly and was
rejoiced to find that his Judgment of 1t was
correct. for it proved to be one Of the popu
lar stories of the yea, Since hat time the
then unknown author has gained a SPLEEN
did fame, large income and probably
more readers in the United States even thep
in his own country-Great Britain. He is
DR.. A Conan Doyle, who gave up the prac
tice of medicine when he discovered that
his talents and his disposition enabled him
to do better or at least more profitable
work with the pen than with the scalpel.
Dr. Doyle's earnings in the past five or
six years have averaged more than $4,000
year, and handsome as such an income is
he has recently made contracts which will
probably bring him as much in two years
as he has gained from all his writings. He
has consented to come to America and give
Il series of public readings in every consid
cradle city in the United States, his selec-
tions being made from his own writings.
Some of the adventures of Sherlock
Holmes furnish admirable opportunities
for dramatic elocution, and there are pas
sages in his historical romances which, if
read with skill, ought to create much in
terest in an audience as is possible without
the accessories of the stage, such as cos
tuning and scenery.
Exactly what DR.. Doyle is to receive for
these readings is of course known only to
himself and the agent with whom he has
made his contract, but he was guaranteed
a large sum of money and besides that n
share in the net receipts. lfDr. Doyle main
tains upon the platform the popularity
which he gained through his writings, he
ought to take back to England n consider
able sum of money.
Some disposition to criticise Dr. Doyle
for thus becoming what the ultra critics
call public Snowman has been made man
ifest, and it is exactly the note of complaint
which was heard when Dickens decided to
appear upon the platform. The feeling
which occasioned such criticism has been
recognized by Rudyard kipling, who was
also urged to give a series of public read
ings and was promised guarantee which
would have made him n comparatively
wealthy man. But Mr.. kipling declined
such proposition for two reasons. One
was based upon his fear that his creative
work would be somewhat impaired or at
least his creative ability be stunted if he
consented to make public appearance and
elocution in connection with his own writ
ings.
Then another reason led him to refuse,
that being a sentimental one He is re-
ported to have said that the instant great
literary worker becomes Snowman he
cheapens his art and cheapens himself.
Therefore he threw away the chance Of
making in the next three OF four years more
than 100000. There are high critics who
praise him for this determination, but to
most persons it seems like an eccentricity
born of representative and unreasonable
apprehension.
This whole matter was gone over at the
time that Dickens proposed to his friends
to read in public and for a price from his
own works. The truest friend that Dick
ems had argued long and earnestly with
him in opposition, but Dickens said that
he could not see why it was any more igno-
BILE to read his works in public than to dis
tribute them to the public when the object
in each case primarily the earning of
an income. He admitted that if public
readings tended to impair his creative abil
tiles then there might be reasonable objec-
ton to his doing it.
Dickens never regretted his decision in
this matter. OF course, when the enormous
earnings which his readings brought him,
amounting in all to more than 500 900, are
considered, it appears that the public
justified it even if the critics did not, and
it is certain that his creative capacity had
already begun to fail before he appeared
upon the platform. The great fortune
which he gained by these public readings
relieved the closing years of his life of an
apprehension which had become almost
a monomania with him-the fear that he
would leave his children without sufficient
means to make them independent.
Dickens success as public reader did not
inspire Thackeray with the same purpose,
as has been so often asserted, because
Thackeray really appeared on the platform
10 years before Dickens did. Thackeray
would never have commanded the interest
which Dickens did a reader, because he
had none of that intense dramatic power
and charm which characterized Dickens
and made it apparent that he would have
been one of the greatest comedians upon the
English stage had he followed his first pur-
pose and become an actor. Thackeray
wrote two series-of lectures: He did it pure
ly as a money making venture, and yet SO
fine was the line of discrimination that the
very critics who condemned Dickens for
public reading applauded Thackeray for
public lecturing
These lectures rather than his books
made Thackeray independent. After he
had returned from his second American
trip he bought fine house, and he said to
Anthony Trollope: For the first time in
my life am independent. l own my house
and have ii permanent income of FL 200 a
year, and that will take care of my girl
whatever happens to me-
There has been no condemnation of Ameri-
can authors like Mark Twain or Thomas
Nelson Page or James Whitcomb Riley
or George w. Gable because they have
chosen to make profession of public read
ing from their works. Mr.. Page has aban-
doned it now. being independent in fortune,
and Mark Twain has earned as much
money by it as any of tbs greater American
actors. E. j. EDWARDS.
h. az